Local
PHL Cancellations Ease Sunday After Nationwide Ground Stop, FAA Predicts Normal Operations by Day's End
Philadelphia International Airport saw fewer flight cancellations Sunday after a nationwide ground stop disrupted travel Friday, with the FAA chief saying 'the worst is behind us' and operations should return to normal by the end of the day.
PHILADELPHIA â Travelers at Philadelphia International Airport caught a break Sunday as flight cancellations dropped sharply from the chaos of the previous two days, following a nationwide ground stop that upended air travel across the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the ground stop at 8:15 p.m. Friday, but the ripple effects lingered through the weekend. More than 9,000 flights were canceled nationwide on Friday, and another 7,000-plus were scrapped on Saturday, according to FlightAware.
By Sunday morning, PHL was still seeing above-average cancellations â mirroring airports across the country â but the numbers were significantly lower than Friday and Saturday. The FAA chief said Saturday that "the worst is behind us" and predicted operations would return to normal by the end of the day Sunday.
For passengers, the weekend was a grind of rebooking, waiting and missed plans.
Joshua Riker of Levittown was trying to reach Detroit for a wedding. "I was supposed to be there on Friday. There was a ceremony on Saturday, which was yesterday, I missed. So I'm really hoping to make it today," he said. Riker described the scramble: "The only flight I had available was a 5 a.m. Saturday morning flight with four layovers."
Kaye-Leigh Camoosa, trying to get home to Colorado, said she tried to book a flight Saturday but found "everything unavailable." By Sunday, her outlook had improved. "Everything's on time right now," she said.
Antonio Seda of Penns Grove was traveling to Atlanta to start a new job. "I was able to get a flight to get back so I can start work first thing Monday," he said. On his way to the airport, he added, "I didn't get an email yet, so I know I'm good to go."
Airlines offered refunds or waived change fees to help affected passengers.
The ground stop, which lasted more than four hours, was ordered as the Trump administration blamed old, overloaded technology. Transportation Secretary Duffy said Sunday that the ability of air traffic control routers to broadcast data had been turned off and was under investigation.
The disruption also scrambled team travel for sports, with leagues and clubs scrambling to adjust schedules.
For Philadelphia travelers, the weekend offered a reminder of how quickly a national aviation system failure can cascade into local plans â weddings, new jobs and family visits all hanging on a rebooked seat. By Sunday afternoon, the lines were shorter and the screens greener, but the frustration of a lost weekend lingered for those still waiting to reach their destinations.