The FAA lifted a ground stop at DFW International Airport Monday night and downgraded it to a ground delay after thunderstorms halted departures for the second consecutive day.
By 9:40 p.m. Monday, DFW Airport still had nearly 900 delays and more than 70 cancellations, a sign that the move from a stop to a delay did not restore normal operations. The FAA said departures to DFW were still running more than three hours behind on average.
That is why the disruption was drawing attention late Monday: the airport remained open to flights, but the backlog was still large enough to keep schedules under strain. On Sunday, DFW Airport had already logged more than 900 delays, showing that the weather problem had not cleared by the time Monday evening arrived.
The thunderstorms that triggered the restriction also came during a rough day for air travel beyond North Texas. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines combined for more than 2,000 delays across the U.S. on Monday, along with more than 100 flight cancellations nationwide, adding pressure to passengers already dealing with the DFW slowdown.
American Airlines operates its central hub at DFW, and that makes the airport's recovery especially important for travelers trying to move through one of the busiest airline networks in the country. The lingering ground delay means the biggest unanswered question is not whether the airport was reopened, but how long it will take for departures to catch back up after a second straight day of disruption.
