What is going on? First, Outlook has been down for most of the day, and now the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a nationwide ground stop.
Are we good on the technology front lately? Apparently not. And like with everything else, this is somehow Donald Trump and his administration’s fault.
Anyway, according to the FAA, the unusual step of issuing a nationwide ground stop was “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.”
In addition, the rare alert added, “all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice.”
“Inbound international flights will be managed on a case by case basis,” according to the FAA.
“FAA technicians are investigating the issue,” DEI Hire Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an online post. “We will provide immediate updates as we have them.”
Not long after the FAA’s alert, Chicago’s main airports, O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, were both placed on a ground stop due to an “equipment outage,” according to NBC Chicago.
Travelers Are Already Experiencing Chaos Due To The Nationwide Ground Stoppage
NBC News shared some of the chaos travelers are experiencing:
Deveren Werne was on an American Airlines jet that was about to take off from Indianapolis to Chicago when suddenly the pilots announced that all flights were grounded.
“At first the pilot announced that there was some kind of radio issue,” Werne, 55, of Greenville, South Carolina, told NBC News in a telephone interview. “Then a little while later, the pilot said something like, ‘There is something going on that’s more serious than that.’”
Werne, a consultant who helps manufacturers and other industries adapt AI technology, said he is a frequent flyer and this was a first for him. He said there was “a mixture of emotions” from his fellow passengers on hearing the announcement.
“Then I started hearing from other friends who were on planes, including one in Chicago who was stuck on a runway,” Werne said. “Right now our plane is heading back to the terminal so at least we’re going to be able to deplane.”
At Newark Liberty International Airport, personnel in the control tower said the situation is “a whole mess right now,” according to LiveATC. “We’re running out of space” and “there’s significant gate issues” were comments also heard on the live audio feed.
“I’m as much in the dark as everyone else, I’m not getting any information from anybody,“ one controller at Newark said, according to the feed.
This Is Not The First Time A Ground Stoppage Was Issued
Nationwide ground stops are very rare, but have happened. Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop.
As recently as January 2023, the FAA grounded all flights due to a failure in the Notice to Air Missions system, which notifies pilots about potential dangers.
Social media has been reacting to these latest events, and as expected, they are very skeptical about what is going on following the massive Microsoft Outlook outage and recent news of Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang stepping down from his role as CEO after allegedly having several extramarital affairs, one of them allegedly with a Chinese spy.
Hmmmm.
You can see more reactions below.
