On October 6, 2026, the FAA held 12 United States airports under 16 delay programmes in total, with Boston Logan International (BOS) as the worst-hit airport. Boston Logan experienced the highest peak delay, reaching 598 minutes.
Details of Airports and Delay Programmes
The affected airports included Boston Logan (BOS), Denver International (DEN), LaGuardia (LGA), Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA), Harry Reid International (LAS), San Diego International (SAN), San Francisco International (SFO), Tampa International (TPA), Miami International (MIA), Orlando International (MCO), Teterboro (TEB), and Montreal-Trudeau (YUL).
Four Ground Stop programs were recorded. These halt departures at origin airports bound for the affected airport. Denver International’s ground stop lasted for 20 minutes starting at 14:20 UTC due to runway construction. Boston Logan also had a ground stop for 20 minutes at 18:20 UTC attributed to runway construction. LaGuardia experienced a 20-minute ground stop starting
at 20:20 UTC due to airport volume, while Teterboro’s ground stop started at 20:40 UTC lasting 20 minutes caused by airspace volume.
Five Ground Delay Programs were in effect, which meter arrivals by assigning later departure times. Boston Logan’s ground delay programme ran for 22 hours and 40 minutes, from midnight to 22:40 UTC, related to runway construction with a peak average delay of 179 minutes and a maximum delay of 598 minutes. Harry Reid International’s programme lasted 5 hours and 40 minutes with delays peaking at 155 minutes due to causes classified as other. San Francisco’s programme ran for
3 hours and 40 minutes due to flight check operations, with peak delays up to 109 minutes. San Diego International faced a 3-hour-and-20-minute ground delay programme because of airport volume, peaking at 72 minutes maximum delay. Montreal-Trudeau had a one-time 20-minute ground delay due to other causes.
Seven General Arrival/Departure Delay Info programmes were logged, providing delay information without active ground stops or metered departures. LaGuardia experienced ongoing delays related to wind lasting over 20 hours, with a peak average delay of 46 minutes. Ronald Reagan Washington National’s delays were linked to traffic management initiatives and airport volume, lasting nearly
4 hours. Tampa International and Miami International both recorded about one hour of delays from traffic management initiatives related to weather. Orlando International logged an hour of similar weather-related delays. Teterboro saw 40 minutes of runway maintenance delays, while San Francisco experienced two hours of flight check-related delay info.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver International (DEN) | Ground Stop Programs | runway construction | – | 14:20 to 14:40 (20 minutes) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | Ground Stop Programs | runway construction | – | 18:20 to 18:20 (20 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | Ground Stop Programs | airport volume | – | 20:20 to 20:40 (20 minutes) |
| TEB | Ground Stop Programs | airspace volume | – | 20:40 to 21:00 (20 minutes) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | Ground Delay Programs | runway construction | 179 min | 00:00 to 22:40 (22 hours 40 minutes) |
| YUL | Ground Delay Programs | other | 57 min | 00:00 to 00:00 (20 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Delay Programs | flight check operations | 52 min | 12:40 to 16:20 (3 hours 40 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Delay Programs | other | 44 min | 00:00 to 05:40 (5 hours 40 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 31 min | 00:00 to 03:20 (3 hours 20 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Wind | 46 min | 00:00 to 20:20 (20 hours 20 minutes) |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | TM Initiatives:ESP:VOL | 31 min | 18:40 to 22:20 (3 hours 40 minutes) |
| Tampa International (TPA) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | TM Initiatives:MIT:WX | 31 min | 00:00 to 01:40 (1 hour 40 minutes) |
| TEB | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | RWY:Maintenance | 31 min | 14:40 to 15:20 (40 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | OTHER:Flight Check | 16 min | 16:20 to 18:20 (2 hours) |
Primary Causes Behind Delay Programmes
Runway construction was the leading cause, associated with 47 samples across programmes and affecting airports including Boston Logan and Denver International. Weather-related winds accounted for 20 samples, primarily affecting LaGuardia. Other factors made up 19 samples, including delays at Harry Reid International and Montreal-Trudeau.
Traffic management initiatives related to weather were
cited 14 times, affecting Tampa, Miami, and Orlando among others. Airport volume contributed to 13 samples, influencing delays at LaGuardia and San Diego International. Airspace volume caused delays specifically at Teterboro.
Comparison with Previous Days
Compared to October 5, 2026, when 17 airports were affected by 22 delay programmes, the number on October 6 dropped by five programmes and five airports affected. The seven-day average shows 13.9 airports typically affected. Therefore, October 6 marked a slight improvement but did not represent the highest delay activity in the recent week.
All figures and observations are based on FAA data tracked by travelandtournews.com.
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 69 samples taken between 00:00 and 22:40 UTC on 2026-10-06. 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.
