FAA Ground Stop Disrupts Weekend Sports Travel

A nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stop on Friday upended travel plans for professional and collegiate teams preparing for weekend competition. The halt, which lasted more than four hours, stemmed from communications issues at regional air traffic control centers. Transportation officials described the situation as involving extraordinary circumstances. Teams across the NBA, NHL, and college football leagues scrambled to adjust their logistics to reach game sites.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the disruption during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. He explained that the agency prioritized larger aircraft movements over smaller ones. Duffy encouraged football teams using charter planes to contact the FAA directly to schedule their flight times. This measure aimed to ensure games could proceed as scheduled the following day.

The stoppage caught many college football teams while they were traveling to road games. No. 2 Utah, No. 8 Texas, and No. 9 Tennessee were among the schools left at a standstill. Texas and Tennessee returned to their home campuses during the halt. Once the ground stop lifted, both schools began arranging immediate flights to arrive before game day. Auburn and Purdue opted to travel by bus to their respective destinations in Mississippi State and Iowa.

The Southeastern Conference stated it was in close communication with member institutions to assess disruptions. The league emphasized that the safety of student-athletes and staff was its top priority. The Big 12 Conference said it was evaluating potential changes to Saturday’s schedule. It noted that the conference would continue to monitor travel issues alongside its member schools.

In the NBA, the Nets were one of five teams scheduled to fly on Friday. They had boarded their plane in New Orleans when the stoppage halted their flight to Memphis. The Cavaliers, Bulls, and Grizzlies played Friday night and faced uncertainty regarding their return flights. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said his team was searching for hotel rooms in Miami as a precaution about 90 minutes before tip-off. He noted that adaptation is part of the job.

College soccer teams also faced delays. The third-ranked Southern California women’s team boarded at Los Angeles International Airport but was forced to deboard and return to the Galen Center. They were heading to South Carolina for a Sunday match against the top-ranked Gamecocks. In women’s professional soccer, the Kansas City Current was uncertain when their flight to New York for a semifinal against Gotham FC would depart.

Several teams managed to fly before the stoppage took effect. These included all teams traveling in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Missouri, Duke, and No. 10 Texas Tech. NFL teams playing Sunday were expected to travel on Saturday as planned, avoiding the immediate impact of the Friday halt.