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As American Eagle Airline's first nonstop flight from McGhee Tyson Airport to Miami waited for ribbon-cutting ceremonies to end before taking off Thursday morning, the FAA was scrambling to unscramble a computer glitch that disrupted the nation's air traffic control system.

The software problem forced the widespread cancellation and delays of flights.

At McGhee Tyson, there were no cancellations, but some delays, said Becky Huckaby, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority spokeswoman.

The takeoff of the American Eagle flight from McGhee Tyson to Miami was delayed for about a half-hour.

Flights will be back to normal today as airlines will reset their schedules, she said.

Huckaby suggested that people check the airport's Web site -- flyknoxville.com -- for the most current status of flights arriving and departing McGhee Tyson.

Many travelers at the airport Thursday morning did not know of the software malfunction with the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic computer system, because their flights were not affected, Huckaby said. The glitch caused a chain reaction of flight changes across the country.

"Each airline adjusts their schedule as best they can to accommodate their passengers, but it wasn't their fault; it was a system problem," Huckaby said.

The new McGhee Tyson-Miami flights are scheduled to be attractive to both business and leisure travelers. With an early morning departure and an early evening return, business travelers can make a day trip, while leisure travelers can be lounging on South Beach by lunch or boarding a cruise ship by mid-afternoon.

In addition, the flights to Miami offer connecting flights to 57 cities in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The McGhee Tyson to Miami flight departs at 8:40 a.m. and arrives in Miami at 10:50 a.m.

The Miami to McGhee Tyson flight takes off at 8:15 p.m. and lands in Blount County at 10:35 p.m.