FAA ground stops hit 3 major US East Coast airports: Airlines cancel hundreds of flights

Hundreds of flights have already been canceled on Tuesday, July 21, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stops and ground delays at three major East Coast airports. LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) have all been affected.

Delays like this are nothing new this week. On Monday, FAA ground stops halted over 2,000 U.S. flights after a tech outage affected airports across the nation. Earlier this week, another U.S. airport led the way in worldwide delays after an FAA ground stop was issued there. For East Coast travelers, here’s a closer look at what’s happening today at LGA, JFK, and EWR.

Thunderstorms To Blame For FAA Ground Stops On The East Coast

According to the FAA's National Airspace System Status, thunderstorms plaguing the East Coast are to blame for Tuesday morning’s ground stops and ground delays. These stops and delays were issued around 9 a.m. and are expected to last until 11 a.m. or noon.

JFK and EWR airports in particular predict that a ground stop extension is likely, citing a 30-60% likelihood.

Reports indicated that the storm threat is a level three, with the potential to turn into tornadoes, flooding conditions, and hailstorms if conditions continue.

Meanwhile, LGA isn’t currently facing a ground stop, but the storms have led to significant delays. Departures to LaGuardia are delayed an average of 217 minutes because of the thunderstorms. All three airports have already seen mass cancellations as of Tuesday morning.

Nearly 740 East Coast Flights Already Canceled

As of Tuesday morning, roughly 740 flights have been canceled across the three airports: JFK, EWR, and LGA, according to live data from FlightAware.

Canceled LGA, JFK, And EWR Flights

Delays are not quite as bad, but are still piling up.

Delayed LGA, JFK, And EWR Flights

As the storm continues, these numbers are expected to climb. In the midst of all this travel chaos, plenty of passengers have taken to social media to discuss what travelers can do if they're impacted by the weather-related disruption.

"Get Out While You Can": East Coast Passengers Warn Of "Awful" Conditions

In light of Tuesday's storms, most U.S. airlines have issued traveler alerts to passengers. United Airlines, for example, has issued a rebooking waiver.

"You can reschedule your trip, and we’ll waive change fees and fare differences. But your new flight must be a United flight departing between July 20, 2026 and July 23, 2026. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked," United wrote.

On Reddit, passengers are also encouraging their fellow travelers to reschedule their flights. "Get out while you can. Saturday was awful, and they’re still trying to recover here at EWR," one Reddit user wrote.

Frequent flyers also expressed their frustrations, as canceled flights seem to be piling up for some. "This is the second canceled flight for me this month,” one user wrote. “First was BUF-JFK on July 5. They rebooked me the next night, but thankfully, I didn't take it because both July 6+7 flights [were] canceled. I ended up driving."

"Now this morning my 7 am JFK-SAN flight was canceled (apparently after I went to bed last night), which was a rude awakening at 5 a.m. Now I'm scrambling to Newark [hoping] some flights from there will get me to LAX...and then train down since the earliest flight I could get from JB was Thursday. They've never done me this dirty," they added.

Local reports say the storms should taper down from west to east between 10 p.m. and midnight. However, a flood watch is currently in place and is expected to run until Wednesday at 2 a.m.

Those flying in or out of the East Coast this week will need to continue to monitor the FAA ground stop. Travelers should remember to keep a close eye on the weather and look for updates from their airline.