WASHINGTON — As of Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a ground stop for all flights at airports across the United States due to an unspecified “extraordinary circumstance” and safety concerns.
It’s unclear what prompted the ground stop, but an FAA spokesperson told CNN there is a communications problem impacting Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which handle flights going across the country.
The last time there was a nationwide ground stop was in 2023 when a pilot notification system went down. Before that, the last nationwide ground stop was after the 9/11 attacks.
Because of this, flights have been delayed or canceled on Friday. Flights that were in the air when the ground stop was announced are cleared to continue their journeys.
What are your options if you’re flying out today?
If you’re at the airport
Typically, airlines will rebook you on another flight, or try to rebook you.
According to the New York Times, you’re also entitled to a refund if your flight is canceled, regardless of the reason, or if a flight is significantly delayed or changed and you decide not to take it.
United Airlines says it has issued a travel waiver so customers can change their plans:
If your flight is affected, here are your options:
- You can reschedule your trip and we’ll waive change fees and fare differences. But, your new flight must be a United flight departing between November 12, 2026 and November 20, 2026. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked.
- If your new trip is after November 12, 2026, or is to a different destination, we’ll still waive any change fees but you might have to pay a fare difference depending on the flight.
- If you cancel or don’t take your trip, you can get a full refund
Alaska Airlines is also offering a flexible travel policy.
- Tickets must be changed or canceled prior to the departure of your original flight.
- If you purchased your tickets through a third party, such as Expedia, another travel agency, or another airline, contact them directly for assistance.
- Your flight can only be rebooked onto Alaska, Hawaiian, Horizon, or SkyWest as Alaska flights.
- If you purchased a nonrefundable First Class, Main, Saver, or award ticket, you may:
- Change your trip without a fee. No difference in fare will apply for new travel through November 16, 2026, in the same cabin.
- Cancel your trip without a fee and choose to deposit the funds into your Account wallet, or receive a credit certificate for future travel.
- This waiver is valid only for tickets issued by Alaska Airlines, which you can identify by a 13-digit ticket number that begins with Alaska Airlines code “027”.
Most airlines may have similar policies, but double-check with them before making plans.
It’s also important to check with your airline about checking on the status of your bags, if you checked them.
It’s also important to be as patient and as kind to airport workers as you can. Everyone is in the same boat, and the cancellations are out of their hands.
If you haven’t left for your flight yet
As of this writing, it’s unclear when the groundstop will be lifted or how long it will last for.
Check your flight status before leaving your home or taking an Uber or booking a hotel.
You may also want to consider putting a tracker in your bags in the event that there is any communication or scheduling fallout when the groundstop is lifted. Airports will be accommodating the previous flights on top of the ones that were scheduled on time.
©2026 Cox Media Group
