The planes are moving again at Harry Reid International Airport. Plenty of flights are not.
A day after Friday's nationwide FAA ground stop, cancellations at Las Vegas's airport kept climbing on Saturday, Nov. 14. The count tells the story better than any line at the ticket counter.
The Numbers Kept Climbing All Morning
By 9:30 a.m. Saturday, FlightAware showed 144 cancellations and 126 delays at Harry Reid, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That was only the morning snapshot.
By 1 p.m., the split was bigger. KLAS 8 News Now reported 95 canceled outbound flights with 137 delays, plus 115 canceled inbound flights with 126 delays, all from FlightAware data.
Add the two directions together and Las Vegas had 210 canceled flights by early afternoon. Outbound flights ran about 13 percent canceled and 18 percent delayed, while inbound flights ran about 15 percent canceled and 17 percent delayed.
- 9:30 a.m.: 144 canceled, 126 delayed
- 1 p.m. outbound: 95 canceled, 137 delayed
- 1 p.m. inbound: 115 canceled, 126 delayed
Here is the part most travelers missed. By late morning, the FAA status page showed waits of 15 minutes or less for departures and arrivals at Harry Reid, with no destination-specific holds, FOX5 Las Vegas reported.
The airport itself was flowing. The problem was everything behind the flight: aircraft and crews left out of position by Friday's stop, and a national schedule that needed a reset.
Why Saturday Was the Reset Day
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Saturday morning that airlines expected between 4,000 and 5,000 of the 41,000 flights scheduled nationwide on Saturday to be canceled to help the schedule recover, the Associated Press reported. He said U.S. air travel should be back to normal by the end of Sunday, Nov. 15.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said operations were slowly returning to normal, and that travelers should expect more late flights and cancellations while airlines reposition aircraft and crews. Long lines at Harry Reid were especially noticeable at American Airlines on Saturday, KLAS reported.
Southwest, the largest carrier at Harry Reid, had more delays than any other airline across the nation on Friday. That was still the case into Saturday afternoon, according to KLAS.
The fallout reached the court, too. UNLV Athletics announced Saturday that Sunday's women's basketball game between UNLV and Montana State at The Pavilion has been canceled due to travel complications from the ground stop.
The game will be made up during the 2027-28 season. The Lady Rebels play again on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. against Rice at The Pavilion.
What To Do If You Are Flying This Weekend
Start with the address and the app. Harry Reid International Airport sits at 5757 Wayne Newton Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89119, and your airline's app is the fastest place to learn whether your specific flight survived the reset.
- Check your flight in the airline app before you check out or leave for the airport. A short FAA wait does not mean your flight is operating.
- Check every leg, not just the first one. A canceled inbound aircraft can take your outbound flight down with it.
- If your flight is canceled, ask your hotel about a late checkout or an extra night before you give up the room.
- Keep Sunday in view. The FAA expects normal schedules by the end of Sunday, so a Monday flight sits in a very different spot than a Saturday one.
Friday's stop lasted more than four hours and froze departures across the country. Saturday was the bill coming due, and Las Vegas paid it 210 canceled flights at a time.
