FAA Ground Stop Strands Texas Longhorns in Austin

A nationwide FAA ground stop Friday forced the Texas Longhorns off their charter flight before a Saturday game against LSU.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Air Travel

FAA Ground Stop Strands Texas Longhorns in Austin

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The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon at 3:54 p.m. ET, citing safety concerns and extraordinary circumstances, after communication problems disrupted air traffic control centers across the country. Departing planes remain on the ground until further notice, forcing the Texas Longhorns off their charter flight in Austin.

Why it matters

The ground stop disrupted both the team's travel and an ESPN broadcast crew, including sideline reporter Holly Rowe, ahead of a Saturday matchup in Baton Rouge. It is the FAA's first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, underscoring how quickly air traffic control failures can ripple across the country.

The ground stop took effect at 3:54 p.m. ET Friday, and the Austin to Baton Rouge flight that normally takes about 90 minutes was replaced by an estimated 6-hour, 29-minute drive along Interstate 10. The FAA has not said when departing planes will be cleared to resume.

The players

Federal Aviation Administration

The FAA is the U.S. federal agency responsible for regulating and overseeing civil aviation, including air traffic control operations nationwide.

Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are the football team representing the University of Texas at Austin, competing in the Southeastern Conference.

Holly Rowe

Holly Rowe is a sideline reporter for ESPN who covers college football and other sports for the network.

The details

The FAA cited safety concerns and extraordinary circumstances in ordering the nationwide ground stop, halting departing planes until further notice. Texas Longhorns players and staff were forced off their charter flight in Austin and returned to campus, while ESPN's broadcast crew was caught in the same disruption; Holly Rowe shared a map of the driving route on X.

January 2023: The FAA's previous nationwide ground stop.
Friday, 3:54 p.m. ET: The FAA ordered the current nationwide ground stop.
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CT: Texas and LSU are scheduled to meet on ABC in Baton Rouge.

Seasonal Patterns

This marks the FAA's first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, the earlier of the two events that the agency has used as its recent precedents for halting all departures at once. The repetition points to air traffic control communication failures as a recurring vulnerability rather than a one-off disruption.

Travelers with flights scheduled for the coming days should check with their airlines before heading to the airport, since the ground stop halts departures until further notice. Anyone booking a trip between Austin and Baton Rouge should compare the roughly 90-minute flight against the 6-hour, 29-minute drive before choosing a route.

The takeaway

Nationwide ground stops can strand teams, broadcast crews and ordinary passengers within hours, so travelers should build buffer time and monitor airline alerts when disruptions occur.