The Steady Drip: FAA: US Air Travel Expected to Recover by Sunday's End (Connecting the Dots: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Outage, The Microsoft Outage & The Carnegie/Soros Network)

FAA: US Air Travel Expected to Recover by Sunday's End (Connecting the Dots: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Outage, The Microsoft Outage & The Carnegie/Soros Network)

Newsmax.com

Saturday, 14 November 2026 11:42 AM EST

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/faa-travel-expected/2026/11/14/id/1276303/

Airlines canceled thousands of flights across the U.S. on Saturday as they worked to recover from the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years that left passengers scrambling for seats and disrupted travel around the world.

The U.S. air travel schedule should be back to normal by the end of Sunday, Bryan Bedford, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, said Saturday. He said airlines “will still have delays and cancellations” Saturday but promised that the “worst is behind us.”

New technology being added to the nation’s air traffic control system overloaded antiquated equipment and caused “intermittent” communications and radar gaps, leading to the ground stop that lasted more than four hours Friday, Trump administration officials said.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said a contractor had been working on replacing a section of the system's old copper wire with new fiber wire, and that work somehow caused the system overload. Duffy said officials were investigating whether contractor “incompetence” or a faulty router was the cause.

“Our contractor didn't meet the moment,” Duffy said.

The nationwide stop was the first since January 2023, when another key Federal Aviation Administration computer system that sends notices to pilots malfunctioned, and the second since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In a moment that perhaps only further underscored the Transportation Department’s struggling systems, Duffy's news conference Saturday morning began with audio troubles that forced last-minute microphone swaps.

Andrew Charlton, an aviation consultant, said Friday's stoppage affected about a quarter of the 45,000 flights in the U.S. each day.

“The knock-on effect of that is incredible,” said Charlton, managing director of Aviation Advocacy. “The aircraft doesn’t just fly from A to B and back to B and then stop. It then moves onto C and then over to E and around and around and around. It is, of course, exacerbated if you’re talking about long-haul flights, international flights over the Atlantic or over the Pacific.”

At airports, passengers stared at screens showing delays or rushed to find buses or trains to their destinations.

Emily Brown and her 14-year-old daughter waited more than four hours Friday at the Dallas airport for a flight to Columbus, Ohio, before giving up. They were traveling to surprise her daughter’s best friend. Instead, she had to settle for phoning the friend through tears in the airport, Brown said.

“She saved up her money to buy her own ticket, and she’s planned this whole weekend,” Brown said. “Now we’re not sure when we’re gonna be able to go.”

A cheerful Southwest Airlines gate agent greeted passengers at Dallas Love Field at dawn Saturday with, “Good morning, good morning,” then repeatedly said all flights were full and asked passengers to have boarding passes ready to expedite the process and help keep flights moving.

Sports teams scheduled to play this weekend adjusted game start times, searched for hotel rooms, rescheduled flights and chartered buses. No. 19 Mississippi’s game at Oklahoma was delayed a full day to Sunday.

FlightAware, a website that tracks flights, said more than 4,100 flights had been canceled. Cirium, a similar site, put that number above 3,200 flights.

Corbyn Wascher's flight was on the tarmac at the Charlotte, N.C., airport for four hours Friday on his way home to Moline, Illinois, from a conference in Miami. The 37-year-old high school teacher paid $100 to take an Uber to a hotel 25 minutes from the airport after he was unable to find a flight until Saturday afternoon to Chicago.

At London’s Heathrow Airport, several flights to and from the U.S. were listed as delayed or canceled Saturday.

“While U.S. flights have resumed, there may be some follow-on disruption as airlines work to rebook affected passengers and get all services back to normal,” said Tim Johnson, consumer director at the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told reporters that no one was in any danger as more than 3,000 flights in the air at the time of the grounding order landed safely.

Duffy blamed Congress for failing to approve more funding for new technology, while downplaying the fact that trying to implement new fixes overtaxed the system. He suggested more disruptions might occur.

“We didn’t think we would have this kind of outage. We did,” he said. “We were able to review what went wrong, and then reboot the system and go. But, you will have more of these.”

Duffy said the failure involved old equipment and was not linked to the FAA’s new AI-powered system, which the agency is rolling out to help predict problems in the sky.

The problem was due to updating a system that can never shut down, Charlton said.

“What you’re watching here is trying to change the tires of your car when the car’s going at 80 miles an hour down the expressway, because nothing stops in aviation,” Charlton said. “It’s a 24/7 operation. And to make changes on the fly, if you’ll pardon that pun, is incredibly complex and dangerous.”

The FAA already replaced thousands of old copper wires with fiber optic lines and upgraded hundreds of radio systems as part of the overhaul that began last year after Congress approved $12.5 billion in funding. Duffy and the White House are pushing for $30 billion more to complete the work.

The problem appeared similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that snarled hundreds of flights across the Northeast, although that disruption was linked to a construction crew cutting a fiber optic line. Aging equipment was also blamed for brief radar outages last year that disrupted Newark airport.

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said the difference this time was the nationwide scale of the disruption, which left controllers unable to reliably talk to pilots.

“If you don’t have that ability, whether it’s because the old wires that they have are just run down or for whatever reason, you’ve got to stop airplanes on the ground and not put them in the air, where you’re going to risk not being able to communicate with them,” said Arroyo, a former United Airlines pilot.

It differed from the one after 9/11 because planes were not being told to land immediately and pilots likely were able to communicate with ground controllers at airports, Arroyo said.

Chad Wolf to Newsmax: FAA Must Finish Air Traffic Upgrades

Newsmax.com

By Jim Thomas | Friday, 13 November 2026 07:52 PM EST

https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/chad-wolf-faa-ground-stop/2026/11/13/id/1276274/

Pressed on whether Thursday's Microsoft outage, which left millions without Outlook email and Teams, might be related, Wolf said his instincts run to security first.

Connecting the Dots:

Federal Aviation Agency was the predecessor to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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Queen Noor is Najeeb Halaby’s daughter, the Jordan queen dowager, a director at Refugees International, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

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Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

Ann McLaughlin Korologos was the chair emeritus for the Aspen Institute (think tank), a director at the Microsoft Corporation and is a director at the AMR Corporation.

AMR Corporation is the parent company for American Airlines and merged with the US Airways Group Inc.

Walter Isaacson is the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was the chairman & CEO for CNN.

Aleksandra Johnson was the producer for CNN, the director of public affairs for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the chief of staff for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Ray H. LaHood was the secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Barack Obama administration, his counselor was Kathryn B. Thomson and is a senior policy adviser for DLA Piper.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Linda H. Daschle was the deputy administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the senior public policy adviser for Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell and is married to Tom Daschle.

Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell was the lobby firm for American Airlines.

Tom Daschle is married to Linda H. Daschle, a senior policy adviser at DLA Piper and a director at the Center for American Progress.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a supporter for the Center for American Progress and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Center for American Progress and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

Carol M. Browner is a director, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the energy czar for the Barack Obama administration.

Jose H. Villarreal is a director at the Center for American Progress and a senior adviser at the Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP.

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Ezekiel Emanuel is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the health care policy adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Lawrence H. Summers is a distinguished fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the National Economic Council chairman for the Barack Obama administration.

Cassandra Q. Butts was the SVP for the Center for American Progress and the deputy White House counsel for the Barack Obama administration.

Philip J. Crowley was the director of homeland security at the Center for American Progress and the assistant secretary of state for the Barack Obama administration.

Derek Douglas was an associate director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant for urban affairs for the Barack Obama administration.

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Jeanne Lambrew was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the deputy assistant to the president for health policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Denis McDonough was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the chief of staff; former deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Esther M. Olavarria was the director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress and the deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the Barack Obama administration.

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Gene B. Sperling was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the assistant to the president for economic policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Todd Stern was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the special envoy for climate change at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration.

Melody C. Barnes was the EVP for the Center for American Progress, the domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration and Barack Obama’s golf partner.

Barack Obama was the president of the Barack Obama administration, Madelyn Payne Dunham was his maternal grandmother and an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

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Christopher P. Lu was a litigation associate at Sidley Austin LLP, the White House cabinet secretary for the Barack Obama administration, is the deputy secretary nominee for the U.S. Department of Labor and married to Kathryn B. Thomson.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP and Mayor Richard M. Daley’s staffer.

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William M. Daley is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s brother and was the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.

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Glenn F. Tilton is a director at World Business Chicago and was the chairman for the United Continental Holdings, Inc. and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

United Airlines is a subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc.

Walter Isaacson is a director at the United Continental Holdings, Inc., the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank), was a director at United Airlines and the chairman & CEO for CNN.

Aleksandra Johnson was the producer for CNN, the director of public affairs for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the chief of staff for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

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Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

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Ann McLaughlin Korologos was the chair emeritus for the Aspen Institute (think tank), a director at the Microsoft Corporation and is a director at the AMR Corporation.

AMR Corporation is the parent company for American Airlines and merged with the US Airways Group Inc.

Thomas R. Pickering is a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was an SVP, consultant for the Boeing Company.

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William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

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William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

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Jose H. Villarreal is a director at the Center for American Progress and a senior adviser at the Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP.

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Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

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Pete Higgins was a group VP for the Microsoft Corporation and is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Judith Rodin was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a director at the AMR Corporation.

AMR Corporation is the parent company for American Airlines and merged with US Airways Group Inc.

William T. Coleman Jr. was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Lee H. Hamilton is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Clark Kent Ervin is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and was the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. is a lifetime director for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a director at the Boeing Company.

Stanley O. Roth was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and is a VP for the Boeing Company.

James L. Jones Jr. is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was a director at the Boeing Company.

Rozanne L. Ridgway was a co-chair for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and a director at the Boeing Company.

Stanley Ebner is a lifetime director for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was the SVP at the Boeing Company.

Madelyn Payne Dunham was an aircraft inspector for the Boeing Company and Barack Obama’s maternal grandmother.

Barbara G. Fast was a VP at the Boeing Company and a VP for the CGI Group Inc.

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Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.

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William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

Raymond V. Gilmartin is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was a director at the Microsoft Corporation.

Mary Agnes Wilderotter is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was an SVP for the Microsoft Corporation.

Letitia James is the chair for the Committee on Economic Development and the Attorney General of New York.

Kenneth M. Duberstein was the VP for the Committee for Economic Development and is a director at the Boeing Company.

Ronald A. Williams is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and a director at the Boeing Company.

Roy J. Bostock was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, the chairman for the Northwest Airlines Corporation and is the vice chairman for Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. acquired the Northwest Airlines Corporation.

T. Allan McArtor is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was an administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

William T. Coleman Jr. was a secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation, a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank) and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Urban Institute (think tank) and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

William H. Gates III is a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a co-founder & technology adviser & director for the Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft Corporation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Pete Higgins was a group VP for the Microsoft Corporation and is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Judith Rodin was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a director at the AMR Corporation.

AMR Corporation is the parent company for American Airlines and merged with the US Airways Group Inc.

William T. Coleman Jr. was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Susan E. Rice was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University.

Richard N. Haass was a VP for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University.

Strobe Talbott is the president of the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University.

E.J. Dionne is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University.

Pete Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard College, the University of Oxford, attending the latter on a Rhodes Scholarship and was the Secretary of Transportation for the Joe Biden Administration.

John Brademas was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Giulio Tremonti is a fellow at Oxford University and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

James M. Manyika was a research fellow at Oxford University and is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Walter Isaacson was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, the chairman & CEO for CNN and is president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank).