The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an unprecedented nationwide ground stop on Friday, November 13, after a temporary telecommunications and communication outage affected multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers across the US. The ground stop started at approximately 4:00 p.m. ET, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports. And for NFL teams traveling abroad or cross-country for Sunday Night Football, this had every chance of leading to delays or rescheduling of games.
The FAA’s initial directive mandated that “all departing traffic should remain ground stopped until further notice,” while Advisory 111 listed an estimated event end time of 11:00 p.m. ET on November 13. The ground stop was eventually lifted around 8:15 p.m. ET, but operations have yet to return to normal. According to a November 13 New York Post report, the NFL has not made any changes to game timings yet, but league officials are actively monitoring the situation.
“It’s too early. We could address the issue at the appropriate time, if necessary,” one NFL spokesman said regarding the fiasco.
Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that there was no indication that the issue was the result of any kind of cyberattack or an act of terrorism. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the issue to outdated technology and data overload.
“What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system,” Duffy said. “Our routers actually got overloaded with data and … they started to give us inconsistency in the data from those routers. And because of that, we shut the system down.”
Duffy’s explanation didn’t change the fact that the directive led to chaos, not just for tourists, but also for those traveling for work, games, and other obligations.
In the NFL, the teams most likely to be affected by this issue are the Los Angeles Rams, who are scheduled to fly to Arizona on Saturday for their Week 10 matchup, and the Los Angeles Chargers, who are supposed to travel east to Baltimore on Saturday afternoon for Monday Night Football. Although it would be possible for the Rams to make the nearly 390-mile journey via chartered buses, the strain of a six- to seven-hour journey less than 48 hours from kickoff could derail their week-long preparations against the Cardinals.
If their air travel plans are jeopardized, the San Francisco 49ers will have to make an approximately 1,724-mile drive instead of flying 1,440 miles to Dallas. The Seahawks, who will be facing off against the Raiders, will have to journey almost 1,125 miles to Las Vegas instead of flying just 876 miles.
Luckily, the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions, who are facing off against each other in Germany, escaped the debacle. Both teams reached Munich safely, with the Patriots arriving on Thursday while the Lions followed soon after on Friday, before the ground stop was issued.
Other teams gearing up for Week 10 games, including the Cincinnati Bengals (who are playing in Pittsburgh), the Buffalo Bills playing a road game against the New York Jets, and the Minnesota Vikings, who are visiting Green Bay, have more manageable options for travel, which are unlikely to wear them down too much before kickoff.
College Football Teams Have Also Been Affected by the FAA Ground Stop
Several college football games could also be affected by the turmoil caused by the nationwide ground stop. Although November 13 games are unlikely to be postponed or canceled since most teams traveling had already made their way to their destinations on Thursday, things may not proceed quite as smoothly for teams playing on Saturday.
According to Pete Thamel, several teams are yet to make the journeys ahead of their Saturday games. In a later update, he also provided a list of teams that had been affected by the suspended operations.
“Teams in flight limbo: Big 12: Baylor, Kansas State, Utah and Arizona State; SEC: Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas; ACC: All visiting teams have reached their destinations. Big Ten: Minnesota, Purdue and Washington,” Thamel noted. “ALSO confirmed in limbo — Oregon State, Wyoming and North Texas.”