NORFOLK, Va. — Travel troubles put some summer plans on hold Friday morning, as Delta, American and United Airlines grounded all flights.
The canceled flights caused chaos at Norfolk International Airport.
“Got through TSA, no problem," said Latricia Wilkerson who had plans to travel with her husband Friday. "Got to the Starbucks line, no problem.”
But a second look at the plane ticket on their phone came with an unwanted surprise.
“Flight canceled,” she said.
It left many passengers scrambling.
American, Delta and United Airlines asked the Federal Aviation Administration for a global ground stop on all flights. The FAA had traffic controllers tell pilots already in the air that airlines were experiencing communication issues.
U.S. cybersecurity company CrowdStrike said they had a software issue which they confirm is the root of the problems. They don’t believe the outage was a security incident or cyber attack.
“I don’t know if I’m going to get back to see my dad,” said Sanket Acharya.
Acharya said he had plans to travel to India to care for his father who just had surgery. He and many others are just waiting at the airport hoping to catch a flight.
“I guess they’re doing the best that they can but it still sucks to lose out on the things that you had already planned,” said Christen Haynes.
Several travelers trying to pass through the airport say they’re trying not to miss out on family reunions, parties and time with loved ones.
“I’m going to New Jersey," said Alyssa Alper. "It’s my sister’s bachelorette weekend and my mom’s 70th birthday.”
“We were hoping to get to St. Louis for a friend’s wedding," Dawn Ackelson said. "And then from St. Louis, I’m supposed to go to Seattle.”
Around 5 a.m., American Airlines announced operations were back to normal. United and Delta later announced some flights have resumed. However, frustrations are still high as passengers struggle to find a new route to their destination.
“It’s really nothing that we can do about it," Anthony Wilkerson said. "Like I was telling you earlier, why worry about things you can’t control?”
Delta and United Airlines said they've issued travel waivers to help passengers change their travel plans.