On November 3, 2026, the FAA implemented 22 delay programs affecting 15 airports across the United States. The worst-hit airport was Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL), which endured the longest ground stop and ground delay programs with peak delays reaching 600 minutes.
Delay Programs by Airport and Duration
Fifteen airports were subject to FAA delay management, with programs categorized as ground stops, ground delay programs, or general arrival/departure delay information. Four ground stop programs were active at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL), San Francisco International (SFO), William P. Hobby (HOU), and George Bush Intercontinental (IAH). Ground stops hold departures at their origin airports to prevent arrival congestion.
FLL’s ground stop lasted 3 hours 20 minutes, observed in four samples between 00:00 and 03:20 UTC, caused by thunderstorms. SFO experienced a ground stop due to wind for 40 minutes, and both HOU and IAH had 20-minute ground stops from 18:40
to 19:00 UTC related to thunderstorms.
Four ground delay programs, which meter arrivals by assigning later departure times, were active at Miami International (MIA), FLL, SFO, and San Diego International (SAN). MIA’s program lasted 3 hours 40 minutes with peak average delays of 146 minutes and peaks up to 450 minutes, driven by thunderstorms. FLL had a four-hour ground delay program for thunderstorms with peak delays reaching 600 minutes. SFO’s ground delay due to wind spanned 8 hours 20 minutes with average peak delays of 114 minutes. SAN experienced a one hour 40 minute ground delay for airport volume issues.
General arrival/departure delay information programs were issued for 14 airports, including extended coverage at MIA (19 hours) and SFO, and lasted from 20 minutes to up to 19 hours. Peak average delays in this category ranged up to 166 minutes at FLL for traffic management initiatives related to weather.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 00:00 to 03:20 (3 hours 20 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Stop Programs | wind | – | 16:40 to 17:20 (40 minutes) |
| William P. Hobby (HOU) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 18:40 to 19:00 (20 minutes) |
| George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 18:40 to 19:00 (20 minutes) |
| Miami International (MIA) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms | 146 min | 00:00 to 03:40 (3 hours 40 minutes) |
| Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms | 133 min | 00:00 to 04:00 (4 hours) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Delay Programs | wind | 114 min | 14:20 to 22:40 (8 hours 20 minutes) |
| San Diego International (SAN) | Ground Delay Programs | airport volume | 29 min | 00:00 to 01:40 (1 hour 40 minutes) |
| Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | TM Initiatives:MIT:WX | 166 min | 00:00 to 03:00 (3 hours) |
| APF | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Thunderstorms | 121 min | 00:00 to 00:00 (20 minutes) |
| Miami International (MIA) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | TM Initiatives:MIT:WX; WX:Thunderstorms; RWY:Construction | 91 min | 00:00 to 19:00 (19 hours) |
| George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Thunderstorms | 61 min | 17:00 to 22:40 (5 hours 40 minutes) |
| DJT | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Thunderstorms | 61 min | 00:00 to 00:00 (20 minutes) |
| FMY | General Arrival/Departure Delay Info | WX:Thunderstorms | 61 min | 00:00 to 00:00 (20 minutes) |
Thunderstorms and Wind Drove Most Delay Programs
The FAA’s stated reasons show weather as the leading cause of delay programs. Thunderstorms (including WX:Thunderstorms and related terminologies) accounted for the highest number of samples, totaling 68 when combining related terms. Wind was the second most common contributor with 26 samples. Traffic management initiatives tied to weather adjustments accounted for
22 samples. Staffing shortages contributed to 18 samples, notably at Teterboro (TEB) and Newark (EWR).
Other causes included airport volume at San Diego and runway construction at Miami, affecting fewer samples but contributing to the overall delay environment.
Comparison With Previous Day and Weekly Average
Compared to the previous day’s 18 airports affected and 23 total programs, November 3 saw a slight reduction to 15 airports and 22 programs. The count of airports under delay programs remains above the weekly 7-day average of 11.1 airports affected. This day was not the highest in the tracking window but remained busier than average.
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 22:40 UTC on 2026-11-03. 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.
