On October 20, 2026, the FAA held 9 airports in the United States under a total of 12 delay programmes, according to FAA data tracked by travelandtournews.com. The worst-hit airport was LaGuardia (LGA), which experienced a ground stop due to airport volume, although its peak average delay was recorded as zero minutes during the 20-minute observation.
Nine US Airports Were Affected by Various Delay Programmes
The delay programmes included one ground stop, three ground delay programmes, and eight instances of general arrival/departure delay information. Ground stops hold departures bound for an airport on the ground at their origin, while ground delay programmes meter arrivals by assigning later departure times.
LaGuardia’s ground stop, triggered by airport volume, was in effect for 20 minutes starting at 18:20 UTC but did not raise the peak delay beyond zero minutes.
San Diego International (SAN) had a four hour and 20 minute ground delay programme due to airport volume, with a peak average delay of 54 minutes and a maximum
delay reaching 114 minutes. Harry Reid International (LAS) operated a six-hour ground delay programme citing other reasons, posting a peak average delay of 48 minutes and a peak maximum of 172 minutes. YUL had a ground delay programme lasting two hours and 20 minutes with the cause listed as other, peaking at a 30-minute average delay and 54-minute maximum delay.
General arrival and departure delay information was recorded at seven other airports. Teterboro (TEB) had delays driven by volume totaling 2 hours and 20 minutes, with average delays peaking at 46 minutes. LaGuardia again recorded general arrival/departure delays caused by
wind over 9 hours and 20 minutes, averaging 31 minutes delay. Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) experienced 1 hour and 20 minutes of delay related to low ceilings and runway construction, peaking at 31 minutes average delay.
Additional general delay programmes were reported at Boston Logan International (BOS) with 5 hours due to runway construction, Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) for 1 hour and 40 minutes caused by low ceilings, San Diego (SAN) for 1 hour and 20 minutes attributed to compacted demand, Philadelphia International (PHL) for 20 minutes for compacted demand, and Harry Reid International (LAS) for 20 minutes due to wind.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaGuardia (LGA) | Ground Stop Programs | airport volume | – | 18:20 to 18:20 (20 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 54 min | 00:00 to 04:20 (4 hours 20 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Delay Programs | other | 48 min | 01:00 to 07:00 (6 hours) |
| YUL | Ground Delay Programs | other | 30 min | 18:20 to 20:40 (2 hours 20 minutes) |
| TEB | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Volume | 46 min | 19:40 to 22:00 (2 hours 20 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Wind | 31 min | 12:40 to 22:00 (9 hours 20 minutes) |
| Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Low Ceilings; RWY:Construction | 31 min | 18:20 to 19:40 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | RWY:Construction | 16 min | 00:00 to 05:00 (5 hours) |
| Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Low Ceilings | 16 min | 12:40 to 14:20 (1 hour 40 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Compacted Demand | 16 min | 01:40 to 03:00 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Philadelphia International (PHL) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | VOL:Compacted Demand | 16 min | 14:20 to 14:20 (20 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Wind | 16 min | 21:40 to 21:40 (20 minutes) |
Airport Volume and Construction Were Leading Delay Causes
FAA data lists the top reasons behind these delay programmes. The dominant causes were other (25 programmes), runway construction (17), airport volume (15), wind (8), and volume broadly (8). Airport volume was the driver for the single ground stop at LaGuardia and for ground delay programmes at San Diego. Runway construction notably affected Boston Logan and Seattle-Tacoma.
Delay Levels Consistent with Previous Day but Below Week’s Average
The number of airports affected and the total programmes in effect on October 20 were unchanged from the previous day, both at 9 airports and 12 programmes. However, compared with the recent seven-day average where 15.6 airports are typically affected, the current figure
was lower. The peak average delay across all programmes reached 54 minutes, with the maximum delay recorded at 172 minutes.
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 50 samples taken between 00:00 and 22:00 UTC on 2026-10-20. 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.
