A ground stop for all planes in the U.S. was lifted Friday night after hours of chaos, with flights delayed and passengers stranded.
Around 8:30 p.m., Trump administration officials announced the order was over and said there was no evidence of a cyberattack. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy detailed that the nation’s aging traffic control system got “overloaded with data.”
The Federal Aviation Administration issued the stop around 4 p.m. Eastern Time, creating chaos at airports nationwide. Roughly 3,000 planes were in the air when the ground stop order was issued, Duffy said. Flights already in the air were allowed to land, but most were not allowed to leave.
Duffy warned that it would take some time to get the American aviation system back to normal after the order.
Passengers were stranded at airports waiting for information about when they might catch their flight. People found seats in the hallway and waited or checked their phones for the latest updates.
“I’m just bummed. I wanted to go home, I mean, it’s great to be here but not in the airport,” Emily Esterly told a Miami news station.
Read more on FAA ground stop
- FAA ground stop lifted
- No evidence of cyber attack
- Sean Duffy calls on Congress to fund air traffic improvements
- Ground Stop could impact college football games
- When was the last FAA ground stop?
Democrat calls for investigation into ground stop
08:17 , Alex LangThe safety of our skies is built on redundancies. Whatever led to the nationwide ground stop will warrant a thorough and complete investigation.
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) November 13, 2026
As Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member, I'll be demanding answers from the FAA. https://t.co/kCJts7xBRm
Delays and cancellations in UK after US travel turbulence
08:06 , Dan HaygarthTravellers in the UK are facing disruption after air traffic control problems brought flights to a standstill across the US.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted all flights nationwide for several hours on Friday “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety” following communications problems at regional air traffic control centres.
London Heathrow’s website said an 8.20am flight to Dallas Fort Worth had been cancelled, along with a 9.55am flight to Charlotte and a 10am flight to Houston.
A 10.35am British Airways flight to New York City was also cancelled, while multiple other outgoing flights on US carriers were listed as delayed.
Responding to customers on X, British Airways apologised for possible delays and cancellations.
It also recommended passengers travel to the airport as planned to arrive for the original departure time, unless informed otherwise.
A British Airways spokesperson said: “Following the air traffic control issue in the United States, our flights are operating as normal.
“Whilst this matter was entirely outside of our control, we want to thank our customers for bearing with us, and our colleagues for supporting them and helping to minimise any disruption.”
A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said there is not expected to be any “significant” delays on Saturday.
It is understood the situation is expected to have minimal impact on London Gatwick Airport.
Hertz see an increase in car rental activity
07:31 , Alex LangAccording to NBC News, Hertz car rental saw an increase in one-way rental requests from travelers impacted by the ground stop.
"Our teams are closely monitoring demand and working quickly to accommodate travelers and manage vehicle availability across our network as conditions evolve,” the company said.
JetBlue expects disruptions on Saturday
06:41 , Alex LangJetBlue warned that, because of the ground stop it expected disruptions to continue on Saturday.
“We expect disruptions to continue into tomorrow, including additional cancellations,” the company posted on social media Friday night.
The company said passengers could find a fee waiver online. They could also find options for rebooking their flight.
Former transportation secretary rips current administration
06:19 , Alex Lang.@PeteButtigieg: "We did a lot to upgrade the system. When we had an outage, I didn't stand there complaining about the Trump administration. We got to work... I'm certain that that's what career officials...at FAA and USDOT are doing. This should not be about politics." pic.twitter.com/RxD0dcD7a6
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 14, 2026
More scenes from airports after the ground stop
05:23 , Alex Lang
FAA speaks out on ground stop ending
04:39 , Alex LangThe safety of the flying public is always the FAA’s highest priority. The FAA lifted the ground stop and some flight departures are resuming. Before clearing flights to resume, we thoroughly tested our systems to confirm they were stable and that operations remain reliable.…
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) November 14, 2026
Newsom calls out Trump for not posting about ground stop
04:16 , Alex LangWorth noting: The President, who goes on unhinged posting sprees at all hours of the day and night about the most petty, hateful, trivial nonsense, has somehow found nothing to say about a frightening nationwide aviation ground stop that has stranded Americans for hours. Not a…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 14, 2026
‘Sorry folks, but you’re going to have to get off the plane’
03:45 , Alex LangA passenger at Detroit Metro Airport described the moment she found out about the ground stop. She was on the runway on her way to St. Louis when they found out.
"The flight attendant got on first and said, 'Sorry folks, but you’re going to have to get off the plane,' " Carol Morton told the Detroit Free Press. "Then the pilot got on and said, 'I've never seen this before. But air traffic control can't communicate with the airplanes ... I can't tell you how long it's going to take, but we're going to have to ask you to leave the plane.'”
A picture says it all...
03:04 , Alex Lang
Flights have started to takeoff after the ground stop ends
02:48 , Alex LangFlights across the nation are starting takeoff after a 5-hour ground stop halted the nation’s flying.
“Delta is safely resuming operations now that the FAA-mandated nationwide ground stop has been lifted,” the airline said in a statement.
“While flights have started departing, it will take time to reset our operation, including the positioning of aircraft and crews,” the company said.
Sean Duffy admits it will take time to return to normal
02:41 , Alex LangAfter restoring full functionality at our air traffic control centers and TRACONs, the @FAANews reopened the airspace tonight.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 14, 2026
It will take us time resume normal operations, so please continue to check with your airline for the latest information. Our top priority is the safety… pic.twitter.com/QcTcXoaS8M
Sean Duffy calls on Congress to fund air traffic improvements
01:48 , Alex LangDUFFY ON GROUND STOP: The president has asked for $30 billion. I want $50 billion. Congress wastes a lot of money. Let's get the money so we never have to come at 830 at night and have a press conference on why air travel was shut down pic.twitter.com/TWZigdoFJ6
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 14, 2026
'The public was never at danger'
01:42 , Alex LangMullin: The public was never at danger through this process. There was never any lives at risk. All your loved ones are safe. We are working to resolve the issue, and we hope to have operations up and going normal at some point. pic.twitter.com/bMBq1vzH7c
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 14, 2026
FAA ground stop lifted
01:34 , Alex LangThe FAA Command Center has announced the end of the ground stop
No evidence of cyber attack
01:33 , Alex LangDepartment of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirms no evidence of a cyber attack. He made the announcement as he spoke at the White House Friday night.
See the number of delays increase
01:23 , Alex LangDelays and cancellations started cascading last hour.
— Flighty (@Flighty) November 13, 2026
It will only magnify from here.
Soon there is a point of Airlines/Officials calling off today, to start working on tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Pr7DyH1MAK
Chair of House's Aviation subcommittee speaks out
00:52 , Alex LangI have requested updates from the FAA to learn what has caused this outage and what needs to be done to fix it. Safety must come first.
— André Carson (@RepAndreCarson) November 14, 2026
Passengers deserve clear, timely updates.
'It just sucks, it really does'
00:48 , Alex LangIn Miami, passengers were dealing with the disappointment of not being able to travel to their destination.
Emily Esterly and her family were waiting to get home to Philadelphia and spoke to 7News about the situation.
“I’m just bummed. I wanted to go home, I mean, it’s great to be here but not in the airport so I think we’re trying to figure out if we can avoid checking our bags ’cause we don’t wanna lose them if we have to stay overnight,” she said.
Chad Beverage was also at the airport for his annual father-son trip.
“It just sucks, it really does. And the flow of information, I mean, stuff is still new but it’s, you know, from the flight deck, they say we’ll have an update in 10 minutes, then 25 minutes, then you go on X and you see next update by the FAA is 5 o’clock, and then the flight deck says FAA is not gonna give an update ’til 11 p.m., but then they want you to hang around the gate and I can’t do that with a young kid,” he said.
Microsoft issues not connected to airline problems
00:33 , Alex LangThe FAA ground stop came after Microsoft dealt with a massive outage of its own on Thursday and Friday. However, the two do not appear to be connected.
“Microsoft has no indication that the FAA nationwide ground stop is related to the recent service disruption,” a Microsoft spokesperson said, according to NBC News.
Amtrak seeing increased calls
00:15 , Alex LangWe apologize for the error messages on both our website and app, as well as the difficulty reaching a representative. We're currently experiencing higher-than-normal call volumes due to ongoing airline issues. Furthermore, we recommend trying again later. Thank you.
— Amtrak (@Amtrak) November 13, 2026
Cargo planes also impacted
00:09 , Alex LangFedEx planes are also delayed by the ground stop, company officials told the Associated Press.
“We are prepared to activate contingency plans to minimize service disruptions and will resume normal flight operations as soon as the FAA permits,” spokeswoman Shannon Davis said
The company encourages people to check their package’s status on its website.
Ground Stop could impact college football games
Friday 13 November 2026 23:56 , Alex LangThere's numerous college football teams that have yet to fly to their destinations. If this continues, it could significantly impact college football tomorrow. https://t.co/KTvQKJeX4y
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 13, 2026
Flight aware Misery Map shows ground stop
Friday 13 November 2026 23:39 , Alex LangAn animated map from Flight Aware dubbed the “Misery Map” shows an animated increase in delays across the nation.
Over 9,000 flights have been delayed on Friday, though some were for weather and before the ground stop was issued
Passengers stranded at airports waiting for flights to resume
Friday 13 November 2026 23:36 , Alex LangThousands of passengers are waiting at airports for flights to resume. Here is what it looks like across the nation:
