Computer glitch grounds Delta flights
FAA: Problem 'not a safety-related issue'
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A glitch in a Delta Air Lines computer system grounded flights out of Atlanta on Saturday afternoon because data needed for takeoffs was not available, an FAA spokeswoman said.
Flights in some other cities were affected by the delays.
Initially all flights east of Salt Lake City, Utah, were grounded, but within a couple of hours, flights were beginning to take off from airports other than Atlanta, Delta spokeswoman Liza Caceres said.
By early evening, the delays and cancellations were mostly confined to the Central and Eastern United States, Delta spokesman Andy McDill said.
McDill said travelers should check the airline's Web site
or call the flight information line -- 800-325-1999 -- for updates on arrival times.
The Atlanta-based airline uses the computer data in question to calculate weight and balance, and process passenger-related information, said Kathleen Bergen of the FAA.
"It's not a safety-related issue," Bergen said.
The problem, which began about 3 p.m., affected flights across the airline's system, Delta spokeswoman Catherine Stengel said.
"We are currently working hard to fix the issue," she said. She wouldn't predict how long that would take.
Passenger Irene Steffas said her flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Atlanta, where she lives, was scheduled to leave at 3:50 p.m. She said passengers sat on the plane for about an hour before being taken off and returned to the terminal.
