Finnish passengers describe confusion during US flight shutdown

Maija Astikainen says she was lucky to make it home to Finland after a US flight shutdown caused disruption on Friday, Yle reports. She had flown from New Orleans to Dallas just before US airspace was closed, then continued to Helsinki after a long layover, arriving almost on schedule.

Astikainen had been on a road trip through the southern United States. She first learned of the disruption from a friend in Finland, who messaged to ask whether she was caught up in it. She then followed developments through a New York Times online report.

The US Federal Aviation Administration suspended almost all air traffic in the country for several hours on Friday. The return to normal operations could take several days.

Passengers on the Finnair flight from Dallas to Helsinki said information at the airport was scarce. Mikko Jaatinen and Topi Eronen said they mainly followed the situation through Finnish media. Finnair sent customers text messages, but airport staff and authorities initially provided little information.

“Nobody at the airport really knew anything,” Jaatinen said. He described a calm but confusing scene, with seats filling up and passengers staying put. Different airlines made announcements about their own decisions, and many flights were cancelled, including a Lufthansa service to Frankfurt from a nearby gate.

Eronen said his flight was cancelled because the crew had apparently reached its working-time limit and needed to rest, just as the disruption was beginning to ease. The airport did not provide food or drinks; airlines served their own customers according to their policies. Finnair issued a meal voucher shortly before restrictions began to lift, which Eronen said he had time to use.