Atlanta airport
Photograph ©2010 by Brian Cohen.
Brian Cohen·
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Update on Power Outage at Atlanta Airport December 17, 2017

A power outage brought operations at the international airport which serves the greater Atlanta metropolitan area to a complete standstill earlier today, stranding passengers aboard airplanes and within areas of the airport — and no indication has been given at this time as to when this situation will be resolved.

Update on Power Outage at Atlanta Airport December 17, 2017

The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States issued a ground stop for flights headed to the airport earlier today due to an electrical power outage which affected the terminals — and although the control tower is able to be operated as normal, departures are currently delayed because airport equipment in the terminals is not working.

A ground stop means that flights headed to Atlanta are held on the ground at their respective departure airports. This statement will be updated when the Federal Aviation Administration get new information.

This means that international flights are being diverted to other airports.

People have been wondering aloud how the busiest airport in the world does not have generators available for back-up electrical power.

Reports are now surfacing that people are being prevented from leaving the airport…

…as well as references to being held hostage…

…with some of them being held in the dark:

The domino effect has rippled throughout the commercial aviation system in the United States. For example, here is a scene from Newark Airport of passengers awaiting their flight to Atlanta:

If you want to rent a car, expect a long wait.

Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations

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 two 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 Monday, December 18, 2017; and Thursday, December 21, 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; and Sunday, December 31, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.

Summary

Southwest Airlines has already canceled all remaining flights for the rest of the day today.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that “a Delta Air Lines pilot told passengers a construction crew cut a power line” at the airport…

…but officials at the airport responded that this report has not been confirmed.

This situation is currently being investigated; and a lot of important questions need to be answered to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future.

Will the eventual confirmed reason behind this debacle be considered inexcusable and unacceptable — especially as it has been ongoing for several hours?

Please click here for a newer article with updated information.

 Photograph ©2010 by Brian Cohen.

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