An outage in Dallas is affecting flights out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where most flights are operated by two airlines headquartered in Dallas airports.
Around 1 p.m. Sept. 19, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights to and from Dallas because of equipment issues at the Dallas Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility.
A ground stop was in effect for American Airlines flights at the airline’s home airport of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through 8 p.m. and for all flights at Dallas Love Field Airport through 5:45 p.m., according to the FAA. There is also a ground delay in effect for Dallas Love Field, where Southwest Airlines is headquartered, through 6:59 p.m.
What is causing flight delays?
An equipment outage at the Dallas TRACON facility is delaying flights out of Dallas airports. A TRACON, short for Terminal Radar Approach Control, is a type of air traffic control facility where controllers use radar and communication systems to guide aircraft as they approach and depart airports, according to the FAA.
Flights were delayed by an average of 68 minutes at Dallas-Fort Worth and an average of 28 minutes at Dallas Love Field because of the ground delays, according to the FAA.
How many flights were delayed at Phoenix Sky Harbor?
Sky Harbor, where about 70% of flight capacity comes from American and Southwest flights, had 212 delayed flights and eight canceled flights just before 5 p.m. Friday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
All eight canceled flights were American Airlines flights traveling between Phoenix and Dallas.
What does a ground stop mean when flying?
The FAA can order a ground stop when it’s not safe for flights to take off or land at an airport.
It can also order a ground delay, which is when flights destined for an airport experiencing adverse conditions must delay their takeoffs, according to the FAA.
The FAA can order a ground delay or ground stop, but it does not cancel flights.
What to know if you’re traveling to Dallas
Both American and Southwest are allowing passengers whose Dallas travels were affected to change their itineraries without paying fare differences, as long as they maintain the original city pairs and rebook in the same cabin. American passengers must fly between Sept. 19 and 21; Southwest passengers must fly within 14 days of the original date of travel.
American Airlines flight status: How to track if your plane is on time
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why Phoenix Sky Harbor flights are delayed, canceled