FAA lifts ground stop, but Air Canada travellers face delays

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide ground stop around 8:15 p.m. ET (6:15 p.m. MT) Friday, but Canadian airports and Air Canada warned travellers that cancellations and delays on U.S. routes would carry into Saturday, Nov. 14.

The FAA ordered the stop at about 4 p.m. ET (2 p.m. MT), citing communications problems at the air traffic control centres that guide planes between U.S. airports, The Canadian Press reported. The Associated Press put the lift at around 8:15 p.m. ET. Our earlier story on the order is here.

Air Canada said late Friday it was cancelling the rest of its flights to and from the United States for the day, CTV News reported. Air Canada spokesperson Yasmine Mehdi said flights between Canada and the Caribbean and South America could also be affected, CP24 reported, because many of those routes cross U.S. airspace.

The airline changed its ticket policy to allow free flight changes, space permitting, for trips affected by air traffic control restrictions on Nov. 13 and 14 at Halifax, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John’s, Toronto and Calgary, Vancouver Is Awesome reported. Customers can make the change by retrieving their booking.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport said Air Canada and Porter Airlines cancelled all remaining Friday flights to and from the U.S., according to CP24. As of Friday evening, WestJet had not posted a rebooking policy for the disruption on its website, Vancouver Is Awesome reported.

At Toronto Pearson, spokesperson Erica Vella told CP24 more than 100 U.S. flights had been cancelled, along with about 20 other international flights. She said the airport would be in “recovery mode” on Saturday as airlines rebuild schedules. Pearson said U.S. flights would keep seeing disruptions even after the order was lifted.

Montreal-Trudeau cancelled 40 flights Friday, 24 departures and 16 arrivals, airport spokesperson Eric Forest told CTV News, and warned some flights could still be affected Saturday. The Calgary Airport Authority said all Friday flights from YYC to the lower 48 states were cancelled and some delays were still possible on other routes, The Canadian Press reported. The Vancouver Airport Authority said it expected more cancellations and delays, especially on flights to the continental U.S. and Mexico.

Some Canadians were stuck abroad. One traveller told CTV News Channel her WestJet flight from Barbados to Toronto was cancelled while the plane was on the runway, CP24 reported. At Pearson, Kelly Adenike, who was trying to reach Punta Cana, told The Canadian Press, “This really sucks.”

In a post on X, the FAA said it halted flights “out of an abundance of caution” because of a “temporary telecommunications outage,” CP24 reported. U.S. officials later said new technology being added to the air traffic control system overloaded older equipment and caused gaps in communications and radar, The Associated Press reported. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was no sign of a cyberattack. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said more outages could occur.

The effects continued Saturday. More than 2,500 flights were cancelled in the U.S. on Saturday, according to FlightAware data cited by the AP. NAV Canada said its own systems worked normally throughout but warned that “some delays may continue” while backlogs clear.

Travellers should check their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport, as Pearson, Calgary and NAV Canada have all advised. Under the Canadian Transportation Agency’s air passenger protection rules, compensation for inconvenience applies only when a delay or cancellation is within the airline’s control and not required for safety. For disruptions outside an airline’s control, large airlines such as Air Canada, WestJet and Porter must still rebook passengers free of charge, and refunds may apply. Passengers who disagree with an airline’s decision can complain to the CTA after first writing to the airline and giving it 30 days to reply.

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