T he US Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to ground all flights on Friday threw airports and travel plans into chaos across the country, as passengers on planes and in airport terminals were suddenly thrust into limbo.

At New York’s John F Kennedy airport, passengers found their travel plans abruptly cancelled – some even after they’d boarded.

Steve Honberger, heading home to Portland, Oregon, with his wife and daughter, said he’d been on a plane about to take off when the shutdown was announced.

“They didn’t seem to know what’s happening, and they wanted to hold off as long as possible,” Honberger said. The plane sat at the gate for an hour and 40 minutes.

Passengers inside an airplane at JFK airport in New York City on Friday. Photograph: Angelina Katsanis/Reuters

They realized they were just going to be sitting at the gate, so they eventually asked to deplane and rebook.

Many still thought it worth showing up despite the uncertainty of when flights would resume.…