NATIONWIDE GROUND STOP: FAA HALTS flights across US

GROUND STOP FOR ALL. >> 24-58. GOOD COPY. >> ONE OF OUR VERY OWN. REPORTERS, GRADY, WAS ON AN. AIRPORT AND STILL REMAINS SO AT. CHICAGO O'HARE AIRPORT WHEN THAT. ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE. WE CAN SEE THAT YOU'RE STILL. SITTING ON AN AIRPLANE IN. CHICAGO. TELL US WHAT THEY ARE. COMMUNICATING TO PASSENGERS. >> YES, UNFORTUNATELY, WILL, I. THINK LET'S BE LIKE THIS FOR A. LITTLE WHILE, I AM TALKING. QUIETLY BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE. I'M STILL ON THE PLANE.

THE PILOT JUST GOT ON THE. INTERCOM TO LET US KNOW THERE IS. REALLY NO UPDATE RIGHT NOW, AND. WHAT HE EXPECTS TO HAPPEN IS. WE'LL PROBABLY GOING TO REMAYBE. ON THE PLANE FOR ANOTHER TWO. HOURS OR SO. AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL TAKE US. BACK TO THE GATE AND DE PLANE. FROM THERE AND THEN I GUESS WE. WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS FROM. THERE. BUT THE LAST TIME THIS HAND, IT. WAS 2023. I WAS ALSO AT O'HARE COVERING IT. FROM THE TERMINAL, AND I. REMEMBER THERE WERE HUNDREDS IF.

NOT THOUSANDS OF DELAYS AND. CANCELLATIONS THAT DAY. I DON'T WANT TO SPECULATE WHAT'S. GOING TO HAPPEN BUT I SUSPECT. THAT SOMETHING SIMILAR COULD. HAPPEN TODAY BECAUSE ONCE THE. AIRLINES HAVE ALL OF THESE. FLIGHTS OUT OF WHACK, FOR LACK. OF A BETTER TERM IT TAKES A LONG. TIME TO GET THINGS BACK UP AND. RUNNING AGAIN. SO I'M NOT HOPEFUL THAT I'M. GOING TO GET TO MY DESTINATION. JUST BASED ON WHAT WE'RE HEARING. RIGHT NOW. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE ISSUE. ACCORDING TO THE FAA AIR ROUTE.

TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTERS, WHAT. SHOWS THIS ARE AND MAYBE YOUR. PREVIOUS GUEST EXPLAINED THAT. BUT ONCE A PLANE TAKES OFFER IT. GETS PASSED OFF FROM THE LOCAL. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER TO THE --. WHICH HANDLE PLANES NEAR. AIRPORTS, AND THOSE CENTERS, AS. THEY CALL THEM, THOSE TAKE OVER. FOR THE HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHTS. PLANES THAT ARE GOING BETWEEN. STATES, AND THAT TYPE OF THING, AT HIGH ALTITUDES, AND THAT. SEEMS TO BE WHERE THE ISSUE IS. >> Will: GRADY, DID YOU GET MUCH.

OF THIS INFORMATION FROM THE. AIRLINE, FROM THE PILOTS AT. CHICAGO O'HARE, YOU HAVE A. REPORTER, YOU HAVE ACCESS AND. ABILITY TO FIND OUT ALL KINDS OF. INFORMATION BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS. WHAT KIND OF COMMUNICATION IS. THERE TO THE GENERAL PASSENGER? >> I WOULD SAY THE PILOT HAS. DONE A GOOD JOB OF COMMUNICATING. TO US. AT FIRST, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD. BE, YOU KNOW, A BRIEF ISSUING, BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THAT WAS. GOING ON HERE AT O'HARE. I THEN WENT ON FAA'S WEBSITE AND. LOOKED AT THE GROUND STOPS, AND. IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WERE ISSUES. MIDWAY AS WELL. THEN THE PILOT GOT BACK ON AND.

CONFIRMED THIS WAS NATIONWIDE. ISSUE. AND, OF COURSE, WHILE ALL OF. THIS IS HAPPENING I'M REACHING. OUT TO MY CONTACTS AT THE FAA. AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT. THE HECK IS GOING ON. AT FIRST THEY SAID THEY WERE. TRYING TO GATHER INFORMATION AND. THEN, OF COURSE, THEY PUT OUT. THAT FORMAL STATEMENT CONFIRMING. THE GROUND SOME, WHICH WAS THE. SAME STATEMENT THAT. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY DUFFEY. PUT OUT. >> Will: HOW DO YOU READ THAT. GREG?

YOU HAVE SOURCES. IT'S A COMMUNICATION ISSUE, WHAT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT. ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SECRETARY. DUFFEY? >> YES, I THINK FIRST AND. FOREMOST WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT. WHAT'S GOING ON, AND THEN FROM. THERE, THEY ARE TRYING TO. COMMUNICATE EVERYTHING THAT THEY. CAN, BUT IF THEY DON'T KNOW. WHAT'S GOING ON AND THEY DON'T. KNOW THE FIX, OBVIOUSLY IT'S. EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO. COMMUNICATE, TO NOT ONLY. PASSENGERS BUT EVERYONE, YOU. KNOW, EVERYONE CARES WHEN. SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS, AND. JUST TO REITERATE, WILL, THIS IS. AN EXTREMELY RARE SITUATION.

I HONESTLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S. HAPPENING WHILE I HAPPEN TO BE. ON A FLIGHT. THE LAST TIME THIS, BACK IN. 2023, THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH. THE NOTICE TO AIRMEN, AND THEN. THE ONLY OTHERS TIME THAT I KNOW. OF BEFORE THAT WHEN IT HAPPENED. WAS AFTER 9/11. IT'S EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY RARE. FOR THIS TO HAPPEN AND I WOULD. IMAGINE WHEN COMMUNICATION. SYSTEMS GO DOWN BETWEEN THOSE.

CENTERS, AND THE FLIGHTS THAT. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. CONTROLLING, OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE. TO ACT OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF. CAUTION AND GROUNDS THE PLANES. IF YOU DON'T HAVE CONTACT WITH. THEM. >> Will: WITH IT ONLY HAPPENING. TWICE IN THE PAST, GRADY, ONCE. AMIDS A TERROR ATTACK AND SECOND. WHEN WE SUFFERED THROUGH SOME. TYPE OF COMPUTER FAILURE, TECHNOLOGICAL FAILURE, LEADING. TO THE THIRD QUESTION, WHICH ARE.

WE EXPERIENCING TODAY? WE BEGAN NOT KNOWING WHICH MIGHT. BE ACTUALLY CAUSING THE THIRD. NATIONWIDE GROUND STOP IN THIS. CENTURY. IT DOES LOOK LIKE AND IT'S CLEAR. IT WASN'T THE FIRST, IT WASN'T. THE THREAT OF A PHYSICAL ATTACK. I'M NOT SURE THAT TELLS US. EXACTLY WHY THERE WAS A. COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE? WHY THIS SYSTEM FAILED TODAY. THE PREVIOUS GUEST WE HAD ON THE. PROGRAM SUGGESTED THIS COULD BE. SOMEHOW TIED TO ANTIQUATED. EQUIPMENT AND THE FAILURE OF.

SUCCESSIVE ADMINISTRATIONS TO. UPGRADE OUR SYSTEMS WITHIN THE. FAA. BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY LEAD. US DIRECTLY TO THAT CONCLUSION. WE HAVE TO CONCLUDE THERE ARE. OTHER POSSIBILITIES AS TO WHY. THIS HAPPENED TODAY? >> ABSOLUTELY. COINCIDENTALLY, I WAS JUST. COVERING THE MICROSOFT OUTAGE. YESTERDAY AND TODAY, AN I'M NOT. SUGGESTING THAT IT'S SOME SORT. OF SERVER ISSUE OR ANYTHING LIKE. THAT LIKE WHAT WE WERE DEALING. WITH, WITH MICROSOFT, I THINK. EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ON THE.

TABLE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF WHAT. SORT OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. MAY HAVE GONE WRONG. WE'VE SEEN ISSUES WHERE WIRES. WERE HIT BY CREWS THAT WERE. DIGGING, UNRELATED TO AVIATION. AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL IN THE. PAST. SO THAT CERTAINLY COULD BE ON. THE TABLE BUT I THINK, WHEN YOU. ARE HAVING SUCH A NATIONWIDE. PROBLEM, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO. BE A BIGGER SPOKE THAN THAT AND. THAT'S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE UP. TO THE FAA INVESTIGATING THIS,

WHAT'S GOING ON THAT'S CAUSING. THE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THESE. CONTROL CENTERS AND THE PLANES. THAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. CONTROLLING, WHERE IS THE. COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN THERE. AND WHAT'S THE EQUIPMENT FAILURE. THAT'S GOING ON? >> Will: WOULD GRADY, THROUGH. PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS, I KNOW. GRADY IS ACALLED, MAKES IT HIS. TOP PRIORITY TO UPDATE THESE. SYSTEMS. IT'S BEEN COMMUNICATED TO ME.

EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF BEAR THAT. IS. POLITICALLY, LOGISTICALLY, HOW. DIFFICULT THIS IS GOING TO BE. BUT I KNOW IT'S BEEN HIS NUMBER. ONE FOCUS AND I'VE SPOKEN TO. AIRLINE CEOs AS WELL WHO SAID, THIS SHOULD BE HIS NUMBER ONE. PRIORITY. IS THIS WHAT WE SEE TODAY. EVIDENCE, IN YOUR MINE, OF WHAT. HE'S DEALING WITH, THE WAY THE. SYSTEM HAS BEEN BUILT AND LASTED. FOR OVER A HALF A CENTURY? IS THIS IN YOUR BLIND SOMETHING. THAT REFLECTS THE DIFFICULTY OF. THE TRANSITION PERHAPS, INTO A.

NEW SYSTEM, A NEW AGE? >> YES --. >> Will: IT COULD BE A FAILURE, ALTHOUGH CATASTROPHIC NATIONWIDE. FAILURE. >> WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT. EXACTLY THE ISSUE IS. I HAVE HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS. WITH PEOPLE IN THE AIRLINE. INDUSTRY AND ACROSS THE BOARDS. THEY SUPPORT THIS UPGRADE.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE OF. THOSE RARE ISSUES THAT'S. BIPARTISAN IN CONGRESS, DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, THEY. ALL SUPPORT UPGRADING THE AIR. TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM. I HATE TO SPECULATE RIGHT NOW. ABOUT WHAT MOMENTUM THIS TYPE OF. SITUATION COULD GIVE TO THAT. CONVERSATION, BUT REMEMBER, THE. SECRETARY IS ASKING FOR BILLIONS. MORE DOLLARS TO UPGRADE THE. SYSTEM, AND HE WANTS TO GET THIS. MONEY NOW SO THAT THEY CAN START. THE PROCESS ASAP SO IT SENT.

KICKED DOWN THE ROAD. THE CHALLENGE OF SWITCHING OVER. TO THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY, YOU. CAN'T TAKE EVERYTHING OFF LINE, WHEN YOU SWITCH OVER TO THE NEW. TECHNOLOGY. IT ALL HAS TO BE CONSISTENT. IT'S CERTAINLY GOING TO BE A. CHALLENGE AS WELL. WHEN YOU HAVE PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. IT'S HARD NOT TO THINK, WOULD IT.

BE THIS WAY IF THE TECHNOLOGY. WERE MORE MODERN AND WE WEREN'T. USING FLOPPY DISKS FOR 1980'S. AND 1990s TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP. PLANES IN THE AIR. >> Will: WE'VE GOT THE REPORT OF. WHO KNOWS MORE ABOUT THIS TH.