Former Transportation Secretary Slams Atlanta Airport During Power Outage

Former Obama transportation secretary Anthony Foxx harshly criticized Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for its performance during a massive power outage on Sunday, The Hill reported.

Foxx, who was transportation secretary from 2013 to 2017, sent out a series of tweets while stuck at the airport.

Total and abject failure here at ATL Airport today. I am stuck on @delta flight, passengers and crew tolerating it.  But there is no excuse for lack of workable redundant power source. NONE! #atlairport #delta

— anthonyfoxx (@anthonyfoxx) December 17, 2017

I have no idea what happened here today.  We all understand that Snafus happen and most of the folks down here are doing their jobs to the best of their ability.  But, whatever the cause, it feels like this one was compounded by confusion and poor communication.

— anthonyfoxx (@anthonyfoxx) December 18, 2017

Hartsfield-Jackson, which is the busiest airport in the world, lost power in the early afternoon on Sunday, leaving passengers stuck both in planes and inside the terminals, NBC News reported.

Well over a thousand flights have been canceled at the airport, in addition to the delay of hundreds of others.

Georgia Power issued a statement on Sunday evening saying that "the issue may have involved a fire which caused extensive damage in a Georgia Power underground electrical facility."

Firemen managed to put out the blaze and started to evaluate the damage, although it is not clear what caused the fire.

Related stories:

• Power Outage Halts Flights at Atlanta International Airport
• Obama-Crony Foxx Confirmed as Transportation Secretary