US

Some travelers were as grounded as their flights after technical glitch causes hours of delays

Associated Press
Published | Updated

This image made from the website Flightradar24.com shows air traffic over the eastern half of the United States on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015 at 4 p.m. EDT. Flights bound for the Washington area and some flights from airports in the New York City area that must fly over the Washington region were being delayed or grounded Saturday due to "technical issues" at an air traffic control center in Virginia, the Federal Aviation Administration said. (Flightradar24.com via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT: FLIGHTRADAR24.COM (The Associated Press)

After standing in line with for an hour and a half, Alisha Lalani, 10, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., looks at her phone as her mother and brother check in for their flight to Miami at Washington's Reagan National Airport, as technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center in Virginia caused delays on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (The Associated Press)

People stand in line at Washington's Reagan National Airport after technical issues at a Federal Aviation Administration center in Virginia caused delays on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (The Associated Press)

Technical problems at an air traffic control center in Virginia left passengers fuming as hundreds of flights to and from airports throughout a large swath of the Northeast were delayed or canceled.

Miller Roberts of Dallas was trying to fly from Baltimore to Kansas City to set up a robotics display at the Missouri State Fair but was caught in a flight delay for more than four hours.

Roberts, 40, said he boarded a Southwest Airlines flight Saturday that was supposed to take off at 10 a.m., but he was still sitting on the plane, waiting after 2 p.m. But he said his fellow passengers were taking the delay in stride.

The FAA blamed the problem on "technical issues" at an air traffic control center in Leesburg, Va. Around 4 p.m., the agency said the problem had been resolved, and that officials were working to lift any remaining orders to hold planes on the ground.