'WON'T BE TODAY': Nationwide ground stop will take 'several days' to restore in full

G. TO GO. RACHEL: THANKS, ADAM. GRIFF: MIKE McCORMACK WAS THE. SENIOR EXECUTIVE ON NERVE. HE MAID THE -- ON 9/11. HE MADE THE CALL TO SHUT DOWN. KNIGHT AFTER THE ATTACKS. MIKE, THANK YOU FOR GETTING UP. EARLY WITH US -- NEW YORK CITY. WE SAW TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY. SEAN DUFFY COME OUT SWINGING. LAST NIGHT ABOUT THE ANTIQUATED. SYSTEMS THAT STILL EXIST. AND IN SOME WAYS DO YOU SEE THAT. THIS WAS A BIT OF A WAKE-UP CALL.

TO UPDATE THESE ANTIQUATED. SYSTEMS? WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF WHAT. HAPPENED? >> IT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE TO DO. ANY MODERNIZATION, UPDATE OR. TECHNICAL REFRESH INTO THE FAA'S. TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM. IT'S SIMILAR TO IF YOU'RE GOING. TO CHANGE A TIRE ON A CAR WHILE. IT'S STILL MOVING DOWN THE ROAD. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE. SYSTEM UP AND RUNNING. CONSTANTLY, PROVIDE SERVICE, BUT. THEN INTEGRATE NEW TECHNOLOGY.

INTO THAT WHILE YOU'RE TESTING. TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T OVERLOAD. THE EXISTING TECHNOLOGY THAT'S. ALREADY IN THE SYSTEM. AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE. SAW HAPPEN, IS THAT THE NEWER. TECHNOLOGY OVERWHELMED THE. PRE-EXISTING TECHNOLOGY, AND IT. LED TO THE OVERLOAD OF THE. SWITCHING AND ASSOCIATED. SOFTWARE IN THE. TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM. ASK THAT LED TO COMMUNICATION. PROBLEMS. AND THEN EVENTUALLY THE. NATIONWIDE SHUTDOWN. GRIFF: SO WHEN YOU TALK TO.

PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY AND YOU. TAKE THE BROADER CONTEXT OF THIS. STORY AND THE ANTIQUATED. SYSTEMS, WE HAVE SEEN SECRETARY. DUFFY AND PRESIDENT TRUMP SINCE. THEY TOOK OFFICE TWO YEARS AGO. TALK ABOUT THE NEED TO DO THIS. OBVIOUSLY, HIS ASK NOW, $50. BILLION, IS FAR HIGHER THAN WHAT. WE'VE HEARD IN THE PAST. HOW BAD IS THIS ANTIQUATED. SYSTEM? >> I CAN'T SPEAK TO THE $50. BILLION, BUT I CAN SPEAK TO THE.

PREVIOUSLY-REQUESTED $20. BILLION, AND THAT IS, WAS. DESIGNED AND INTENDED TO UPGRADE. ALL THE RADAR SYSTEMS ACROSS THE. UNITED STATES AND ALSO TO CHANGE. SOME TELECOMMUNICATIONS. SO THAT IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT. THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN ORDER TO. INSURE THAT THE SYSTEM IS. RELIABLE AND THAT IT WILL ALWAYS. BE AVAILABLE FOR USE OF. PROVIDING THE BEST LEVEL OF. SERVICE TO THE TRAVELING PUBLIC. SO I CERTAINLY SUPPORT ANY.

INITIATIVE, ANY REQUEST THAT. WOULD LEAD TO THE UPGRADE OF THE. NATIONWIDE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. SYSTEM. GRIFF: AND, MIKE, DO YOU SEE. THAT THERE COULD BE FURTHER. VULNERABILITIES IN THE SYSTEM. THAT WE COULD SEE THIS HAPPEN. AGAIN? >> I THINK ONE OF THE CRITICAL. STEPS THAT NEED TO TAKE PLACE AS. THEY MOVE FORWARD IN THESE. UPGRADES IS THAT YOU HAVE TO BE. ABLE TO TEST THE INTEGRATION OF. THE NEW TECHNOLOGY INTO THE. SYSTEM PRIOR TO TURNING IT ON.

FOR FULL USE BY THE AIR TRAFFIC. CONTROLLERS. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ENSURE THE. NEW STUFF CONTINUES TO WORK WITH. THE OLD STUFF AND IT DOESN'T. SNOWBALL. GRIFF: SO DO YOU BELIEVE THAT. THE CEOS OF THE AIRLINES AND. OTHERS IN THE INDUSTRY WANT THE. MAKE THIS A PRIORITY THAT SHOULD. REALLY AT THIS POINT BE GETTING. BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IN. WASHINGTON? >> WHAT YOU SEE IS THAT ALL THE.

STAKEHOLDERS, IT'S AIRLINES, AIRPORTS, PASSENGERS AND THE. INDUSTRY AT LARGE ALL HAVE. UNANIMOUS SUPPORT IN WHATEVER IT. TAKES TO UPGRADE THE FAA'S AIR. TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM ACROSS. THE UNITED STATES. AND THAT UNANIMOUS SOUTHERN. SHOULD BE LEVERAGED AND PUT --. SUPPORT SHOULD BE LEVERAGED AND. PUT TO WORK IN CONGRESS.

GRIFF: LET'S GO BACK TO 2023. WHICH IS REALLY THE LAST TIME WE. HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS TO THIS. LEVEL. AND THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT. THE NOTAM, NOTICE TO AIRMEN. ISSUE. AND FROM IF WHAT I UNDERSTAND. FROM PEOPLE INSIDE THE. TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, THAT. ACTUALLY WASN'T FIXED. AND SO I WONDER, YOU KNOW, TO. WHAT DEGREE DO YOU GIVE THIS. ADMINISTRATION, PRESIDENT TRUMP, CREDIT FOR TRYING TO DIVE IN TO. FIX THE EXISTING PROBLEMS THAT,

APPARENTLY, APPEAR ORED TO HAVE. BEEN PUT OFF -- APPEAR TO HAVE. BEEN BEEN PUT OFF OR NOT. ADDRESSED PROPERLY? >> SECRETARY DUFFY AND. ADMINISTRATOR OR BABBICH HAVE. SUPPORTED THE MODERNIZATION, AND. THAT INCLUDES THE EXISTING. TECHNOLOGY AND THAT INCLUDES. FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES. THE SYSTEM HAS NOT ONLY TO BE. ABLE TO HANDLE TODAY'S NEEDS, BUT IT HAS TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE.

THE FUTURE NEEDS OF THE AVIATION. INDUSTRY. AND THAT IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT. THAT THEY'RE ADDRESSING. GRIFF: SO, MIKE, PUT YOUR. EXECUTIVE HAT BACK ON, AND HERE. YOU WOULD BE ON THE MORNING. AFTER. WHAT WOULD YOU BE TELLING YOUR. TEAM NEEDS TO BE THE IMMEDIATE. STEPS WE'RE TAKING? >> IMMEDIATE IF STEPS ARE GOING. TO BE RESTORATION OF THE. AIRLINES' SYSTEMS AND SCHEDULES. LOOKING AT WHERE THE. PRIORITIZATION SHOULD BE TO. PROVIDE THE SERVICE TO THOSE.

THOUSANDS OF STRANDED PASSENGERS. ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WHAT FLIGHTS NEED TO BE UP AND. RUNNING, WHAT AIRCRAFT AND AIR. CREWS NEED TO BE REPOSITIONED. AND HOW CAN WE SUPPORT MAKING. THAT HAPPEN. GRIFF: AND LASTLY, I'M NOT SURE. THIS IS A FAIR QUESTION TO ASK. YOU, BUT MAYBE YOU HAVE SOME. INSIGHT, AND THAT IS, HOW LONG. WILL IT BE BEFORE WE FULLY GET. THINGS BACK UP WITH PASSENGERS. STRANDED ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THEIR NEXT. STEPS? >> UNFORTUNATELY, IT WON'T BE. TODAY. THIS WILL TAKE SEVERAL DAYS IN.

ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GET ALL THE. AIRCRAFT, ALL THE PASSENGERS, ALL THE BAGGAGE, ALL THE FLIGHT. CREWS ALL WHERE THEY NODE TO BE. THE POSITIONED -- NEED TO BE. POSITIONED TO GET THE SYSTEM UP. AND RUNNING FROM EARLY MORNING. THROUGH THE EVENING. SO I WOULD PREDICT AT LEASAST 48. HOURS IN ORDER TO RESTORE THIS. COMPLETELY. GIVE GRIFF GOING TO HA.