Atlanta airport power outage affects travel Monday

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The effect of an 11-hour power outage Sunday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was felt across the country Monday morning.

Delta Airlines cancelled 300 flights Monday, one of those being an 8:15 a.m. flight from South Bend to Atlanta. The airline says it hopes to resume normal schedule by Monday afternoon.

The outage stopped more than 1800 flights in and out of Atlanta on Sunday, affecting all airlines.

Georgia Power says the blackout was caused by a fire in an underground tunnel where the airport's electrical system was located. 

The source of that fire is still under investigation. Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta spoke during the power outage saying nothing is being ruled out as a possible source, including terrorism. 

"Georgia Power is actively engaged in getting our power back up, but because we don't know the source of our fire, we have no way of absolutely knowing at this time that our system may have been tampered in order to create this kind of chaos and confusion," he said. 

Some airlines are permitting customers traveling to, from or through Atlanta from Sunday or Monday a one-time change of travel plans for free. More information on those changes can be found online for Delta, Southwest, and United airlines. 

American Airlines says some flights are eligible for a refund because of the outage. Information on those eligibility requirements can be found here. 

Because of congestion, Delta has advised passengers to not pick up luggage from Hartsfield-Jackson Monday. The airline suggests filing a claim instead.