Logan Recovers After Nationwide Ground Stop Disrupts Flights

Boston Logan International Airport was recovering on November 14 after a nationwide ground stop the previous day disrupted air travel. Massport said airlines canceled 192 flights at Logan on November 13, while more than 2,000 flights were canceled across the country. FlightAware data showed 200 cancellations and 90 delays at Logan by 11:30 a.m. on November 14.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the stop shortly before 4 p.m. on November 13 because of communications failures affecting air traffic controllers. It was lifted a little after 8 p.m. The Trump administration said new technology overloaded older equipment, causing intermittent gaps in communications and radar.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a contractor replacing copper wire with fiber wire may have triggered the overload. Officials were investigating whether faulty wire or contractor incompetence was responsible. Duffy blamed L3Harris Technologies. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said delays and cancellations would continue on November 14 but that the worst was over; he expected the national schedule to return to normal by the end of November 15.

Passengers described scrambling to rebook and frustration with uncertainty. Brian Pedroza, whose Friday flight was canceled, found a flight to Columbus for Saturday after booking another hotel night. Boston resident Elvira Mora said a canceled connection left her arriving about 12 hours later than expected. A former Logan employee said travelers were still waiting at the airport early Saturday, though the disruption was less severe than weather-related delays he had seen.

Massport spokesperson Jennifer Mehigan said Logan was running smoothly and expected normal operations by Sunday morning. She advised travelers to check flight status with their airlines before heading to the airport. The stop was the first nationwide halt since January 2023 and the second since the September 11, 2001, attacks.