Flight Delays Today: FAA Flags Possible Ground Stops at Major U.S. Airports

The FAA’s latest operations plan flagged a same-day delay risk at several major U.S. airports Thursday, mostly tied to thunderstorms, wind, low clouds and a Denver staffing trigger. In the checked advisory, the FAA listed no terminal ground stops or ground delay programs as active, but it said possible or probable programs could be needed later in the day; travelers should check their airline app before leaving for the airport.

Airports the FAA flagged for possible delays

The FAA’s planned terminal section listed the following airports for possible or probable ground stops or ground delay programs later Thursday. A planned item is not the same as an active order, and the FAA can cancel, extend or upgrade these measures as weather and traffic change.

• LaGuardia (LGA): ground stop or ground delay program probable.
• Denver (DEN): ground stop or ground delay program possible.
• Atlanta (ATL): ground stop or ground delay program possible.
• San Francisco (SFO): ground stop or ground delay program possible.
• San Diego (SAN): ground stop or ground delay program possible.
• John F. Kennedy (JFK): ground stop or ground delay program probable.
• Newark (EWR): ground stop or ground delay program possible.
• Reagan National (DCA), Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington (BWI): ground stop or ground delay program possible.
• Philadelphia (PHL): ground stop or ground delay program possible.
• Orlando (MCO): ground stop possible.
• Nashville (BNA): ground stop possible later in the day.

Weather is the main pressure point

The FAA cited thunderstorms for several eastern and southeastern airport markets, including the New York, Philadelphia, Washington-area, Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Memphis and Nashville areas. It also listed wind at Las Vegas and Seattle, wind and low ceilings at San Francisco, and a Denver air traffic control staffing trigger.

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said severe thunderstorms were possible Thursday from Kentucky into the Mid-Atlantic, over much of the Northeast and along the northern Gulf Coast, with damaging wind gusts the main concern in several areas. That forecast lines up with the FAA’s planning language for a Northeast and Mid-Atlantic severe-weather day.

What a ground stop or ground delay means

A ground stop is the more restrictive tool: affected aircraft remain on the ground until the stop is lifted or changed. A ground delay program usually means flights to an affected airport receive assigned departure times so arrivals can be spaced out.

Neither measure automatically means a flight is canceled. It can still create missed connections, gate holds or rolling schedule changes, especially when weather develops along major arrival routes.