Flights temporarily grounded in Rochester, across US after FAA computer outage

A computer glitch at the Federal Aviation Administration has delayed airline traffic across much of the nation early Wednesday - including in Rochester - and the agency said it was working to restore the system.

The FAA Wednesday morning ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m., but announced that the ground stop was lifted just before it was set to expire.

"Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews," the FAA announced. The Notice to Air Missions system provides pilots and other flight personnel with real-time, safety information concerning flight operations and airports.

NOTAMs list potential hazards and conditions that can change flights – from runway construction or possible icing to a change in an aeronautical facility or flight service.

On Wednesday afternoon, NAV Canada, the country's air traffic control organization, posted a tweet saying its NOTAM system was experiencing technical issues as well, but added that the problem was not resulting in flight delays so far.

The FAA continues to investigate what caused the outage.

More than 7,300 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed as of 12:30 p.m., according to the website flightaware, and over 1,000 flights in the country were canceled. With 19,621 domestic flights scheduled on Monday, according to Cirium data, those numbers are almost certain to rise as airlines recover their operations.

At least 25 flights scheduled to depart and arrive at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport Wednesday morning have been delayed, according to the airport's website. Several flights were canceled and at least one departing flights was diverted en route - an early morning Atlanta-bound Delta flight was diverted to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Airport Director Andy Moore Wednesday morning said airlines at the Rochester airport "are interacting with passengers as best they can."

"It looks like things are starting to recover a bit," Moore said late Wednesday morning. "There are a lot of variables that come into play and a whole lot of unknowns. We hope that this can be resolved sooner versus later."

He noted that about 35% of the airport's departures on Wednesday were delayed or canceled. It was not yet known how delayed and canceled flights from the morning would impact other flights - often at other airports - later in the day and on Thursday. If late night flights that are scheduled to spend Wednesday night at the Rochester airport do not make it here, it will impact early morning flights scheduled to depart Rochester on Thursday, Moore said.

Travelers should check their flight status with their airlines and rebook or cancel if needed.

Early Wednesday, Erica Fee boarded her 6 a.m. flight to Newark Liberty International Airport out of Rochester, with plans to ultimately fly to London. But rather than taking off as planned, the United Airlines flight was delayed and all passengers were required to return to the terminal, she said.

Fee, the producer and chief executive officer of the Rochester Fringe Festival, was headed to the United Kingdom for a business trip when the FAA issue interrupted her plans. The trip, she said, cannot easily be rescheduled as numerous work-related-meetings are planned and the trip was coordinated with several colleagues.

“I’m not sure if I will miss my connection, which is also delayed,” she said, adding that airline representatives are telling her to wait for now.

The problem, she said, is no one can define “now.” Will it be 5 minutes? 10 minutes? An hour? Longer?

Some passengers on her delayed flight have rescheduled and left the airport, Fee said.

Many passengers are “just waiting,” she said.

“No one seems to know what to do,” Fee said of what’s happening at the airport. “I’ve called United, talked to them here on the ground. United is offering refunds and rescheduling, but I can’t just reschedule.”

United Airlines issued a waiver for travelers at certain airports, allowing passengers whose flights were affected to alter their plans without paying a change fee or fare difference.

Southwest Airlines also announced a more flexible change policy for affected passengers.

Passengers were urged to check with their airlines.

The FAA said it was working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following the outage.

"While some functions are beginning to come back on line, National Airspace System operations remain limited," the agency said in a tweet.

Includes reporting by Zach Wichter of USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Flights at Rochester airport, across US grounded after computer outage