More Than 6,000 Flights Canceled as FAA Lifts U.S. Ground Stop

By Sophie Lindqvist

More than 6,000 U.S. flight departures were canceled by 8:45 p.m. Friday, according to FlightAware, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a four-hour nationwide ground stop. At least 1,400 Saturday departures were also scrapped.

The FAA began allowing flights to operate at 8:15 p.m. EST, according to the Trump administration. A ground stop is a halt to takeoffs across the country; this one grounded most departing flights indefinitely late Friday afternoon and stranded flyers at airports nationwide. It followed communication problems affecting air traffic control centers, which coordinate aircraft movements.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a Friday evening news conference: “It’s going to take us some time to unwind what’s happened.” The communications outage occurred during an upgrade to FAA technology, officials said. The action marked only the second nationwide ground stop since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Why did a four-hour shutdown create a weekend problem?

FlightAware, a flight-tracking service, counted at least 1,400 scrapped departures for Saturday. That figure was expected to rise sharply as airlines worked to restore operations, while travelers still faced significant disruptions through the weekend.

For travel sellers, the revenue effect depends on how many customers rebook, buy backup travel or cancel. No figures were available for revenue or market-share effects, and no commission or distribution change was announced. The pressure therefore sits in customer service and managing booked trips, not a new selling rule.

Which flights continued to operate?

United Airlines said in a social media post that it was managing international departures case by case. Alaska Air Group, which owns Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, said flights within Alaska remained cleared to operate. Its neighbor-island service in Hawaii (flights between the state’s less populated islands) was unaffected, as were departures from the West Coast to Hawaii, a company spokesperson said.

United’s case-by-case handling and Alaska Air Group’s continuing routes meant travel sellers could not assume every itinerary was operating normally. Sellers still had to check each flight’s status rather than treat the lifting of the ground stop as proof that operations had recovered.

How do airline waivers change the customer conversation?

Airlines issued travel advisories during the disruption. Travel waivers (temporary rules that let booked passengers change itineraries) typically gave passengers more flexibility, although each carrier’s specific terms were not detailed.

For sellers, waivers create a change-and-rebook pathway, while a cancellation can still require a refund. That distinction shapes both customer-service demand and the potential for replacement bookings.

What can passengers claim when flights fail?

Affected passengers can choose a refund or a rebooked flight when their flight is canceled or significantly delayed, regardless of the reason for the disruption. Under Department of Transportation rules, a “significant delay” generally means arriving at the final destination at least three hours late on a domestic itinerary or six hours late on an international itinerary.

If passengers decide not to travel, airlines must refund the original form of payment, not just offer travel credit. For travel sellers, that gives customers a clear answer when they ask whether a disrupted booking can be refunded.

What should travelers and sellers do now?

Rental cars and hotel rooms at or near airports can fill quickly during large-scale disruptions, making it sensible to secure backup options quickly. Customers with airline miles can use them to book a flight for the next day as self-insurance (a replacement ticket bought before the original problem is resolved), provided they check cancellation and refund rules first.

Rewards credit cards may offer trip-delay or cancellation protection when they paid for the original airline tickets, but those benefits are not guaranteed to cover an FAA grounding of this kind. Travelers should keep receipts for unexpected expenses in case they qualify for reimbursement.

For sellers, the practical trade issue is inventory: hotels, cars and flights can all tighten at once during a disruption. The next test is whether Saturday’s initial 1,400 cancellations climb and how quickly carriers restore service, not merely when the FAA lifted the restriction.