Chick-Fil-A — which is normally closed on Sundays — opened to deliver food and water to passengers who were affected by the electrical power outage which crippled operations at the international airport which serves the greater Atlanta metropolitan area on Sunday, December 17, 2017…
Atlanta Airport Travel Waivers Extended; Chick-Fil-A Opens on a Sunday
LIGHTS ON and delivering food and water to our passengers! Thank you @dancathy with @ChickfilA for opening on a SUNDAY! #ChristmasMiracle pic.twitter.com/0PlSxHIWj5
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) December 18, 2017
…and Dan Cathy — who is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of the restaurant chain and whom I have met twice — personally delivered some of the food and water himself.
Meanwhile, the security checkpoints were opened by agents of the Transportation Security Administration at 3:30 this morning, Monday, December 18, 2017. Passengers with a ticket dated December 17, 2017 will need to reprint their tickets before being processed through the security checkpoints at the airport.
TSA checkpoints will open @ 330. *Passengers with a ticket dated 12/17 will need to reprint ticket before being processed thru checkpoints
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) December 18, 2017
Free parking has been offered at the airport until 8:00 in the morning…
For passengers at #ATL affected by today's power outage, there is free parking until 8am. Thank you for your patience & understanding.
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) December 18, 2017
…but much of the reactions of passengers has not exactly been favorable.
You just charged me and my daughter full price for parking, including the 7 hours we sat on the tarmac! I don’t know who is charge, but you are completely mismanaging this process and making a bad situation even worse. Get your freaking act together!
— Steven Evans (@SteveoEvans) December 18, 2017
I was trying to be nice and understanding, But this is ridiculous. What about those who are parked in long term parking and I literally cannot get back to Atlanta for three days according to my airline. All due to YOUR power outage. Eating the parking fees should be a minimum
— 🅱️🅱️ Thee 2⃣️ (@BBPodcast2) December 18, 2017
Why only 8 AM I am affected and will not get home tomorrow until almost 8 PM cause of this. I will have to pay another day's parking cause of your failure to have proper DR planning and preparation. This is unacceptable.
— Joel E. Natt (@andhanni) December 18, 2017
Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations
Partly due to hundreds more flights already canceled for today, Monday, December 18, 2017, some airlines have extended the period of time for the travel waivers which they issued yesterday.
If you are traveling to or from Atlanta, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to the electrical power outage which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip might be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.
If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary.
Here are eight airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of this electrical power outage:
- Delta Air Lines has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017 through Tuesday, December 19, 2017; and Friday, December 22, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- American Airlines has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017 through Monday, December 18, 2017; and Thursday, December 21, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- United Airlines has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017 through Tuesday, December 19, 2017; and Friday, December 22, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- Southwest Airlines has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017 through Monday, December 18, 2017; and Monday, January 1, 2018 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- JetBlue Airways has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017; and Tuesday, December 19, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- Frontier Airlines has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017 through Tuesday, December 19, 2017; and Monday, January 1, 2018 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- Spirit Airlines has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017 through Monday, December 18, 2017; and Thursday, December 21, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has issued a travel alert for Atlanta for Sunday, December 17, 2017 through Tuesday, December 19, 2017; and Friday, December 22, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
Summary
Electrical power has returned to the airport — but it is a long way from returning to normal operations.
If you are one of the passengers affected by this debacle, ensure that you keep yourself updated with the latest information — especially if you are traveling aboard an airplane operated by an airline which has not officially issued a travel waiver…
…and I hope that the coverage of this incident provided in this series of articles at The Gate has been helpful to you.
Photograph ©2016 by Brian Cohen.
