Major US airports report wide delays

The Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System dashboard showed active airport events and traffic management planning on Sunday, May 17, as major U.S. airports dealt with delays tied to weather and system constraints. FlightAware’s MiseryMap, an independent flight-tracking service, showed 44 delays and one cancellation in an early snapshot for the United States between late May 16 and early May 17. Los Angeles International Airport led that snapshot with 10 delays, while Newark Liberty International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport each showed one delay. The FAA said its airport status pages reflect general conditions and are not flight-specific. ### Which airports were showing problems early Sunday? FlightAware’s early May 17 snapshot listed delays at Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, San Francisco, New York’s John F. Kennedy, Denver, Miami, Newark, Ontario, Chicago O’Hare and Salt Lake City. Los Angeles accounted for 10 of the 44 delays shown in that view, while Seattle had 13. Newark and O’Hare each appeared with one delay in the same snapshot. The FAA’s public airport-status pages did not show Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare or Newark under active airport events in the dashboard view captured during reporting. (nasstatus.faa.gov) The FAA’s text-only status page instead listed Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth among airports with general arrival or departure delays, and Dallas/Fort Worth and San Francisco under ground delay programs. ### What do the federal systems say is causing delays? (flightaware.com) The FAA’s status pages tied at least some current airport delays to weather and traffic management initiatives. A separate FAA airport-status page for Chicago O’Hare, captured in search results from May 16, said the airport was seeing departure delays averaging 15 minutes and increasing because of thunderstorms. The National Weather Service said severe storms were possible in parts of the central Plains and Upper Midwest on May 17. (fly.faa.gov) The agency’s national forecast page said severe storms, including large hail, wind and possible tornadoes, were expected in parts of the central United States, while the Chicago forecast office’s hazardous weather outlook cited a limited thunderstorm risk near the Wisconsin line on Sunday morning. (nasstatus.faa.gov) ### Did the FAA report a nationwide ground stop? The FAA’s National Airspace System dashboard did not show a nationwide ground stop on the dashboard view opened during reporting. The same page said there were no active en route events at that time. The FAA did flag possible later actions in its operations plan. The dashboard said a ground stop or delay program was possible for Denver after 2000, and route-management measures were possible for Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Denver after 1800. (weather.gov) ### How should travelers read these numbers? The FAA said its airport-status information shows general airport conditions and is not specific to an individual flight. (nasstatus.faa.gov) The agency directs passengers to check with their airline to determine whether a particular trip is affected. FlightAware’s figures also change through the day as airlines file delays and cancellations. The MiseryMap page describes itself as a visualization of flight delays and cancellations, and the numbers shown in the early May 17 snapshot covered only a limited time window between May 16 at 10 p.m. and May 17 at 2 a.m. (nasstatus.faa.gov) ### Where can passengers check next? The FAA’s National Airspace System dashboard and text-only airport status page were both live on May 17 and update as conditions change. (fly.faa.gov) FlightAware’s live airport-delay and MiseryMap pages also continue to refresh through the day. Airlines including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines publish separate flight-status pages for passengers with specific itineraries, while the FAA says airline guidance is the best source for whether an individual flight is affected. (flightaware.com) (fly.faa.gov) (nasstatus.faa.gov)