3 months ago
WASHINGTON (AP) --The air traffic controllers union says the computer failure involved both of the Federal Aviation Administration's computer centers in Salt Lake City and Atlanta. Even though the FAA said Thursday the problem had been solved, Doug Church, a spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Union, said controllers were still entering flight plans manually into computers in some locations. The computers at the two centers, which handle flight plans for air traffic throughout the country, broke down early Thursday.
Airport officials in Albany, Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo say they haven't been hit yet by the widespread flight cancellations and delays caused nationwide the glitch in the FAA's air traffic system. Christine Reale, the spokeswoman at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, says departures and arrivals are running on time as of late Thursday morning. At Buffalo Niagara International Airport, spokesman Doug Hartmeyer says that depending on how long the disruption lasts, there could be a domino effect on smaller airports. Albany International Airport spokesman Doug Myers says travelers might encounter delays at major hubs. The FAA says the problem started just after 5 a.m. and was fixed at about 10 a.m. But it wasn't clear how long flights would continue to be affected. New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer says the Federal Aviation Administration needs more resources to prevent problems like the computer glitch that's causing cancellations and flight delays nationwide. The Democrat says in a statement that the previous FAA's neglect and poor management has left the current FAA and the public with an aviation system "in shambles." He says without more resources, glitches that cause delays and chaos across the country will happen more regularly.
AP
