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For passengers like Mr. Damiani, 29, the change of face by U.S. authorities meant they needed to change plans. He tried rescheduling his flight online, but was redirected to call the customer service line. When he called the line, he was told there was a 28-minute callback time, so he tried to get help at his gate.

“Every desk was solidly 50 people deep,” he said. “This was already a busy day with SXSW.”

He is now flying to New Orleans on a 7:15 p.m. flight with a layover in Orlando.

Here’s what passengers need to know about the grounding.

Why is this happening?

The Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people on Sunday rattled travelers, lawmakers and aviation officials around the world. Just six months ago, the same model of airplane — a Boeing 737 Max 8, operated by Lion Air — crashed off Indonesia and killed all 189 people onboard.

While the cause of Sunday’s tragedy remains undetermined, and the investigation into the Lion Air accident is ongoing, several circumstances surrounding these two crashes are similar.

The 200-seat Boeing 737 Max 8 has been a popular plane since it came on the market in 2017, with more than 4,000 planes ordered within the first six months. The plane sold quickly, based on features that passengers crave — a quieter cabin, more legroom — and bottom-line benefits to airlines, including fuel efficiency. At the time of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, nearly 350 Boeing 737 Max 8s were in operation around the world, including on routes across the United States: Miami to Los Angeles, Houston to Denver, San Francisco to Portland.