Atlanta airport tries to get back on schedule after fire

ATLANTA — The nation’s air-travel system struggled to get back on schedule Monday after a weekend fire and blackout at the world’s busiest airport forced the cancellation of more than 1,500 flights just days before the start of the Christmas rush.

Stranded travelers sat on the floor, slumped in chairs or stood in long lines at ticket counters a day after the underground blaze knocked out electricity and crippled Hartsfield-jackson Atlanta International Airport for about 11 hours.

A spokesman for Delta Air Lines, which has its hub in Atlanta and is by far the biggest carrier at the airport, said most of its delayed passengers were booked on other flights scheduled to leave Monday.

Spokesman Michael Thomas said the airline should be “largely if not completely” back to normal by Tuesday, well before the big travel weekend ahead of Christmas Day.

The fire broke out Sunday afternoon next to equipment for a backup system, causing that to fail, too. Power wasn’t fully restored until about midnight.

Delta canceled about 1,000 flights Sunday and 400 Monday. American Airlines canceled around 50 but said it was back on a normal schedule by late morning.

Some passengers complained about a lack of information from airport officials and little help to get the disabled and the elderly through the airport without the use of escalators and elevators.

Hartsfield-jackson serves an average of 275,000 passengers a day. Nearly 2,500 planes arrive and depart each day.