SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – A computer glitch that caused widespread cancellations and delays at airports across the nation started in Salt Lake City.
The system is back to normal but it’s the second time in 15-months for the FAA.For passengers arriving from Atlanta at mid-day, the delays were minor.
"It didn't seem to be so bad," said Harry Bender of North Carolina.
But behind the scenes it was a stressful morning for air traffic controllers.
"For some people it’s pretty tough," said Troy Decker an air traffic controller in Salt Lake City.
The FAA computer glitch that originated at Salt Lake City's center caused problems at Atlanta's FAA center.
And that caused flight delays especially in the east coast.
But the glitch let Salt Lake International off easy because rush hour hadn't started.
"This airport wasn't as impacted as it might have been had it been later in the day," said Spokesperson Barbara Gann.
Technicians scrambled inside Salt Lake's FAA center to clear up the problem. And within four hours it was fixed.
"It was a failure everybody pulled together we got it back up and running and the system was safe,” said Decker.
Decker said the problem was bad software data that prevented air traffic computers from talking to each other in different parts of the country. It forced traffic controllers to input flight plans by hand.
"It's monumental when a controller is faced with having to input all this data and take his attention from his primary duties, it increases his workload greatly,” Decker said.
