The Federal Aviation Administration issued a halt on all U.S. flights on Friday at around 1 p.m. PT and didn’t lift the order until approximately four hours later. With the American Film Market, the Governors Awards and numerous FYC panels scheduled over the next several days, the stoppage left many Hollywood insiders grounded on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
AFM was hit hard by the standstill, and several events were canceled as dealmakers were preparing for their final days at the major sales function. Ryan Werner, president of global cinema at Neon, told Variety he was unsure if he could make it to AFM on Saturday for the studio’s party. He mentioned “our flights” when referring to travel plans, likely meaning several members of the Neon team were shut down on the way to Los Angeles.
One agency source told Variety that when the FAA shut down travel, their department broke out in a panic to see if anyone could still make their scheduled appearances at Saturday’s Governors Awards, which take place at the Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.
“Once the news happened, everyone jumped on the phone to see if anyone is going to be able to make it to L.A. for the Governors Awards,” they said. “One agent has a client traveling through Europe with no idea how he will get back for his next things in the U.S., so they might have to hang out in Canada to at least be close.”
TMZ reported that “Baywatch” star Brooks Nader’s private jet was stopped in New York just before taking off for Louisiana. The outlet also shared a video of “Bachelorette” star Kaitlyn Bristowe stuck in an airport. Flava Flav and Morgan Fairchild both took to social media to share that their travel plans were affected. Variety also confirmed that the Sharpe Family Singers and actor Isaac Robinson Smith were all left stuck at the airport.
News of the flight stoppage broke around 1 p.m. PT. At the time, the FAA said the pause was “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin later appeared on Fox News and clarified that it was a “telecommunications outage” that caused the backup and that there was no indication of a “nefarious attack” against the United States.
The FAA announced around 6 p.m. PT that the nationwide ground stoppage was canceled.