Flight Delays and Airport Impacts: October 29, 2025
Key points
- FAA lists possible ground stops or delay programs at Boston, San Francisco, and San Diego later today
- Hurricane Melissa continues to disrupt Jamaica and eastern Cuba routes with U.S. connections affected
- Government shutdown driven controller shortages remain a background risk for intermittent delays at major hubs
- Weather is seasonably quiet at most U.S. hubs today with a wetter, windier setup for the Mid Atlantic on Thursday
Impact
- Check Flight Status Often
- Monitor your airline app and the FAA NAS Status page for Boston Logan, San Francisco, and San Diego through this evening
- Build Extra Connection Time
- Pad connections by at least one hour at chronically constrained hubs and where delay programs are possible
- Use Waivers When Offered
- If booked to or through Jamaica or eastern Cuba, use airline waivers to reroute or shift dates
- Watch Tomorrow's Weather
- Expect increasing rain and gusts Thursday across parts of the Mid Atlantic that can slow New York and Philadelphia corridors
- Arrive Early
- Plan to reach the airport 2 hours before domestic and 3 hours before international flights while staffing pressures persist
The Federal Aviation Administration's traffic managers are flagging several airports for potential flow constraints on Wednesday, October 29. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and San Diego International Airport (SAN) are each listed for possible ground stops or ground delay programs later today, which could ripple to departures across the country. At the same time, Hurricane Melissa continues to disrupt Caribbean flying, keeping service to Jamaica and parts of eastern Cuba curtailed and forcing schedule adjustments on U.S. connections.
Where the FAA is looking today
As of late morning, the National Airspace System status board shows "possible" traffic-management initiatives for Boston, San Francisco, and San Diego during the local daytime push periods. A "possible" call-out means the Air Traffic Control System Command Center could activate a ground stop or ground delay program if demand, weather, winds, runway configurations, or staffing tighten capacity beyond safe limits. Travelers should keep an eye on those three airports even if skies look benign.
The ATCSCC's daily operations plan confirms the watch posture and notes that prior initiatives were adjusted or canceled as conditions improved, a reminder that these programs are dynamic and can turn on, scale up, or be lifted quickly as traffic ebbs and flows.
Caribbean disruptions from Hurricane Melissa
Hurricane Melissa's impacts are still being felt well beyond Jamaica. With significant damage and prolonged outages reported on the island, many flights remain canceled and routings around the storm add time to trips between the U.S., the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman region. U.S. carriers have posted change-fee flexibility for affected customers, and more adjustments are likely as the system moves toward eastern Cuba and the Bahamas.
If you are ticketed to Kingston or Montego Bay this week, check your airline's advisory page first, then rebook inside the waiver window if your plans are flexible. Delta's waiver currently lists Kingston, Montego Bay, and Providenciales, and other airlines are maintaining similar pages for storm-affected routes.
Background: how delay programs work
A ground delay program (GDP) meters inbound traffic to match an airport's reduced arrival rate, assigning each flight an Expected Departure Clearance Time, while a ground stop holds some departures entirely for safety or sequencing. These tools are applied when demand temporarily exceeds capacity due to weather, runway use, equipment, or staffing. Understanding the toolset helps explain why your flight may push back late even in clear weather, especially when ripples begin at a far-away hub.
Today's weather picture
Weather is not the primary constraint across most U.S. hubs today. Forecast discussions around the Northeast call for cool, breezy conditions with only spotty showers, while a more impactful rain and wind setup is expected to arrive on Thursday, a pattern that can slow New York sector flows and push holding at peak periods. If you are connecting through LaGuardia or Newark on Thursday, build in more buffer than usual.
The staffing backdrop
Even when weather cooperates, the FAA continues to warn that controller staffing shortages, worsened by the ongoing federal shutdown, are contributing to intermittent delay programs at major facilities. Earlier this week, that dynamic helped trigger short-notice initiatives at large hubs including Dallas Fort Worth, Newark, and Austin. The underlying staffing picture has not materially changed midweek, so plan with contingency time even if your route looked smooth yesterday.
What to do next
If you are booked through Boston, San Francisco, or San Diego today, set push alerts in your airline app and check for an assigned EDCT, which will signal a GDP is in effect. If your itinerary touches storm-affected Caribbean points, use posted waivers to move to earlier, later, or alternative gateways. For Thursday travelers headed through New York or Philadelphia, consider earlier flights, larger connection windows, or nonstop options to reduce exposure to corridor slowdowns.
Final thoughts
The headline today is proactive monitoring. FAA planners are watching Boston Logan, San Francisco, and San Diego for demand-capacity imbalances, Hurricane Melissa continues to bend Caribbean schedules, and staffing remains a variable. Build slack into your plan, use waivers when available, and keep notifications on as the picture evolves across the afternoon and evening travel peaks.
Sources
- FAA NAS Status, Active Airport Events (possible GDP/GS at BOS, SFO, SAN)
- FAA ATCSCC Operations Plan, October 29, 2025
- Business Insider, Hurricane Melissa rerouting and Jamaica airport impacts, October 29, 2025
- Delta Air Lines, Hurricane Melissa Travel Advisory and waiver pages
- Reuters, shutdown-related controller shortages affecting delays, October 26-27, 2025
- NWS Forecasts, Northeast aviation-relevant outlooks, October 29-30, 2025