Amtrak booking system experiencing major issues amid nationwide FAA ground stop

Amtrak's ticket reservation system has been experiencing severe problems on Friday, leaving thousands of travelers nationwide in a bind due to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop. When attempting to book a ticket on the Amtrak website and app, users encountered an error message on November 13, 2026. Concerns about the reservation system began surfacing on social media around 5 p.m. Friday, and the issue escalated after 6 p.m. on the same day, as reported by DownDetector.

Amtrak's Communications Director, W. Kyle Anderson, confirmed to reporters that Amtrak's services were functioning as usual, with the booking problems attributed to a system-wide update. However, there was no further explanation provided. When FOX 5 DC tried to contact Amtrak's support line via the number listed in the error message, an automated response indicated that the support team was overwhelmed by an unusually high volume of calls and could not take any at the moment.

The FAA's nationwide ground stop, which is the first since January 2023 and the second since the September 11, 2001, attacks, was enacted due to a temporary telecommunications outage. As a result, countless travelers across the country are now struggling to make alternate travel arrangements. Amtrak's issues emerged as the FAA's ground stop was in effect, exacerbating already complicated travel plans for affected passengers.