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Delta Implements Travel Waiver For Flights To And From Atlanta Airport As Power Failure Continues

This article is more than 6 years old.

According to the latest media statement from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, "the airport sustained a power outage shortly after 1 pm today." The outage is continuing and its cause is still being investigated. Reports that construction workers cut a cable have not been confirmed by the airport authority. In the meanwhile, no planes are taking off or landing at the airport. The FAA has implemented a ground stop for all flights into Atlanta, which means any flights scheduled to land in Atlanta are being held on the ground. Inbound flights are being diverted to other airports.

Delta, the largest air carrier based in Atlanta, has announced on Twitter that it is implementing a travel waiver program for all flights into, out of or through Atlanta. The waiver allows passengers traveling through Atlanta December 17-18 to make a one time change for free to their travel plans. Details on the travel waiver are here.

The closing of the Atlanta airport for so many hours is going to have a ripple effect for travelers throughout the US and even abroad because of the number of flights that go in and out of Atlanta each day. According to its website, the airport handles 2500 flights per day, with an average of 275,000 passengers per day. The airport has been the busiest in the world since 1998 and serves 150 US destinations and more than 75 international destinations in 50 countries. It is within a two-hour flight of 80 percent of the United States population.

Anyone scheduled to travel in the next 24 to 48 hours should check their flight before leaving for the airport.