(AFP) – Trump administration officials were left red-faced Saturday when their public effort to address the massive tech disruption that grounded thousands of US flights was itself hit with embarrassing technical glitches. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy took the podium and began addressing a much-anticipated and televised press conference a day after a disastrous nationwide ground stop across US airspace — one blamed on aging technology — when a deep, echoing hum began to emanate from the microphones and speakers.
“Check one two, three four, five six seven?” Duffy said into the mic. As cameras rolled, he paused, looked around, and stepped away. “(I) apologize for that,” he said, as technicians scrambled to replace microphones and adjust cables. Duffy soon resumed, but brittle feedback hit the room seconds later, and his demeanor shifted, presumably all-too-aware that the symbolism of an on-camera tech meltdown after such a major flight disruption was not going unnoticed.
“This is not operational? OK,” said Duffy, appearing deeply irritated. “This is our kind of, uh, day.” Duffy was speaking to reporters with the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Bryan Bedford, and, ironically, with the FAA’s chief technology officer Rebecca Guy, who he said was doing a press conference with him for the first time. Duffy and Bedford repeatedly pointed to ongoing systemic issues with transitioning from aging air traffic control technology from the 1970s and 1980s to more modern equipment.
As technicians scrambled, US networks carried the awkward pause — lasting an excruciating three minutes — live on the air.
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