CHICAGO — The flight delays and cancelations that plagued Chicago's airports continued Saturday, with airlines forced to scuttle hundreds of flights as they fight to get caught up.
The message to commuters trying to get out of O'Hare or Midway Saturday — contact your airline first to see where you stand.
At Midway Airport, Southwest Airlines canceled its flights until 2 p.m. Saturday, according to the Chicago Dept. of Aviation.
The headaches, which echoed around the country, started when a worker at a key air traffic control center in Aurora allegedly set a fire, causing an evacuation and shutdown.
By the time controllers were allowed to get back to their computers, the damage was done, with hundreds of flights around the country forced to re-work plans to get into Chicago.
On Saturday, airlines canceled 630 flights planned for O'Hare. More than 70 at Midway were also canceled.
And many of the flights that are getting in and out of the airports are being delayed.
The Chicago Dept. of Aviation urged passengers to check with their carriers via their websites, customer service numbers or mobile apps.
Authorities alleged the problems were caused by Brian Howard, a Naperville man working in the Federal Aviation Administration Chicago En Route Center in Aurora.
He was charged Friday with destruction of aircraft facilities after allegedly starting the fire, a felony offense.
According to authorities, Howard entered the center at 5:06 a.m. wheeling a black suitcase. At 5:36 a.m. a message containing the call numbers for the center, ZAU, was posted on his Facebook, which was immediately forwarded to police. At 5:42 a.m., paramedics responded to an emergency call placed from inside the building. They entered the basement of the building and followed a trail of blood to Howard, according to the complaint from the FBI.
Howard remains hospitalized with self-inflicted knife wound. If convicted Howard can face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 maximum fine.
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