Flight delays, cancellations continue at MIA and FLL after nationwide FAA ground stop

Travel disruptions continued Saturday at South Florida airports, where hundreds of flights had been canceled and dozens more delayed following a nationwide ground stop caused by a Federal Aviation Administration communications outage Friday.

As of 9 a.m. Saturday, flight-tracking website FlightAware reported at least 128 cancellations and 149 delays at Miami International Airport. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 142 flights had been canceled and 40 delayed as of 8:47 a.m., as airlines continued recovering from Friday's nationwide FAA ground stop.

The disruptions come after the FAA ordered a nationwide halt to departing flights Friday afternoon because of a telecommunications failure affecting air traffic control systems.

The ground stop lasted more than four hours before being lifted at approximately 8:15 p.m., leaving thousands of passengers across the country dealing with delays, cancellations and uncertainty about their travel plans.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday night that flight operations would be slow to return to normal as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews.

"Now does that mean every flight is going to fly right now? It's going to be slow," Duffy said during a Friday night briefing. "So if you're watching, you're at an airport, check with your airline."

What caused the nationwide FAA ground stop?

Federal officials said the outage was linked to problems with aging air traffic control technology, including switches and routers that became overloaded with data, creating inconsistencies in radar and communications systems.

Duffy said the FAA ordered the ground stop out of an abundance of caution after the equipment problems affected air traffic control centers across the country.

The outage also raised concerns about the reliability of the nation's aging aviation infrastructure and the possibility of similar disruptions in the future.

An aviation expert told CBS News Miami that problems could continue as officials work to modernize the system.

"The secretary said that we could expect more problems like this in the future," the expert said. "And I think that's going to be related to the subpar infrastructure that we have while they develop and bring it into the 21st century and beyond."

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday that investigators had found no evidence of a cyberattack, although officials were continuing to investigate the cause of the outage.

South Florida travelers stranded by nationwide flight disruptions

The effects of Friday's ground stop were felt at both Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where hundreds of flights were delayed and dozens canceled.

As CBS News Miami reported Friday, nearly 400 flights departing from MIA were delayed and 17 canceled by Friday evening. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 335 flights were delayed and 43 canceled.

Passengers described long waits, confusion and difficulty getting information about their flights.

At MIA, a group of travelers told CBS News Miami they had already boarded their plane when the ground stop was announced. After waiting about an hour, they were told to get off.

"We're all trying to get home from being here for work, and we were already on our plane, so we're just trying to figure out what our next step is," one passenger said.

Other travelers were forced to abandon their plans or find alternative accommodations after learning their flights had been canceled.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Breta Buckingham, a former flight attendant, learned that her flight to New York had been canceled and that she would have to wait two days to get home.

"Pack your patience, we learned that a long time ago," Buckingham said.

What travelers should know before heading to the MIA or FLL airports

Although the nationwide ground stop has been lifted, passengers traveling through South Florida airports are encouraged to check their flight status directly with their airlines before leaving for the airport.

Travelers should also monitor airline websites and mobile apps for the latest information about delays, cancellations and rebooking options.