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Atlanta: Hundreds of flights canceled Monday in power outage fallout

World Materials 18 December 2017 17:27 (UTC +04:00)
Flights are taking off again at Atlanta’s busy airport, but another day of significant disruptions awaited fliers Monday after a power outage snarled flights there Sunday
Atlanta: Hundreds of flights canceled Monday in power outage fallout

Flights are taking off again at Atlanta’s busy airport, but another day of significant disruptions awaited fliers Monday after a power outage snarled flights there Sunday, USA today reported

The power was back on Monday, but more than 400 flights had already been canceled at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as of 7 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. That number could continue to rise Monday as both airlines and the airport try to restart operations after Sunday’s blackout.

In anticipation of that challenge, Delta preemptively grounded 300 of Monday’s flights the night before, a move the carrier hoped would give it some slack as it tried to reboot its flight schedule at its busiest hub.

“Most of the 300 cancellations Monday are early morning, inbound flights to Atlanta to give the operation there an opportunity to more quickly return to normal,” Delta said in a statement. “Delta’s flight schedule in Atlanta is expected to return to normal by Monday afternoon."

Whether "normal" would return by afternoon remained to be seen. For now, all big airlines flying to the airport were waiving change fees for customers scheduled to fly through the airport Monday.

For those who do fly through Atlanta Monday, a normal day seemed unlikely. Long lines were expected everywhere from airport roadways to check-in and security queues. That comes as all of those affected by Sunday’s problem returned to the airport, joining the throng of fliers that were already scheduled to fly Monday from the airport, the world’s busiest.

On average, more than 270,000 fliers pass through the airport each day. The counts for the peak holiday travel period will be much higher.

Adding to Monday's complications, NBC News reports that Delta’s electronic boarding pass system was offline in Atlanta early Monday, forcing those bumped from Sunday’s flights to wait in line for paper tickets.

The disruption is unwelcome new for air travelers just as the busy holiday season ramps up.

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