Flight Disruptions Now

July 22, 2026

FAA reopens New York and DCA ground delay programs as Northeast ground stops clear

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The FAA reversed its 8 PM GDP cancellations after all seven Northeast ground stops cleared at 9 PM ET, reopening ground delay programs at LaGuardia to 11:59 PM and JFK, Newark, Reagan, and San Diego to 12:59 AM with SFO extended to 2:59 AM, Boston's GDP was purged and replaced with a ZDC-departures-only ground stop, FlightQueue estimates 612 cancellations across the New York metros, and Tropical Storm Bertha's 11 PM advisory puts the center 85 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River with conditions spreading westward and weakening forecast to begin Wednesday.

GDPs are back: the FAA reversed course after the ground stops lifted

Three hours after the FAA cancelled ground delay programs for the New York metros and Philadelphia, saying ground stops and schedule reduction would carry the evening, the agency reversed itself. The operations plan published after the storms moved off shows six active GDPs:

Reagan and San Diego are new to the list. The prior ops plan at 7:43 PM ET had cancelled the New York GDPs and left only Boston and SFO with active programs. The FAA's explanation, per the operations plan: "The EWR, JFK and LGA ground delay programs were revised after the storms have moved out of the area, creating more stability and predictability." When the ground stops lifted, the GDPs came back as the gentler tool for metering the overnight recovery backlog. GDP cancellation did not mean delays were easing; it meant the harder tool (ground stops) was doing the work. Now that the harder tool is gone, the GDPs are back.

FlightQueue, updated at 9:44 PM ET, classifies JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia as "major disruption" with ground delay programs active. It estimates 253 cancellations at JFK (8.6% of scheduled departures), 195 at Newark (8.6%), and 164 at LaGuardia (6.9%), totaling 612 across the New York metros. Reagan and SFO show as "elevated" with GDPs active. The total estimated cancellation count across all ranked U.S. airports is 1,477.

Boston's GDP was purged as ZDC convection persists

Boston took a different path. The GDP that was supposed to run to 10:59 PM ET was "able to be purged" once storms in N90 and ZBW lost intensity and moved offshore and the ZNY staffing constraint timed out, improving flow into and out of New York and Boston. But the FAA issued a ground stop for ZDC departures only to Boston, meaning flights heading to BOS from the Washington center's airspace are still being held. The operations plan notes that "convection in ZDC continues to block routing north and southbound," so Boston's recovery is partial.

The WATRS route was published to assist JFK arrivals. The Florida-to-Northeast reroute was cancelled and replaced by two modified programs with different city pairs. Most en route programs expired at 11 PM ET. The ZBW domestic and international swaps run to 1 AM ET, and WATRS, the ZNY swap, and central and southern Florida CDRs run to midnight.

Bertha closes on Louisiana with no airport disruption yet

Tropical Storm Bertha's Advisory 11, issued at 11 PM ET (0300 UTC), shows the center at 29.4N 87.7W, about 85 miles east-northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving west at 6 mph with 60 mph sustained winds and 995 mb pressure. A 41 mph gust was reported at Petit Bois Island, Mississippi. Tropical storm conditions are expected to continue spreading westward along the northern Gulf Coast tonight through Wednesday.

No watches or warnings changed from the prior advisory. The Tropical Storm Warning covers the Florida Big Bend to Morgan City, Louisiana, plus metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. The Watch extends west of Morgan City to Cameron and includes Lake Maurepas.

The forecast discussion shows weakening beginning Wednesday as Bertha interacts with southeastern Louisiana and faces strong wind shear and dry mid-level air. The 24-hour forecast puts the center inland near 29.4N 90.2W at 45 mph, with dissipation expected by Friday. No Gulf Coast airport ground stops or cancellations have been reported, and no airline has issued a Bertha-specific waiver. The next intermediate advisory is at 1 AM CDT (2 AM ET), with the next complete advisory at 4 AM CDT (5 AM ET).

Waivers carry over with no Bertha addition

All four major carriers' East Coast thunderstorm waivers remain active from earlier today, with no new waivers posted and no Bertha-specific Gulf Coast coverage yet:

Carriers typically issue Gulf Coast waivers once a storm's warning zone firms up and airport disruptions begin. With Bertha's conditions spreading but no airport ground stops yet, the Arthur-style playbook covering Pensacola, Panama City, Mobile, Gulfport, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge has not dropped.

Tomorrow: FIFA volume and afternoon convection

The FAA's operations plan flags FIFA World Cup volume as a factor for New York and Philadelphia metro planning tomorrow, compounding any weather-driven constraints. The terminal forecast puts SFO ground stop or delay program possible after 11 AM ET, HPN, EWR, TEB, MMU, LGA, and JFK possible after 2 PM ET, TPA and MCO possible after 4 PM ET, and Atlanta possible after 5 PM ET. ATL initiatives are carried over from today. The next planning webinar is at 11:15 AM ET.

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