Thunderstorms rolling across metro Atlanta triggered a ground stop for inbound flights to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday evening, throwing a wrench into travel plans at the world’s busiest hub. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the pause until 7:15 p.m. EDT, leaving some passengers staring down missed connections and long lines at customer-service counters while airlines and airport crews scrambled to reshuffle arrivals and reroute aircraft around lightning and heavy rain.
According to Atlanta News First, the restriction applies to flights that had not yet departed for ATL and was slated to last until 7:15 p.m. EDT. The station labeled the situation as developing as storm cells pushed through key arrival paths. Travelers with evening connections through Atlanta were warned to brace for rebookings and longer waits as airlines reshuffled schedules.
The FAA’s daily air-traffic report cautioned that thunderstorm activity could slow operations at ATL on Thursday and flagged the potential for ground stops and flow restrictions, the FAA says. As the hold took effect, flight-tracking site FlightAware showed growing numbers of flights listed as delayed or diverted…