Airlines Disasters
On Christmas Eve, American Airlines shut down all their flight in the US for an hour, citing a “technical issue”. The technical issue was never explained, but the Down Detector site shows American Airlines flatlined at that time, and other airlines were struggling. Presumably the airlines were having problems with the ACARS system. The Thousand Eyes site also showed unexplained outages in the New York City region, the worst hit in the world at that time.
- American Airlines Grounds Flights Nationwide because of Technical Issue
December 24, 2024
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/american-airlines - Massive flight stoppages have snarled the plans of numerous travelers in the past. Two years ago, Southwest Airlines experienced a meltdown with its systems during the holidays that led to 16,900 flight cancellations and stranded 2 million passengers. It was eventually fined $140 million in the largest-ever civil penalty for a travel disruption.
- American Airlines is Boarding Flights again, and the FAA Lifts its Nationwide Groundstop
December 24, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/24/business/american-airlines-delays - American Airlines said a “technical issue” had delayed all of its flights in the United States. But the company began boarding flights again at around 8 am ET, airline spokeswoman Sarah Jantz told CNN. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide groundstop order for all American flights. The FAA in a statement said American requested a nationwide ground stop but it referred all questions to the airline for more information.
- ACARS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACARS - In aviation, ACARS (an acronym for Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) is a digital datalink system for transmission of short messages between aircraft and ground stations via airband radio or satellite. The protocol was designed by ARINC and deployed in 1978, using the Telex format. More ACARS radio stations were added subsequently by SITA. ACARS as a term refers to the complete air and ground system, consisting of equipment on board, equipment on the ground, and a service provider. Generally, ground ACARS units are either government agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration, an airline operations headquarters, or, for small airlines or general aviation, a third-party subscription service.
ZetaTalk Confirmation 12/24/2024: Why were all the airlines affected by an internet outage on December 24, when retailers and social media were not so affected? Do the airlines use a particular communication platform? Yes, the ACARS system was designed to reach through vast distances in the air to ground control units below. This link is thus very vulnerable to any EMP disruption caused by the charged Petrol and Red Dust in the atmosphere and increased electronic screech in the ripping rock below.
Note that early on December 24 the Down Detector site indicated all airlines having communication problems, with American Airlines flatlining. Internet outage maps show New York City heavily affected at this time. Note that both the New Madrid and Ramapo Fault lines touch this region. American Airline did the right thing to shut down promptly and should be congratulated. Our advice is to forgo any air travel unless absolutely necessary. Air France 447 was a warning, and should be heeded.
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