Georgia Power announced early Monday that power is fully restored to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the world's busiest airport. More than 1,000 flights were ground on Sunday, stranding many passengers in planes and dark terminals. (Dec. 18) AP
Last update: 10:15 a.m. ET. Next update: By 12:15 p.m. ET.
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.
The power was back on Monday, but more than 410 flights had already been canceled at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as of 10:15 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Fortunately for fliers, that number had not increased much since the early morning hours. Still, it remained possible more cancellations could be added to the tally Monday as both airlines and the airport push ahead with restarting 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.
Timeline: How the Atlanta airport blackout unfolded
Flight tracker: Is your flight on time?
SUNDAY: Atlanta power outage: More than 1,100 flights canceled | Power back on after outage strands thousands at Atlanta airport
“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.
Earlier this month: Snow in Atlanta! Flight cancellations spike amid unexpectedly heavy snowfall (story continues below)
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.
Today in the Sky: List: The world's 20 busiest airports (2016)
The disruption is unwelcome news for air travelers just as the busy holiday season ramps up.
Flights run full this time of year, especially on the peak travel dates of Thursday (Dec. 21), Friday (Dec. 22) and Tuesday, Dec. 26. That means there are few empty seats to accommodate fliers during mass disruptions like the one that's currently affecting Atlanta.
For Delta and the other airlines flying from Atlanta, the hope will be that this problem came early enough in the holiday travel window that enough slack can be found to get stranded fliers to their destinations in a reasonable time frame. Had the problem occurred just two days later, things would have been much worse for holiday travelers.
MORE: Christmas travel rush: What to expect if you're flying | Airlines prepare for record 51M holiday travelers for Christmas, New Year's
TODAY IN THE SKY: The 'boneyard': Where airlines send old planes to be scrapped
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9 of 54![An American Airlines MD-80 (tail number N585AA) is]()
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11 of 54![What's left of a Scoot Boeing 777 is seen at the Roswell]()
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15 of 54![Parts -- and planes being raided for parts -- are seen]()
16 of 54![The remains of scrapped aircraft are seen at the Roswell]()
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18 of 54![The remains of scrapped aircraft are seen at the Roswell]()
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20 of 54![Plane parts being scrapped at the Roswell “boneyard”]()
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22 of 54![An idled aircraft is seen at the Roswell “boneyard”]()
23 of 54![A retired American Airlines aircraft -- its branding]()
24 of 54![Some Boeing 747s are among the idled aircraft at the]()
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27 of 54![A retired American Airlines aircraft -- its branding]()
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29 of 54![Idled American Airlines aircraft -- their branding]()
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31 of 54![An idled aircraft is seen at the Roswell “boneyard”]()
32 of 54![An idled American Airlines MD-80 is seen at the Roswell]()
33 of 54![An idled American Airlines MD-80 is seen at the Roswell]()
34 of 54![An idled American Airlines MD-80 is seen at the Roswell]()
35 of 54![An idled American Airlines MD-80 is seen at the Roswell]()
36 of 54![Planes -- and pieces of planes -- are seen at the Roswell]()
37 of 54![American Airlines Capt. Pat Walsh takes in the sight]()
38 of 54![Idled aircraft are seen at the Roswell “boneyard” on]()
39 of 54![What's left of a Scoot Boeing 777 is at the Roswell]()
40 of 54![Spare plane parts are big business at Idled aircraft]()
41 of 54![Birds eerily make themselves at home amid idled aircraft]()
42 of 54![What's left of a Scoot Boeing 777 is at the Roswell]()
43 of 54![What's left of a Scoot Boeing 777 is at the Roswell]()
44 of 54![Idled American Airlines aircraft are seen with their]()
45 of 54![The cabin was empty for the Dec. 4, 2015, departure]()
46 of 54![The cabin was empty for the Dec. 4, 2015, departure]()
47 of 54![American Airlines Flight 9780 departs Dallas/Fort Worth]()
48 of 54![This red 1962 Lockheed JetStar JT 12-5 once flew Elvis,]()
49 of 54![Idled aircraft are seen at the Roswell “boneyard” on]()
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51 of 54![A bus stop adjacent to the Roswell "boneyard" plays]()
52 of 54![There's also a regular passenger airline terminal adjacent]()
53 of 54![The sun sets behind idled aircraft at the Roswell “boneyard”]()
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