U.S. airlines are scrambling to reset their flight schedules after a historic nationwide ground stop was ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday.
Domestic departures were grounded at airports across the country for more than four hours due to telecommunications issues plaguing multiple air traffic control centers, resulting in more than 9,100 flight cancellations and another 7,100 flight delays.
As of 7:30 a.m. ET, 3,465 flights within, into or out of the U.S. have been canceled for Saturday, with another 1,255 delayed, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com. Another 54 U.S. flights have already been canceled for Sunday.
With the hours-long stoppage linked to outdated ATC technology and overloaded routers that could take days to fix, airlines have issued travel advisories and alerts, waiving change fees for affected passengers.
Southwest Airlines customers with a ticket for travel between November 13-16, for example, can keep their existing reservation, rebook or travel standby within five days of their original date of travel between the original city pairs without paying a change in airfare or request a refund in the event their flight is canceled or significantly delayed.
"Due to a national Air Traffic Control (ATC) frequency outage, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop that lasted approximately four hours and impacted airlines across the country, including Southwest Airlines on November 13, 2026. The ground stop has since been lifted, and flights have resumed. However, Customers may continue to experience delays and cancellations as we work to recover our operation," Southwest said.
"Safety remains our top priority, and we encourage Customers to check their flight status before traveling to the airport. If your flight is significantly delayed or canceled, please use Southwest.com or the mobile app to review your travel options. We appreciate your patience as we work to get you on your way."
Delta Air Lines' systemwide travel waiver is valid on flights scheduled for November 13-14, with changes being made and departures taking place by November 21.
American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue and others have issued similar waivers in response, so travelers are encouraged to check with their individual airline. Passengers are also asked to verify their flight status with their airline before arriving at the airport, as hubs are experiencing heavier crowds due to the traffic halt.
It had been more than three years since a nationwide ground stoppage was issued due to an issue with a pilot alert system in January 2023. Before that, the FAA grounded flights coast to coast in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
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