Power finally restored, but crippling ATL outage affecting flights around the world

BOSTON — The lights are finally back on at Atlanta’s airport, but the ripple effect from a crippling power outage is leaving passengers weary as airlines try to recover before the start of the Christmas travel rush.

Thousands of people were stranded as of Monday morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where more than 1,000 flights were grounded Sunday.

FLIGHT INFO: Logan Airport | Atlanta Airport

That power outage has impacted flights around the world, including at Boston Logan International Airport.

And because of the delays and cancelations, passengers were forced to sleep in the terminal overnight, waiting for new information from airlines about the major disruptions.

MORE: Dozens of flights at Boston Logan affected by power outage at Atlanta airport

The crippling power outage that was caused by a fire in an underground electrical facility brought the world’s busiest airport to its knees around 1 p.m. Sunday.

Power wasn’t restored until about midnight.

MORE: 'I think 'The Walking Dead' started like this': Twitter reacts to Atlanta airport shutdown

One passenger, Freddie Gonzales, has a flight to Guatamala that connects in Atlanta, but because of the outage he isn't going anywhere any time soon.

And it's news he doesn't want to hear.

"It's terrible. I have my family waiting for me. I have my wedding over there. I have plans to marry this week," he said.

Gonzales said his airline told him he likely wouldn't be in Guatemala until Friday, but his wedding is on Thursday.

Because of the power outage, all outbound flights, and arriving airplanes, were held on the ground at their point of departure.

International flights were also diverted because of the outage.

Delta Air Lines, with its biggest hub operation in Atlanta, will be hardest hit.

By Sunday evening, Delta had already canceled nearly 900 flights and another 300 Monday, nearly all of them in Atlanta, according to tracking service FlightAware.com.

Robert Mann, an aviation consultant and former American Airlines executive, said it likely will be Tuesday before Delta's operations in Atlanta return to normal, and for passengers "it could be most of the week" because there aren't many open seats on other flights in the last week before Christmas.

One bit of good news, according to Mann: Delta has more spare planes and available crews in Atlanta than anywhere else, which will help it to recover.

Also, Delta customers flying to or from Atlanta can make a one-time change to travel plans without incurring a $200 change fee.

The airline also encouraged travelers not to pick up their bags Monday because of anticipated congestion at the airport.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Cox Media Group