Airlines were allowing some customers to change flights without fees as technical problems at a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control center in Philadelphia disrupted service. The FAA advised travelers to check their flight status with their airline before going to the airport. Dallas is about 31 miles east of Fort Worth.
FlightAware reported hundreds of cancellations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday. Departures there were averaging about 49 minutes late, with delays increasing. Dallas Love Field also experienced disruptions.
The Philadelphia center manages traffic affecting Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark, and the outage also interrupted service in Philadelphia and the New York area. Its systems were linked to major Newark Liberty International Airport disruptions in spring 2025.
The FAA said its main data circuit failed Monday morning, and a fiber-optic line was found severed when workers switched to the backup connection. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said an Amtrak construction crew caused the damage. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said a new circuit could restore the main connection sooner, while fiber repairs could take about 13 hours.
Verizon technicians were working on restoration, and the main circuit had already been scheduled for replacement during a national air traffic control modernization. Some service returned at LaGuardia, Kennedy and Philadelphia by early afternoon, although major delays were expected through the rest of the day.
