FAA nationwide ground stop continues due to communication issues

We are staying on top of major breaking news at 6, impacting air travelers across the DMV and the country. Right now, a nationwide ground stop at every airport over air traffic control issues. A look tonight at this map from FlightAware showing planes at a standstill. Flights are not going anywhere. Moments ago, the Homeland Security Secretary spoke saying there is no indication of a targeted cyber attack. The FAA is blaming communications issues. We have not discussed... Any time frame for you, I'll just think about this as a whole. If I have a loved one at the airport, it's just to get everybody started back up in the ground and the flights going again. It's going to take some time. And so this isn't going to just be resolved and turned around within the hour. This is going to take some time. But once again, everybody is safe. The flights are accounted for. And there should be no fear to the public. Major airports in our region, and we're tracking the impacts outside the region. We start with Fox 5's Homa Bash live at Dulles International. Homa. Janet, it is not fear when we talk to passengers here. It is stress, a lot of stress related to travel, of course, in any situation. But right now, with the amount of unknowns and what-ifs and when are we leaving, are we leaving tonight? That is what is going through a lot of people's minds right now. I want to show you the flight board here at Dulles. We are in the terminal right now, and you can see every single flight on there is delayed. The ones that are on time, well, they're not leaving on time. You see Austin says it's on time, leaving at 6 o'clock. That's not happening. Several of the flights to local... Smaller regional airports have been canceled here in the last 5, 10 minutes. Other ones, they're just pushing them right now, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10 p.m., just hoping they can get off the ground. As you said, the FAA tries to figure out exactly what is happening here. If you walk with me over into the terminal, I want to show you. These are the lines right now for people trying to check their passports, check their bags for international flights. As you know, Dulles is known for that. This is a Qatar Airlines flight. It is going to Doha and then for many people going onward to India. So it is a long travel day, just the beginning and not the beginning that many people hope for. I want to walk with me over here to my friend Rachel. And if you were watching in the last hour, we spoke to another Rachel. This is another Rachel. Okay, and she's also traveling with kids. Hi. Hi. Okay, how are you feeling? You guys are heading to Dallas. You've got three little ones with you. Yeah, we're obviously a little frustrated, but making it work. We have lots of activities here. Just waiting it out for a little bit. I've already called American, but haven't heard anything back yet. So we're waiting for now. What time is your flight supposed to leave? 7-10, and it still says it's on time, which it's obviously not. So, you know. They're feeling optimistic. Yeah. Are you? No. Not for tonight. Maybe tomorrow, but not for tonight. At least you're going domestic. A lot of the people we talked to are going overseas, going international. So yours is one stop, Dulles to Dallas. So hopefully you can, like you said, if it's not tonight, you can pack up and go home. It's not ideal, but it is doable for a lot of the other people that we've talked to. It's international flights, right? Yeah. So. The whole travel day, the whole travel situation is a mess. I do need to show your adorable kids on TV. Yeah, please. Please. Okay. So, Mom of the Year over here, you packed a bunch of snacks, activities. I love this. Yeah, we try. We fly a lot, so we try. So, this is Hayes. This is Kennedy. This is Jackson. And then we have Lincoln in the car with my husband. Okay. So, you guys ready for a long night? Oh, okay. We love to hear it. Moods are high. Moods are high right now at the beginning of this. Rachel, thank you. Safe travels. I hope you guys get out of here tonight. But like we said, you know, a lot of the people we're talking to are flying internationally. I just spoke to a guy who's going to Beijing. His flight is scheduled for 10 tonight. He has heard nothing, not from the airline, not from Dulles. And he's just, fingers crossed, hoping, praying that it gets off the ground tonight, which is what a lot of people here tonight, Kenneth, are hoping, because this is going to be a huge domino effect for these international flights. Definitely a domino effect. And for those trying to leave tonight, for those trying to leave tomorrow or the next day, this will impact people for the next few days for sure. And the numbers are incredible that we're seeing right now from FlightAware home, as you know, nearly 7000 U.S. flights already canceled or delayed here. And we have major airports here in the DMV on a Friday. I assume that what you're seeing there are the lines starting to grow. And also, even though DHS says there's nothing nefarious here, are people still concerned about that as well? I'm just worried, generally speaking, about their travel plans. Right now, I don't even think a fear factor has crossed into people's minds. Right now, it is so new. It is so fresh. A lot of these people, again, taking international flights, well, they were already at the airport two to three hours before their flight. So for them, they're saying, OK, well, you know, I'm here. I'm early. I was early. I have some time to wait. Hopefully, they can get it figured out in the next two to three hours. But if not, I mean, that is when you start getting really, really stressed. I did see people going through TSA. I talked to one guy who said he had an American Airlines flight. They weren't letting him check bags, check in, nothing. They just said, just pump the brakes. Some of the bigger international airlines, I think, are more optimistic, still have agents at the desk trying to let people through and at least move them from these lines down over to the TSA security lines. Again, just hopeful that this gets resolved here in the very near future. Taking a live look right now at Reagan National Airport at the main terminal where... We see people just milling around on their phones as well. We see the same scene behind you and what you've seen there at Dulles. And we are seeing the same at BWI as well. I can't imagine what people are thinking going through. I know you said the fear factor that people you've spoken with, Homa is not there. I might be projecting a little bit here because I would immediately think I'm not getting on that flight, not to cause a mass scare, but... I will say this news right here is doing it for us because this is only the third time we've seen this, the first time during 9/11. And the DHS secretary has said this is not a 9/11 style event or situation, but it's still very troublesome when you have the entire nation at a ground stop. It is. It absolutely is. And there were planes in the air at the time. Of course, those were able to land. And when we were driving into Dulles, getting up to departures, no traffic at all, no trouble at all. We got in, we parked, we came out. The lines and the traffic back up to get down to arrivals, that was a whole other story. Brake lights as far as the eye could see. People trying to get here, pick up loved ones and hopefully take them home. So those flights were able to land and were able to get gates. Now, I did just look up on the flight board and I have some questions about this. There were a couple of flights, United flights to Paris and Geneva that said they were closed and they were scheduled to leave at about 5.30, well past the time that this ground stop went into effect. In fact, I'm not sure if those flights actually Actually went out, whether they left, but we did hear overhead on the intercom that they were going to take flights on a case-by-case basis, and I don't know if that means that they're going to be allowing some international flights to take off, but if it's an air traffic control issue, of course, that affects everything that is in the air. Yeah, it definitely does. Homa is live at Dulles International for us tonight. International and domestic flights also being impacted. Let's get to Fox's Kaylee Schuyler live. From Boston Logan International, Kaylee, what are you seeing there? Yeah. Hey there, Kenneth. I mean, you really can just feel the stress in the air when you walk into the terminal. I'll show you kind of behind me right now. So there are a small, small hand full of people who are still going through security right now, but you can kind of see a big group of people standing in line. Those are people who are waiting to get their bags. I've been talking with people back and forth. Some people have told me they feel like they want to throw up. They have no idea what they want to do. I talked to some people who are thinking about making a drive down to Virginia here from Logan. A lot of people are heading to the rental car facility, trying to to see what they can do because they don't They don't want to be stuck at the airport all night or pay for a hotel here in Boston. But I did talk to one guy who actually Boston was his final destination, but he's meeting all of his family and all of them are stuck. We're trying to get this up in New Hampshire for my mom's graduation on Sunday. So the whole family is coming from different parts of Tennessee. And my mom and dad are currently stuck in Detroit. My little brother is currently stuck on the plane. And I'm left last that I got here. Thank you. Thank you. The FAA saying in a statement, quote, the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following communication issues impacting multiple air route traffic control centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide updates. Now, the FAA says inbound international flights will be managed on a case-by-case basis. And actually, the FAA is letting some transatlantic flights leave here from Logan tonight. And DHS Secretary Mullen says there is no indication the ground stop is due to nefarious cyberattacks Now, we're still waiting to hear Still waiting to figure out what exactly caused this issue or how long the ground stop is going to last. Right now, all we know is that it's remaining in effect until further notice. Kenneth. Just incredible. And Kayleigh, before you go, have you met anyone who's trying to get to the DMV? I know that Boston Logan serves a lot of other cities and communities and goes to other airports. But have you talked to anyone who's trying to get to the nation's capital? I haven't exactly just yet. I've been here at the airport for about an hour. Shockingly, I've run into a lot of people who are trying to get to Atlanta. But again, a lot of people aren't really hanging out here in the terminal right now. Everybody is headed out. I've never seen so many people headed in one direction before towards the rental car facility. So hopefully I can catch up with someone who's trying to head to the DMV and I can get back to you. You've brought us attention and awareness about what's happening beyond our region. So we appreciate that, Fox's Kayleigh. Kaylee Schuyler there at Boston Logan International Airport, we appreciate it. And we are going to stay on top of this breaking news throughout the evening. Download that Fox Local Washington, D.C. app to get the latest on the ground stop and impacts across the country. Scan that QR code on your screen or visit fox5dc.com. We are, again, staying on top of this major breaking news, a nationwide ground stop across the nation. Stay with us. We'll be right back.