FAA system glitch adds to growing list of traveler headaches  

ST. LOUIS – Around 10,000 flights have been canceled or delayed in the last few weeks due to three major issues for travelers.

A couple of days before Christmas, there was a massive winter storm that grounded flights for days. A couple of days later, it was a system glitch with Southwest that delayed nearly 70 percent of the major airlines’ flights. On Wednesday morning, it was an FAA system glitch that caused more delays.

“Exhausting and very long,” said Vivien Kretz.

Kretz had traveled from Germany but did have a layover at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

“It was insanely overcrowded,” Kretz said. “It could have been due to the glitch.”

The FAA’s Notice to Air Mission system, which is used to alert pilots of safety issues, was down Wednesday morning. It was eventually restored just before 8 a.m.

Alvaro Bazaco was also coming from O’Hare and said he avoided any delays but was aware of Wednesday’s issues.

“I was lucky because I didn’t have any cancellations or delays,” he said. “But I heard some people speaking about that.”

Kretz said that the last few weeks of travel problems have increased her travel anxiety.

“I’m super scared,” she said. “I have a lot of travel anxiety, and I’m always scared of stranding somewhere.”