On September 15, 2026, the FAA held 14 airports across the United States under 20 delay programmes, according to FAA data tracked by travelandtournews.com. Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) was the worst-hit airport with the highest peak maximum delay reaching 838 minutes.
Delay Programmes by Airport and Duration
The FAA’s programmes covered 14 airports: Boston Logan (BOS), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Newark Liberty (EWR), Harry Reid International (LAS), LaGuardia (LGA), Orlando International (MCO), Chicago Midway (MDW), Miami International (MIA), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), San Diego International (SAN), Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA), San Francisco International (SFO), and TEB.
These 20 programmes included 2 ground stop programmes, which hold departures bound for an airport on the ground at their origin, 6 ground delay programmes that meter arrivals by assigning later departure times, and 12 general arrival/departure delay information listings.
The longest delay programme in force was at Chicago O’Hare
with a ground delay programme lasting 7 hours 40 minutes from 11:20 to 19:00 UTC, caused by thunderstorms. This programme had a peak average delay of 74 minutes and a peak maximum delay of 838 minutes. The Chicago O’Hare ground stop programme for thunderstorms lasted 40 minutes between 15:40 and 16:20 UTC.
Other lengthy ground delay programmes included Boston Logan operating for 6 hours 40 minutes with runway construction and other reasons, and San Diego International’s 4-hour programme for airport volume. Miami International had both a 40-minute ground delay programme for a disabled aircraft on the runway and a separate
20-minute ground stop programme due to an aircraft emergency.
The peak average delay across all programmes was 102 minutes, while the highest peak maximum delay was 838 minutes.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 15:40 to 16:20 (40 minutes) |
| Miami International (MIA) | Ground Stop Programs | aircraft emergency | – | 00:00 to 00:20 (20 minutes) |
| Miami International (MIA) | Ground Delay Programs | disabled aircraft on the runway | 102 min | 00:00 to 00:40 (40 minutes) |
| Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms | 74 min | 11:20 to 19:00 (7 hours 40 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 49 min | 00:00 to 04:00 (4 hours) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction; other | 39 min | 16:00 to 22:40 (6 hours 40 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Delay Programs | wind | 36 min | 17:00 to 22:40 (5 hours 40 minutes) |
| Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction | 29 min | 00:00 to 03:40 (3 hours 40 minutes) |
| Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Thunderstorms; VOL:Volume | 76 min | 13:00 to 22:40 (9 hours 40 minutes) |
| Orlando International (MCO) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Thunderstorms; TM Initiatives:MIT:WX | 46 min | 17:40 to 22:40 (5 hours) |
| TEB | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Volume | 31 min | 19:20 to 22:00 (2 hours 40 minutes) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | RWY:Construction | 31 min | 00:00 to 01:40 (1 hour 40 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Wind | 31 min | 00:00 to 01:00 (1 hour) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | RWY:Construction | 16 min | 18:20 to 22:40 (4 hours 20 minutes) |
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Runway Construction and Thunderstorms Drove Most Delay Programmes
The FAA’s official reasons for delay programmes fall into several groups. The dominant cause was runway construction, cited 30 times in programmes either directly or using variations of the term. Thunderstorms were the second most frequent reason, cited 25 times in general and 22 times specifically flagged as ‘WX:Thunderstorms’. Wind-related issues appeared 18 times.
Runway construction affected significant airports including Boston Logan, Seattle-Tacoma, and San Francisco, with delays ranging from 16 to
39 minutes average delay and lasting up to nearly 7 hours. Thunderstorms mainly impacted Chicago O’Hare’s extensive ground delay and stop programmes.
Other causes included volume and airport congestion at San Diego and Teterboro (TEB), disabled aircraft on runways in Miami, and specific staff shortages reported at Newark Liberty. Areas affected by wind included Harry Reid International and LaGuardia.
Comparing September 15 Data with Recent Trends
Relative to the previous day, there was a slight decline in total programmes and airports affected. Yesterday, 15 airports were affected with 22 programmes, while today there were 14 airports and 20 programmes, marking a decrease of one programme. Compared with
the recent seven-day average of 14.6 airports affected, today’s figure of 14 falls slightly below average. However, September 15 was not the worst day in the tracking window.
Methodology. travelandtournews.com samples the FAA’s National Airspace System status feed every 20 minutes throughout the US operating day and aggregates the result. This report is built from 65 samples taken between 00:00 and 22:40 UTC on 2026-09-15. Durations are the observed window between the first and last sample in which a programme was in force, so a programme’s true length may be slightly longer than shown. Ground stops, ground delay programmes, airport
closures and general delays are all published by the FAA in real time; the daily aggregation is ours.
