A series of equipment failures and a telecom outage caused widespread travel chaos across major airports in the Northeast. The FAA issued ground stops at several key airports, including Newark, Philadelphia, JFK, and LaGuardia, leading to thousands of flight delays and cancellations. Repair efforts on severed fiber optic lines were completed, allowing flights to eventually resume, but travelers faced significant backups and ongoing delays as operations normalized. Transportation officials attributed the disruptions to an aging circuit and issues with backup systems. The situation was exacerbated by construction crews accidentally cutting crucial communication cables.