On September 13, 2026, the FAA held 19 airports across the United States under a total of 28 delay programmes, as recorded by FAA data tracked by travelandtournews.com. John F. Kennedy International (JFK) was the worst-hit airport, facing ground stop programmes due to thunderstorms lasting 13 hours with zero recorded average or maximum delay minutes during this intervention.
Delay Programmes and Affected Airports
The 28 delay programmes on this day were split among four types: eight ground stop programmes, four ground delay programmes, one airport closure, and 15 general arrival/departure delay information notices. Ground stops hold departures bound for the airport on the ground at their origin, preventing further takeoffs, while ground delay programmes meter arrivals by assigning later departure times to throttle inbound traffic.
JFK led with 14 ground stop samples from 10:00 to 23:00 UTC, all caused by thunderstorms. Newark Liberty International (EWR) and LaGuardia (LGA) each had ground stops due to thunderstorms from about 11:20 to 23:00 UTC, both lasting
around 11 hours and 40 minutes. Other airports with ground stops included YUL (3 hours 20 minutes), Miami International (MIA) (2 hours), and Teterboro (TEB) with a combined reason of airport volume and thunderstorms for 1 hour 20 minutes. Denver International (DEN) had a short 20-minute ground stop at 23:00 UTC due to airport volume.
The longest ground delay programme was at Miami International (MIA), lasting 23 hours due to a disabled aircraft on the runway, with a peak average delay of 181 minutes and a peak maximum delay of 472 minutes. Boston Logan (BOS) had a ground delay programme
for 5 hours 20 minutes caused by runway construction, with delays peaking at an average of 124 minutes and a maximum of 226 minutes. San Francisco International (SFO) experienced an 3 hour 20 minute ground delay programme attributed to other causes with peak averages of 41 minutes. San Diego International (SAN) had a brief 20-minute ground delay programme for airport volume and a longer airport closure from 08:20 to 12:40 UTC.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John F. Kennedy International (JFK) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 10:00 to 23:00 (13 hours) |
| Newark Liberty International (EWR) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 11:20 to 23:00 (11 hours 40 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 11:20 to 23:00 (11 hours 40 minutes) |
| YUL | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 19:00 to 22:20 (3 hours 20 minutes) |
| Miami International (MIA) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 19:00 to 21:00 (2 hours) |
| TEB | Ground Stop Programs | airport volume; thunderstorms | – | 21:40 to 23:00 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Philadelphia International (PHL) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 21:40 to 23:00 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Denver International (DEN) | Ground Stop Programs | airport volume | – | 23:00 to 23:00 (20 minutes) |
| Miami International (MIA) | Ground Delay Programs | disabled aircraft on the runway; DISABLED | 181 min | 00:00 to 23:00 (23 hours) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction | 124 min | 17:40 to 23:00 (5 hours 20 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Delay Programs | other | 41 min | 00:00 to 03:20 (3 hours 20 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 30 min | 23:00 to 23:00 (20 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Airport Closures | airport closed | – | 08:20 to 12:40 (4 hours 20 minutes) |
| Philadelphia International (PHL) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | TM Initiatives:SWAP:WX | 91 min | 00:00 to 23:00 (23 hours) |
Thunderstorms and Disabled Aircraft Dominated Delay Causes
The leading cause behind these programmes was thunderstorms, cited explicitly in at least six airports’ delay descriptions and accounting for 51 and 47 samples under slightly differing labels such
as “thunderstorms” and “WX:Thunderstorms.” These weather disruptions prompted ground stops at JFK, EWR, LGA, YUL, MIA, and PHL.
Disabled aircraft on the runway was the next most common cause, driving the extended ground delay programme at Miami International with 33 samples. Runway construction contributed to 17 samples and primarily affected Boston and San Francisco airports.
Airport volume was also referenced as a reason for delay programmes at TEB, DEN, and SAN, with some combined with thunderstorms for TEB. TM Initiatives involving traffic management and weather (SWAP and WX) were reported as reasons for general delay information at several airports, including
Philadelphia, Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK.
Comparison With Previous Days
Compared to the previous day, September 12, 2026, when 13 airports were affected by 20 programmes, September 13 saw an increase of six airports and eight additional programmes. The current day’s figures are also above the recent seven-day average of 14.4 airports affected. This makes September 13 the worst day in our seven-day tracking window in terms of the number of airports impacted and total delay programmes recorded.
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
59 samples taken between 00:00 and 23:00 UTC on 2026-09-13. 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.
