FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford is telling Americans that flying remains safe after the nationwide disruption, promising that planes will stay on the ground unless officials are fully confident they can operate safely. He says safety does not depend on the FAA alone, pointing to multiple layers of protection made up of air traffic controllers, pilots and ground crews. Bedford insists the system is operating with the same safety standards as it did two weeks ago. The message is aimed at travelers who may be nervous about getting on a plane after Friday's shutdown.

The reassurance comes after a ground stop that halted departures across the country for more than four hours and left about 12,000 flights unable to be completed. Bedford apologized to stranded travelers but defended the decision to ground flights, saying it was made out of an abundance of caution. He also admitted the network "will continue to break until we replace it," and the air traffic controllers' union chief said communications with some planes were disrupted. Bedford said no facilities went dark, though he acknowledged some radio frequencies were going in and out. The cause is still under investigation, so many travelers are left asking how confident they should be until the system is upgraded.