On November 13, 2026, the FAA held 22 airports across the United States under a total of 34 delay programs. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) was the worst-hit airport, with a ground stop program lasting 16 hours and 20 minutes.
Delay Programs Across 22 Airports and Longest at Newark
FAA delay programs on the day comprised 11 ground stop programs, 7 ground delay programs, and 16 general arrival/departure delay condition reports. Ground stops hold departures bound for the affected airport on the ground at their origin, while ground delay programs meter arrivals by assigning later departure times.
Newark Liberty International (EWR) had the longest single program under a ground stop, observed from 03:20 to 19:40 UTC. Though this program registered zero peak average and maximum delays, the continuous 16-hour and 20-minute duration highlights prolonged operational challenges. Additional delay programs at Newark included a 4-hour and 20-minute ground delay program
with thunderstorm and other causes, showing peak average and max delays of 193 and 1025 minutes respectively. Newark also had a general arrival/departure delay program lasting 22 hours with causes related to traffic management initiatives and FAA equipment issues.
LaGuardia (LGA) experienced both ground stop and ground delay programs driven by wind and thunderstorms, including a ground delay program lasting 22 hours and 20 minutes with peak average delay of 144 minutes and a peak max of 416. San Francisco International (SFO) also held a ground delay program for 8 hours and 40 minutes caused by wind, with peak average
delay of 138 minutes and a peak max of 690.
Other airports with ground stop programs included Chicago Midway and Chicago O’Hare International with equipment outages, and Harry Reid International (LAS) and San Francisco (SFO) with wind delays of shorter duration. John F. Kennedy International (JFK) had early-morning ground stop and ground delay programs due to thunderstorms.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Liberty International (EWR) | Ground Stop Programs | STAFFING; airport volume | – | 03:20 to 19:40 (16 hours 20 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | Ground Stop Programs | wind | – | 14:00 to 19:40 (5 hours 40 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Stop Programs | wind | – | 15:00 to 19:40 (4 hours 40 minutes) |
| John F. Kennedy International (JFK) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 00:00 to 00:40 (40 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Stop Programs | wind | – | 20:20 to 21:00 (40 minutes) |
| Chicago Midway International (MDW) | Ground Stop Programs | equipment outage | – | 20:40 to 21:20 (40 minutes) |
| Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) | Ground Stop Programs | equipment outage | – | 20:40 to 21:20 (40 minutes) |
| BFI | Ground Stop Programs | other | – | 00:00 to 00:20 (20 minutes) |
| TEB | Ground Stop Programs | STAFFING | – | 01:00 to 01:20 (20 minutes) |
| Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) | Ground Stop Programs | other | – | 01:40 to 01:40 (20 minutes) |
| YYZ | Ground Stop Programs | other | – | 22:20 to 22:20 (20 minutes) |
| John F. Kennedy International (JFK) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms | 288 min | 00:00 to 04:20 (4 hours 20 minutes) |
| Newark Liberty International (EWR) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms; other | 193 min | 00:00 to 04:20 (4 hours 20 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms; wind | 144 min | 00:00 to 22:20 (22 hours 20 minutes) |
Wind and Airport Volume Main Drivers of Delay Programs
The FAA attributed the most delay programs to wind, involved in 64 observations across the data collection, followed by airport volume with 56 observations. Thunderstorms accounted for 23 programs as a significant weather disruptor. Traffic management initiatives related to weather (TM Initiatives:SWAP:WX) and
other miscellaneous reasons each accounted for 19 and 23 programs respectively.
Specific airports like LaGuardia and San Francisco showed multiple causes including thunderstorms and wind, while Newark’s delay programs cited staffing shortages and airport volume as leading reasons for extended ground stops.
Slight Increase in Airport Delay Activity Compared to Previous Day
Compared with the previous day, FAA delay programs affected one more airport on November 13, 2026. The number of programs increased from 33 to 34. The day’s total number of affected airports also exceeded the 7-day average of 12.3 airports. Newark Liberty International’s extended delay programs contributed to this forecast as the worst day in our tracking window
for airport delay activity.
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 68 samples taken between 00:00 and 22:20 UTC on 2026-11-13. 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.
