7:42 AM: AP is reporting that the issue has been fixed, but there are still significant delays being reported in all airports across the country. (This kind of reminds me how there are still “residual delays” after Muni fixes the “train control system,” know what I mean?)
Anyway, all the planes that were delayed have to take off, so they’re still waiting in lines in airports all over the nation. But it looks like they will be taking off, so that’s good!
6:40 AM: CNN is reporting that an Atlanta-based FAA computer system used to process flight plans is down, causing air travel delays for all domestic and international flights that travel over the eastern US.
It’s important to note that “Airplane safety is not affected, the FAA said. Planes in the air have radar coverage and communication, according to the FAA.”
The glitch means that air traffic controllers have to enter flight plans manually before flights can be allowed to take off.
Local broadcast news (to paraphrase Sarah Palin, all of them) are reporting that all Bay Area flights headed east are being “stacked at the gate”. In addition, airlines based in Atlanta (for example, Delta and Air Tran) are completely disabled. Your best bet: call your airline (especially since it looks like the FAA website, at publication time, wasn’t particularly accurate) before you leave this morning to see if you’re actually going anywhere today.
