‘Disappointment, uncertainty’: Travelers at Lambert react after FAA issues nationwide ground stop

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Travelers faced delays, cancellations and uncertainty after the Federal Aviation Administration announced a nationwide ground stop, lasting several hours and leaving many flights delayed or cancelled for the night.

“How many of you have any idea of what’s going on,?” a Delta employee asked a crowd of passengers at the airport in a video shared with First Alert 4.

That was the question being asked all across the country after the FAA announced a nationwide ground stop around 3:00 p.m. Friday.

“Disappointment, uncertainty don’t know what’s going on,” Bryan Wallner exclaimed.

Wallner and his wife were just arriving to St. Louis Lambert International Airport for their flight to Denver when they - like many others - learned about the news.

“Just the uncertainty of ‘will we get to board tonight? Should we go home?” Ali Wallner explained.

Like many, then having to figure out a new way to get to their destination.

“We’re just gonna hop in a rental car and go start driving that way and hope that if it opens up when we get to Kansas City or somewhere out that way, then we can fly the rest of the way,” Ali said. “We have a concert Sunday, so our hope is we can at least make the concert Sunday.”

“I try to go with the flow, knowing there’s nothing really you can do, you just gotta go on with it,” Gene Brion said with a laugh.

Other passengers, like Brion, were trying to make the most of what they hoped would be a quick wait.

“Having to accept the moment and realize, hey, I have emails I could catch up on. Unfortunately, I have Outlook, so that might be a little tough. And then I’ll get some reading and looking at some old photos, but just pass the time doing things I would normally want to do,” Brion explained.

While at the airport, First Alert 4 saw almost every flight scheduled for Friday afternoon/evening either delayed or cancelled.

Passengers still held out hope.

“Our first feeling was a little bit of relief to know that we weren’t late,” Steven Leezy said. “But now it’s kind of like we’re living through a big moment in history that we can maybe tell kids about and stuff, it’s kind of neat and surreal.”

The FAA lifted that ground stop around 7:30 Friday night.