FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — November 3, 2026 — Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) had the most delays of any Florida airport on Monday, November 2, when thunderstorms triggered an FAA ground stop and a long traffic-management program. FlightAware data compiled by AirHelp show 389 delayed and 13 cancelled flights at FLL, with JetBlue hit hardest.
What happened
- Traffic-management program: in place from 12:57 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. Eastern on November 2, with departure delays averaging 107 minutes, according to AirHelp.
- Ground stop: 3:40 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Eastern.
- Easing later: a later FAA update showed average departure delays at FLL had dropped to 45 minutes from 135 minutes.
- Totals for the day: 389 delayed and 13 cancelled flights.
- Cause: thunderstorms over South Florida. The same weather caused a ground stop at Miami (MIA).
- November 3: no source reported delays continuing into Tuesday. Further storm disruption: TBA.
Airlines with the most delays at FLL
| Airline | Delayed flights |
|---|---|
| JetBlue | 140 (about 53% of its FLL operations) |
| Delta | 45 |
| Southwest | 44 |
Source: AirHelp, citing FlightAware.
What it means for non-revs
- JetBlue flights out of FLL may run full. With more than half of JetBlue’s FLL flights delayed on Monday, expect misconnected passengers to fill open seats over the next day or so. Check loads before you head to the airport.
- Afternoons are the risk window. The program ran from early afternoon into the evening. If storms are in the forecast, an earlier departure gives you more chances to roll to another flight.
- Leave a big buffer for connections. Average departure delays reached more than two hours at one point on Monday.
- Carry on to avoid being split from your bag during rebookings.
- Miami is not a clean alternative on stormy days. MIA had its own ground stop and 51 cancellations on the same afternoon.
Sources
- AirHelp — “Miami and Fort Lauderdale ground stops as 908 flights disrupted across Florida” (updated November 3, 2026) — airhelp.com
- RusTourismNews — “Miami and Fort Lauderdale Airports Hit by FAA Ground Stops as Thunderstorms Strike” (November 2, 2026) — rustourismnews.com
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