FAA Fire, Storms Snarl Travel in Northeast

Storms around the Northeast and a fire in a FAA technical center in New Jersey combined to create some brutal travel chaos yesterday, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Delta canceled 321 flights in and out of New York alone, US Airways had 46 mainline and more than 200 Express flight cancellations around the region, and JetBlue reported 66 flights delayed or canceled yesterday evening, with the number expected to grow today. "That's not a final number by any means," says a JetBlue spokeswoman.

The FAA fire was severe enough to force the evacuation of all 1,600 employees from the Atlantic City facility. The fire knocked out electronics that help coordinate flights into and out of airports, preventing airports from communicating efficiently and hurting airlines' ability to plan and track flights. But the FAA said its ability to track flights in the air was unaffected, notes Reuters. (More FAA stories.)