Travelers headed to the airport faced major disruptions on Friday evening — and possibly beyond — after an extremely rare nationwide ground stop upended flight schedules across the United States.
Most departing flights in the U.S.were grounded indefinitely Friday afternoon on orders from the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency cited “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety” in an advisory.
The FAA subsequently attributed the disruption to “communication issues impacting multiple Air Traffic Control Centers” and said FAA technicians were investigating the issue.
Federal government: Travelers are safe
Shortly after 5 p.m. EST, the FAA said every flight that was in the air at the time of the ground stop had been accounted for.
“Everybody is safe,” U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told reporters. “There is no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying, or anything like that.”
However, Mullin said the federal government was still working to determine the root cause of the communications outage.
Flight cancellations, delays likely to climb
The disruption marked only the second time since 9/11 that a ground stop affecting the entire nation had been issued.
During the last nationwide ground stop in January 2023, more than 10,000 flights were canceled in the fallout of a computer outage at the FAA.
It remains to be seen how significantly flights will be affected this time around. That will largely depend on how long it takes to resolve the issue and for flights to resume.
By 6 p.m. EST, nearly 1,700 U.S. flights scheduled for Friday had been canceled, according to FlightAware. An additional 10,000-plus had been delayed.
That number was likely to grow significantly.
In a statement to TPG, American Airlines said it expected its operations to be affected for the rest of Friday evening.
“It will be all hands on deck across American to get customers on their way as soon as possible when the FAA lifts this ground stop,” the carrier said.
Airlines issue flexible travel waivers
Airlines had begun to issue travel advisories. These waivers typically allow passengers with flights booked more flexibility to change their itineraries.
Some departures still permitted
Airlines reported some departures were still permitted as of 6 p.m. EST Friday.
In a social media post, United Airlines said all of its new domestic departures were halted. International departures were being managed on a case-by-case basis, the carrier reported.
Alaska Air Group, which owns Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, said flights within the state of Alaska were still cleared to operate. Neighbor island service in Hawaii was also unaffected. Departures from the West Coast to Hawaii were also continuing, a spokesperson said.
What happens when there’s a ground stop?
Typically when a ground stop occurs, flights in the air are permitted to land, but planes on the ground are prohibited from taking off.
Ground stops are frequently issued at individual airports when there is a localized disruption, like bad weather.
But ground stops covering the entire nation have only happened three times this century.
What to do if your flight is impacted
Passengers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed are entitled to a refund if they choose not to travel or accept a rebooked flight, regardless of the reason for the disruption.
Under Department of Transportation rules, a significant delay generally means arriving at your final destination at least three hours late on a domestic itinerary or six hours late on an international itinerary. For passengers who decided to not travel on those flights, airlines must provide refunds to the original form of payment, not just travel credits.
In large-scale travel disruptions like this, rental cars and hotel rooms at or near airports can book up quickly, so it can make sense to act fast if you want to secure a backup option.
If you have airline miles you can use to book a flight for tomorrow, that can also be a good self-insurance policy in case the disruption isn’t resolved quickly. Just make sure you understand the cancellation and refund rules before booking a backup ticket.
And while many rewards credit cards offer built-in trip delay or cancellation protection if you used them to book your original airline tickets, it’s not guaranteed that those benefits will cover FAA groundings of this nature. Still, save your receipts for any unexpected expenses in case you’re eligible for reimbursement.
Related reading:
- Flight delayed or canceled? Here’s what to do
- Getting a refund for your flight: What to know in 2026
- TPG’s favorite credit cards with travel insurance
- EU261 compensation: What is it, and how does it work?
- Why it’s so important to make sure your boarding pass says ‘TSA PreCheck’
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
