‘One more extra day away from the kids’: Stranded travellers react to the Friday the 13th chaos at US airports

A communications outage prompted a rare grounding of all US flights, stranding hundreds of thousands of travellers amid confusion and uncertainty. 

Confusion reigned at airports across the United States Friday, as a rare grounding of all US flights stranded hundreds of thousands of frustrated travelers with no end to the delays in sight.

In New York's busy LaGuardia airport, Janice Llewellyn was on the verge of tears: the chaos could mean she will miss her daughter's wedding in Toronto.

The 61-year-old Llewellyn was desperate to find an alternative route, telling AFP: "I may lose my mind."

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Officials attributed the disruption to a telecommunications outage affecting air traffic control communications. The exact cause was still under investigation, and officials said there was no indication of a deliberate attack.

Passengers faced delays, cancellations and diversions, with many stranded at airports and unsure when they could travel. Some risked missing weddings, concerts and other plans.

No. Flights already airborne continued to their destinations, while authorities coordinated their safe landings. The ground stop halted departing flights.

Some passengers lined up at rental car counters or considered driving, while others sought alternative flights. One traveler booked a new flight for Saturday morning.

"My husband flew all the way from England to get to the wedding," she said. "Oh gosh! I wish they had another flight, I wish I could get another flight, like, now."

At the airport in Las Vegas, some fliers were told their journeys were delayed due to wind.

One airline staffer said the ground stop would last eight hours. Another said 24 hours.

Government officials have said the grounding was due to a major communications outage and not due to any "nefarious attack."

But that didn't help travelers understand what comes next.

The shambolic lack of information led many passengers to form long lines at rental car counters in a mad dash for travel alternatives.

Joseph Anderson said he was trying to get back to Oakland from Vegas and was considering driving -- but said "if the whole country is stopped, that means the highways are going to be jammed too."

And the 72-year-old retired Air Force veteran said his already-checked luggage was captive, meaning "we're kind of stuck."

"I would hope the communication can be better from the FAA," he said.

Friday the 13th

The ground stop comes less than two weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, the busiest travel moment of the year in the United States.

And it falls ahead of a particularly busy weekend for professional and college sports -- teams and their fans are also stuck.

Back in New York, Tiara Johnson had been heading to Orlando for a weekend concert, and any hope that she would make it was growing dim.

"You think you're gonna be there in three hours, but your whole evening is kind of done!" the 50-year-old told AFP.

"But hey, they say it's Friday the 13th!"

Harried passengers stared at their phones, calm but annoyed, wandering the airport terminal without clear direction.

Hagit Levy Shalev, 54, was zen.

She booked a new flight for Saturday morning, meaning her work trip would last a little longer.

"I'll get there," she laughed. “One more extra day away from the kids!”

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.