On Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rare ground stop at all U.S. airports, citing “extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Across the country, departing flights were held for hours before the stop—attributed to a telecommunications outage—was lifted, disrupting travel plans for some 1.5 million people. As planes start to take off again, thousands of passengers are still stuck on the ground.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP / GettyPassengers pass a screen showing departures at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington, DC on November 13, 2026. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a ground stop at all US airports due to communications problem.Nikos Frazier / Omaha World-Herald / GettyTravelers wait inside Eppley Airfield, in Omaha.Andres Kudacki for The AtlanticPlanes grounded at Newark Liberty International AirportJason Fochtman / Houston Chronicle / AP A woman and children wait for news at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, in Houston.Joe Raedle / GettySigns at a baggage counter at Miami International Airport alert travelers to the nationwide ground stop.Finn Gomez / GettyCrowds fill a departure terminal at Orlando International Airport.Jim Vondruska / ReutersA passenger sits on an empty baggage carousel at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.Brian Snyder / ReutersPassengers wait at Boston Logan International Airport.Brendan Smialowski / AFP / GettyTravelers pass time at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.Angelina Katsanis / ReutersA child inside an airplane on the ground at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York CityDavid Carson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch / GettyTravelers in line to check their bags at St. Louis Lambert International AirportRyan Murphy / APPassengers departing LaGuardia Airport, in New York CityAdam Gray / GettyA plane waits on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport.
