In a similar situation to what happened last week at SAN, the FAA is warning people traveling on Friday to expect delays at the airport
While the FAA said last week, when 350-plus flights were delayed, that the situation was due to “runway construction” — an alert mirrored again on Friday — SAN spokeswoman Nicole Hall said at that time that the delays were due to weather and “taxiway” construction. Hall said last week that aircraft had reversed their normal landing and take-off directions and that caused the planes to have to taxi longer than they normally would because of construction. (NBC 7 has a call in to Hall for details but has yet to hear back.)
FlightAware said at 10:30 a.m. on Friday that 46 flights had been delayed, but, by 10 p.m., that figure had grown to 132.
In the morning, the FAA said that the average length of delay was 50 minutes, with the maximum delay reaching 80 minutes. The good news, of course, is that the planes ARE taking off, just later than scheduled.
Initially, the ground delay did not appear to be affecting all flights: The FAA said “Delay assigned to departures within 1,000 nautical miles,” so longer routes had, for a time, eluded the delays. A short time later, though, the FAA changed the advisory to “FLT INCL: ALL CONTIGUOUS US DEP,” so all passengers are being affected and, with such a busy runway — SAN only has the one — it’s very possible the situation will create a domino effect, delaying all subsequent departures throughout the day.
All airlines and all passengers at both terminals were affected. Passengers were being urged to check their flight status before they leave home.
Allison Craig is a passionate sports writer and analyst with a deep love for game strategies, player performances, and the latest trends in the sports world. With years of experience covering football, basketball, tennis, and more, she delivers insightful analysis and engaging content for sports enthusiasts.
No responses yet