Our Take: FAA Grounds Departures Nationwide; Airline Shares Slip After Hours

By Tech & Money Press · Our Take on Friday’s FAA nationwide ground stop and the move in airline shares · November 13, 2026

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon, pausing departures at U.S. airports after what the agency described as a temporary telecommunications outage. Airline shares, already slightly lower at the regular close, slipped further after the news arrived near the close and into after-hours trading, per Webull. As of about 8:36 p.m. Eastern on Friday, the ground stop had not been lifted.

What the FAA ordered

An FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center advisory, issued at 20:54 UTC (3:54 p.m. Eastern), said all airports were ground-stopped “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Departing traffic was to remain on the ground “until further notice,” and inbound international flights would be “managed on a case by case basis.” The advisory’s effective window ran from 3:54 p.m. Eastern Friday through 11:30 p.m. Eastern Friday, unless it was updated.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that the issue was “a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers” and that FAA technicians were investigating. There are 22 of those centers, which guide aircraft at high altitude between airports. The FAA, also posting on X, said there had been a “temporary telecommunications outage” and that, “out of an abundance of caution,” all flights had been halted. The agency said every flight had been accounted for.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters there was “no indication yet” that the outage “was a nefarious attack,” the Washington Post and ABC News reported. The Associated Press described Friday’s order as the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023.

Friday evening status

A later FAA command-center advisory, ATCSCC 120, signed at 22:46 UTC (5:46 p.m. Eastern), said the nationwide ground stop “remains in effect” and listed the reason as “communications failure.” “As enroute facilities recover, flights will be allowed to depart through coordination with the air traffic control system command center,” the advisory said. Its effective window still ran through 11:30 p.m. Eastern. ATCSCC 119, an operations-plan advisory around 6 p.m. Eastern, said traffic would be released “as conditions allow,” in a “tiered approach.” The FAA newsroom still said technicians were investigating and called the information “preliminary and subject to change.”

American Airlines, in a newsroom update at 6:38 p.m. Central (7:38 p.m. Eastern), said the stop “remains in place, though some flights from certain airports are beginning to receive clearance to depart. Most departures remain paused,” and it expected continued disruption, including cancellations. American issued a travel alert allowing free changes. United, in a statement reported by ABC 13 Houston, said new domestic flights would not depart while the stop remained in place, and that diversions were occurring at hubs. United and Delta both issued travel waivers, according to airline and ABC News accounts.

ABC News, citing airline and airport statements, said a limited number of flights were operating in Alaska and Hawaii and on some Pacific-bound routes, and that Boston Logan said some transatlantic departures were being permitted. Eurocontrol said U.S.-bound traffic from its member states had been suspended at the FAA’s request. FlightAware, as cited by ABC News at 6:04 p.m. Eastern, counted 1,913 canceled flights and 10,494 delayed flights nationwide. Those totals were still changing Friday evening.

Officials have not confirmed a more detailed root cause. CBS, as reported by the BBC, cited unnamed sources saying an update to a private air-traffic network operated by L3Harris caused it to reboot and crash. The BBC said L3Harris had not immediately commented. The FAA has not officially confirmed that account, so we treat it as unconfirmed.

How the shares traded

The regular session was nearly over when the advisory was issued, so the first clear price reaction showed up in the last minutes of trading and after hours.

United Airlines (UAL) closed at $109.31, down 1.7% from Thursday’s close of $111.25, on about 5.7 million shares, per Webull. The session range was $108.80 to $112.79. In the final 15-minute bar, which included the 3:54 p.m. advisory, United fell from an open of $111.02 to a close of $109.31, with a low of $108.80, on about 1.9 million shares — roughly a third of Friday’s volume. After hours, United last traded at $107.20, down 1.9% from the regular close, with an after-hours low of $106.45.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) closed at $86.25, down 0.3%, and last traded at $84.15 after hours, down 2.4% from the close, on about 5.3 million regular-session shares. American Airlines (AAL) closed at $13.17, down 1.1%, and last traded at $12.94 after hours, down 1.7%. Southwest (LUV) closed at $44.94, down 0.6%, and last traded at $44.37 after hours, down 1.3%. The U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) closed at $28.84, down 0.7%, and last traded at $28.41 after hours, down 1.5%. After-hours trading ended at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

What’s Next

The FAA advisory was still in effect as of Friday evening, with an effective window running through 11:30 p.m. Eastern “until further notice.” Some departures were being released as facilities recovered, but airlines were already warning of cancellations that could continue into Saturday.

On United’s Friday chart, $112.79 is the session high, $109.31 is the regular close, and $108.80 is the session low. After hours, the last print was $107.20. Those are reference points from the session, not trade signals. A more specific cause than the communications outage has not been confirmed by the FAA.

United Airlines (UAL) 15-minute chart for Friday’s regular session. The last bar includes the 3:54 p.m. ET FAA advisory. Data: Webull.

Disclaimer: This article is for news and educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Price levels are shown as reference points from past trading, not as recommendations to buy or sell. Tech & Money Press is not a registered investment advisor. Trading stocks involves risk, including the loss of your investment. Do your own research and consult a licensed professional before making any investment decisions. For news and education only. Not financial advice.

Sources: FAA ATCSCC advisory 111, Nov. 13, 2026 (effective 3:54 p.m.–11:30 p.m. ET). FAA ATCSCC advisory 120, signed 5:46 p.m. ET (remains in effect; reason: communications failure; effective through 11:30 p.m. ET). FAA ATCSCC advisory 119 operations plan (tiered release as conditions allow). FAA newsroom statement, Nov. 13, 2026 (preliminary; technicians investigating). Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA posts on X, as reported by AP, ABC News, Al Jazeera and the BBC. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin comments reported by the Washington Post, ABC News and the BBC. American Airlines newsroom update, 6:38 p.m. CT. United Airlines statement as reported by ABC 13 Houston and Click2Houston. Delta waiver and limited-route exceptions as reported by ABC News. Eurocontrol, as reported by the BBC. FlightAware counts as of 6:04 p.m. ET, cited by ABC News. CBS sourcing on a possible network update, as reported by the BBC (unconfirmed by the FAA). Price and volume data from Webull snapshots and 15-minute bars as of the 8:00 p.m. ET after-hours close, Nov. 13, 2026.