Miami and Fort Lauderdale ground stops as 908 flights disrupted across Florida

Disruption overview

Travelers across Florida faced 908 delayed or canceled flights on 2 November 2026, with disruption affecting Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, Melbourne Orlando International Airport, and Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. Thunderstorms prompted ground stops at Miami and Fort Lauderdale, while Melbourne was listed as closed and Fort Myers faced increasing departure delays. JetBlue had 140 delayed flights at Fort Lauderdale, and American Airlines accounted for 40 cancellations at Miami. Compensation is unlikely for these weather-related U.S. domestic disruptions, but if you're affected, you can still ask your airline about refunds, rebooking, and available care and assistance.

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Disruption details

Thunderstorms triggered ground stops at Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport on Monday, 2 November 2026, as 908 flights were delayed or canceled across 4 Florida airports. Melbourne Orlando International Airport was also listed as closed, while Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers faced growing departure delays.

For passengers, this meant longer waits, canceled journeys, and flights held at their departure airports before they could head to Florida. If you're traveling through one of these airports, check your flight's status with your airline before setting off.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) listed Miami's thunderstorm-related ground stop from 3:11 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern time. A ground stop keeps flights bound for an affected airport at their departure airports until the restriction is lifted.

Fort Lauderdale's ground stop was listed from 3:40 pm to 5:15 pm Eastern time. The airport also had a separate program to manage incoming traffic from 12:57 pm to 8:59 pm, with flights heading there facing average departure delays of 107 minutes.

A later FAA update showed departure delays at Fort Lauderdale averaging 45 minutes and decreasing, down from 135 minutes. That improvement followed an afternoon in which the airport recorded the highest number of disrupted flights among the 4 affected airports.

FlightAware figures showed the following delays and cancellations:

• Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) recorded 389 delayed flights and 13 cancellations.

• Miami International Airport (MIA) recorded 333 delayed flights and 51 cancellations.

• Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) recorded 108 delayed flights and 1 cancellation.

• Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) recorded 4 delayed flights and 9 cancellations.

JetBlue was particularly affected at Fort Lauderdale, with 140 flights to or from the airport delayed. That represented about 53% of its operations there. Delta Air Lines had 45 delayed flights at the airport, while Southwest Airlines had 44.

At Miami, American Airlines accounted for 40 of the airport's 51 cancellations and recorded another 217 delayed flights. Its regional partner, Envoy Air, had 9 cancellations and 39 delays.

Melbourne Orlando International Airport was listed as closed from 12:42 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern time. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines both serve the airport.

In Fort Myers, thunderstorm-related departure delays at Southwest Florida International Airport averaged 60 minutes and were increasing. Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines are among the airport's busiest carriers.

The ground stops and traffic restrictions at Miami and Fort Lauderdale were weather-related measures. For travelers heading to those airports, the disruption could therefore begin before their flight had even left its starting point, rather than only after arriving in Florida.

Compensation is unlikely for these U.S. domestic disruptions because thunderstorms are outside the airlines' control, and EU and UK passenger compensation rules don't cover these flights.

That doesn't mean you're without options. If your flight was canceled, ask your airline about rebooking or a refund if you no longer want to travel. If you're facing a long wait, ask what care and assistance are available for your situation, including meals or overnight accommodation. AirHelp's free flight checker can also help you understand whether compensation could apply to your particular journey.

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Information on this page is AI generated, but always checked by a (human) passenger right expert.