FAA daily air traffic report: September 24, 2025

Published on Sep 24, 2025, 9:31 am CDT

6 min read

Thunderstorms across Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Texas, plus low ceilings in the Northeast and Denver, are today's biggest delay drivers, according to the FAA. The agency highlights possible ground stops or Ground Delay Programs for Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Dallas Love Field, and Dallas Fort Worth, while low clouds may slow arrivals at Boston, the New York metro, Detroit, and Denver. United Airlines' brief overnight ground stop has been canceled, with operations resuming.

Key Points

Why it matters: Storms and low ceilings will ripple across hub airports, increasing missed connections and cancellations.
Travel impact: GDPs are possible for MIA, FLL, MCO, TPA, DAL, and DFW; BOS and the New York metro face morning instrument conditions.
What's next: The ATCSCC midday plan will refine routes and rates as convective lines evolve and ceilings lift.
Recent history: North Texas suffered major telecom-related outages on September 19, compounding sensitivities around Dallas flows.
Carrier note: United's technology issue prompted a short ground stop before service returned to normal.

Snapshot

The FAA's daily report points to thunderstorms around Florida terminals, including Orlando International Airport (MCO), Tampa International Airport (TPA), and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL), and into the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, affecting Nashville International Airport (BNA), Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), Indianapolis International Airport (IND), and Memphis International Airport (MEM). Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) are also flagged for thunderstorm-driven initiatives. Low clouds and visibility are forecast for Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), and Denver International Airport (DEN). Expect miles-in-trail restrictions, departure spacing, and reroutes to manage convective impacts and morning ceilings.

Background

The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) issues a rolling Operations Plan that outlines potential initiatives such as ground stops, GDPs, and en-route flow programs. When storms form near hub airports or key jet routes, the Command Center coordinates with Air Route Traffic Control Centers and tower facilities to balance arrival and departure demand with available capacity. On September 19, Dallas facilities experienced a significant telecom outage unrelated to FAA equipment, which triggered ground stops and widespread delays. While those issues were resolved, today's convective risk over North and Central Texas keeps DFW and DAL on the watchlist. Separately, United Airlines requested and subsequently lifted a brief overnight ground stop due to a connectivity problem; residual early-morning delays can persist after such pauses.

Latest Developments

FAA flags Florida and Texas for possible initiatives

The morning Operations Plan and the FAA's daily report align on convective risk in both Florida and Texas. Florida terminals could see GDPs or short ground stops during peak storm windows, with Orlando and Tampa most likely to feel programmatic control if cells build along arrival corridors. In Texas, DAL and DFW remain susceptible to thunderstorm-driven spacing and reroutes; departures into Central and South Florida may receive additional flow restrictions. Low ceilings in Boston and the New York metro can create arrival metering and departure holds until conditions improve, with Detroit and Denver also under low-cloud advisories. Travelers with tight connections at these hubs should add buffer time and monitor airline push alerts.

United's overnight ground stop canceled

United confirmed operations resumed after a short, technology-related ground stop that began around 1:00 a.m. Eastern. The FAA advisory canceling the stop posted shortly thereafter. While early-morning banks can feel residual effects, United's hub operations, including Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Denver International Airport (DEN), Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), were expected to normalize through the morning push. Customers should still check flight status, as rolling delays can trail systemwide pauses.

Dallas context after last week's outage

Friday's telecom failure in the Dallas TRACON area, tied to a local carrier issue, caused hours-long ground stops and delays at DFW and DAL. Although unrelated to today's weather threat, the recent episode underscores how quickly Dallas can cascade disruptions through national flows, especially for American Airlines at DFW and Southwest at DAL. With storms back in the picture, ATC may meter departures into North Texas or reroute arrivals around convective cells to protect arrival rates and reduce airborne holding. Keep an eye on afternoon plan updates for any formal GDPs targeting DFW or DAL.

Analysis

Today's pattern follows a familiar late-September script. Morning IFR ceilings in the Northeast compress arrival rates at BOS and the three New York airports, pushing some departures into controlled release. As the ceiling lifts, rates typically recover, but a late-morning backlog can bleed into early afternoon. The more volatile piece is convection over Florida and Texas. If storms organize along arrival fixes into MCO or TPA, expect GDPs calibrated to storm motion and terminal radar approach capacity; Florida often sees short, surgical programs that lift once cells decay. North Texas, by contrast, can require broader reroutes if squall lines align with STARs into DFW. Given last week's Dallas outage, airlines are likely to pre-cancel a small number of rotations to preserve the schedule. United's overnight pause appears contained, but travelers moving through ORD, EWR, DEN, IAH, IAD, or SFO this morning should still budget extra time. For the afternoon and evening, watch ATCSCC advisories for any expansion of Florida or Texas initiatives, and for potential miles-in-trail between ZDC, ZNY, ZJX, and ZMA if storms stretch along the Eastern Seaboard.

Final Thoughts

Plan extra connection time if you are touching Florida, North Texas, Boston, or the New York metro. Early flights often outperform afternoon banks on convective days, and nonstop options reduce misconnect risk. Keep alerts on for your airline, and check the ATCSCC site before you leave for the airport. We will continue monitoring Command Center updates and publish significant changes to the FAA daily air traffic report as the plan evolves.