On October 19, 2026, nine airports in the United States were subject to 12 FAA delay programmes. San Francisco International (SFO) experienced the worst peak delay with a maximum of 321 minutes recorded during a ground delay programme.
The FAA Held Airports Under Four Types of Delay Programmes
The FAA imposed two ground stop programmes and four ground delay programmes on the affected airports. Ground stops hold departures at their origin, while ground delay programmes meter arrivals by assigning later departure times. Additionally, there was one airport closure and five instances of general arrival/departure delay information provided.
San Diego International (SAN) faced the longest continuous impact, with a 21-hour ground delay programme due to airport volume starting from 01:00 UTC. SAN also experienced an airport closure lasting 4 hours and 20 minutes attributed to the airport being closed.
San Francisco International (SFO) had a ground stop programme caused
by low ceilings from 03:20 to 03:40 UTC, and a ground delay programme affecting flights for 15 hours and 40 minutes later that day, also due to low ceilings. During the delay programme at YUL, ground delays lasted six hours caused by runway construction and other reasons.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Stop Programs | low ceilings | – | 03:20 to 03:40 (20 minutes) |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) | Ground Stop Programs | VIP | – | 20:00 to 20:20 (20 minutes) |
| YUL | Ground Delay Programs | other; runway construction | 79 min | 16:00 to 22:00 (6 hours) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Delay Programs | aircraft emergency | 70 min | 00:00 to 00:40 (40 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Delay Programs | low ceilings | 58 min | 04:00 to 19:40 (15 hours 40 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 54 min | 01:00 to 22:00 (21 hours) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Airport Closures | airport closed | – | 08:20 to 12:40 (4 hours 20 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Wind; OTHER:INDIVIDUAL RELEASES | 16 min | 01:00 to 19:20 (18 hours 20 minutes) |
| Philadelphia International (PHL) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Compacted Demand | 16 min | 13:40 to 15:00 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | ZBW / RWY:Construction | 16 min | 00:00 to 01:00 (1 hour) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Compacted Demand | 16 min | 20:40 to 21:40 (1 hour) |
| TEB | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | RWY:Maintenance | 15 min | 14:00 to 14:40 (40 minutes) |
Other airports with ground delay programmes included Harry Reid International (LAS) facing a 40-minute delay due to an aircraft emergency, and Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) had a 20-minute ground stop due to VIP activity. General delay information programmes were reported at BOS, PHL, LGA, LAS, and TEB, with causes ranging from construction to compacted demand.
Top Causes of Delay Programmes on October 19
The leading cause cited by the FAA was airport volume, driving 36 programmes. Low ceilings were the second most frequent reason at 29 programmes, mostly impacting SFO. Airport closures accounted for 13 programmes, mainly at SAN. Runway construction led to 10 programmes, particularly at YUL.
Other causes recorded included aircraft emergency at LAS,
VIP-related ground stops at DCA, wind, and individual release management for arrivals and departures at LAS, and maintenance activities on runways at TEB.
Delay Trends Compared to Recent Days
The 65 polling samples taken every 20 minutes during the day showed a total of 9 airports affected and 12 programmes, down from 13 airports and 16 programmes on the previous day. This represents a decrease of four programmes and a smaller number of airports impacted compared to yesterday.
When compared to the recent seven-day average, which recorded 16.7 airports affected and more programmes, October 19 was less affected overall. The day was not the worst in
the seven-day window for delay programmes.
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 22:00 UTC on 2026-10-19. 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.
