FAA Says Airport Computer Glitch Fixed

Planes in the air not affected

(AP) - A problem with the FAA system that collects airlines' flight plans has caused widespread flight cancellations and delays across the US today. An FAA spokeswoman says she doesn't know how many flights are being affected or when the problem will be resolved, but the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport, has been particularly affected. AirTran had canceled 22 flights and dozens more flights were delayed as of 8am EST. Delta Air Lines also has been affected. More»

Agency learned little—if that—from previous, too-similar failures

(NEWSER) - A software glitch that left thousands of passengers delayed or stranded at US airports yesterday is becoming a familiar problem with the Federal Aviation Administration, Kevin Kelleher writes in Portfolio. Pretty much the same thing—a cascade of overloaded servers—happened last week, and last year. "With 20-20 hindsight, the FAA should be able to respond quickly, right?" Kelleher protests. More»

(NEWSER) - A computer glitch in an FAA computer system caused flight delays around the country today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The situation appeared to be easing this evening as airports—Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston were hardest hit—got back on track. The snag hit one of two FAA facilities that processes flight-approval plans. Air-traffic controllers said the error did not pose any safety risks, but it has raised questions about whether the FAA needs a better back-up system. More»

'Slippery little beast' eventually caught

(NEWSER) - Passengers on an Air China flight out of Kennedy Airport were probably perturbed at yesterday’s four-hour delay, but at least there was good reason for it: A monkey had worked its way out of its crate in the cargo hold of the Boeing 747. The Beijing-bound flight was held while Port Authority officers and an airport worker caught the “slippery little beast,” a source tells the New York Post . He was en route to China for medical research. More»

Some worry short timetable endangers other aircraft, privacy

(NEWSER) - Thousands of small drones could take wing across the US following a Federal Aviation Administration decision next month. Police departments have been snapping up the unmanned aircraft, whose cameras could be used for everything from missing-person searches to catching drug dealers. Now law enforcement is waiting on the FAA to lay out rules for using the drones—guidelines that must be set by May 14 under a February law signed by President Obama. More»