On October 14, 2026, the FAA held 18 airports across the United States under 21 separate delay programmes. The most severely affected airport was Boston Logan International (BOS), which endured a peak maximum delay of 413 minutes during a ground delay programme lasting 23 hours.
Delay Programmes Spread Across 18 Airports with Varied Durations and Delay Levels
The delay programmes included seven ground stop programmes, which hold departures at their origin airports, four ground delay programmes that meter arrivals by assigning later departure times, and ten general arrival/departure delay information disclosures.
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) experienced a ground stop programme for one hour from 00:00 to 01:00 UTC with zero recorded delay minutes. Several ground stops due to thunderstorms affected LaGuardia (LGA), Newark Liberty (EWR), and TEB, each lasting about 20 minutes. Los Angeles International (LAX) had a 20-minute ground stop triggered by an equipment outage, while Austin (AUS) faced two ground stop periods linked to runway
construction, each around one hour long.
Boston Logan’s 23-hour ground delay programme spanned the entire day, from 00:00 to 23:00 UTC. It registered a peak average delay of 99 minutes and a peak maximum delay of 413 minutes, driven by low ceilings and runway construction. Denver International (DEN) saw a nine-hour ground delay programme between 14:00 and 23:00 UTC, with peak average delays at 61 minutes and peak maximum delays reaching 114 minutes caused by runway construction and low ceilings. Austin (AUS) simultaneously endured a nearly five-hour ground delay for runway construction with peak delays up to 158 minutes. Montreal’s
YUL airport had a 4-hour 20-minute ground delay programme due to airport volume, with peak average and maximum delays at 12 and 32 minutes respectively.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) | Ground Stop Programs | OCL: | – | 00:00 to 01:00 (1 hour) |
| AUS | Ground Stop Programs | runway construction | – | 17:00 to 18:00 (1 hour) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | Ground Stop Programs | runway construction | – | 20:00 to 20:40 (40 minutes) |
| Los Angeles International (LAX) | Ground Stop Programs | equipment outage | – | 11:40 to 11:40 (20 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 16:40 to 17:00 (20 minutes) |
| Newark Liberty International (EWR) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 16:40 to 17:00 (20 minutes) |
| TEB | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 17:00 to 17:00 (20 minutes) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | Ground Delay Programs | low ceilings; runway construction | 99 min | 00:00 to 23:00 (23 hours) |
| Denver International (DEN) | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction; low ceilings | 61 min | 14:00 to 23:00 (9 hours) |
| AUS | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction | 59 min | 18:20 to 23:00 (4 hours 40 minutes) |
| YUL | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 12 min | 18:20 to 22:40 (4 hours 20 minutes) |
| Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Thunderstorms; VOL:Volume | 46 min | 02:20 to 17:40 (15 hours 20 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Compacted Demand | 31 min | 00:20 to 19:20 (19 hours) |
| TEB | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | RWY:Maintenance; TM Initiatives:SWAP:WX | 31 min | 12:00 to 18:00 (6 hours) |
Runway Construction Leads Delay Causes, Followed by Thunderstorms and Volume Issues
FAA data tracked by travelandtournews.com shows runway construction was the top cause of delay programmes on this day, associated with 65 samples across various airports and programme types. Thunderstorms were the second most common reason with 29 sample points, affecting mainly ground stop programmes at LGA, EWR, and TEB, as well as general delays at ORD, DFW, and DAL. Volume-related issues, including compacted demand and airport volume, accounted for 30 samples combined. Low ceilings, cited
14 times, mostly contributed to lengthy ground delay programmes at Boston and Denver.
Delay Activity Rose Above Yesterday and Weekly Average Levels
Compared with the previous day’s 12 affected airports and 18 programmes, today’s 18 affected airports and 21 programmes represent an increase of 6 airports and 3 programmes. This performance also stands above the seven-day average of 15.4 airports affected daily. Despite this uptick, the day did not register as the worst within the recent monitoring 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 66 samples taken between
00:00 and 23:00 UTC on 2026-10-14. 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.
