Date: 202101
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.ARTCC, US
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class A ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Center ZZZ
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Human factors: Time Pressure; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Distraction; Confusion; Workload
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related; ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
Primary problem: Environment - Non Weather Related

Narrative: During preflight we received a notification via CPDLC and Dispatch that ZZZ1 Center would be going '[ATC] Zero' during our flight and that we would require a reroute to get to our destination of ZZZ1. We contacted Dispatch and they worked a route that would take us over ZZZZZ [Intersection] and over the large area of water around ZZZ1 Center Airspace. The clearance we received via CPDLC has us going south via: [Route]. Once airborne southbound heading to ZZZ [VOR]; we told Center the route cleared was different than filed and asked if it was going to work or if we needed to go over ZZZZZ and a large body of water route.  They said the large body of water route was unavailable and they were working a plan for us. The cleared route took us inland along the large body of water coast and would eventually cut through ZZZ1 Center airspace. After several hand-offs from ZZZ2 [Center] to ZZZ3 [Center] to ZZZ4 [Center] we were given a vector and told that if we descended to FL220 they could get us through ZZZ1 [Center] Airspace. They then asked for our estimate for ZZZZZ1 intersection. By this time we were past ZZZZZ1 and heading south on XXX airway.ZZZ4 Center then terminated radar service and told us to report over ZZZZZ2 with ZZZ5 Center. We communicated this via ACARS to Dispatch and they told us we could not fly out of radar contact and to prepare to divert to ZZZ1 and standby for re-dispatch. We continued southbound on our clearance waiting for divert numbers from Dispatch.  About 80 miles north of ZZZZZ2 we received an ACARS message to come up on ARINC.  We tried to contact ARINC for the phone patch but another aircraft had a Medical Emergency with MEDLINK and were using the frequency. We decided the safest course of action would be to continue as cleared and contact ZZZ5 Center ASAP. Approaching ZZZZZ2 we contacted ZZZ5 Center and were able to establish contact and eventually got back in radar contact south of ZZZZZ2. Once in radar contact the rest of the flight was uneventful.Flying at FL220 silenced to ACARS Notification Bell. Due to workload; we were delayed in receiving some of the ACARS messages from Dispatch. Also; the ARINC frequency was being congested prevented us from communicating with Dispatch.




Synopsis: Air carrier Captain reported having to receive a re-route due to a Center going ATC Zero.