Reports are steadily coming in from airports around the US, where passengers are confronting the sudden halt to all air traffic due to an as-yet-unexplained communications failure.
The Guardian’s own Tom Johnson, our head of audience development, sends along this dispatch from Ronald Reagan Washington national airport, known as DCA.
Hundreds of passengers wait for news in a packed terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport. Gate agents, along with most travelers in the terminal, refreshed their phones looking for updates, and attempted to change their flights. Nearly every seat is filled, with some people sitting on the floor and using their luggage as makeshift desks for their laptops.
View image in fullscreenStranded travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport on Friday. Photograph: Tom Johnson/The Guardian View image in fullscreenFlight delays at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport on Friday. Photograph: Tom Johnson/The Guardian