Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled at two Dallas, TX, area airports, Dallas-Fort Worth and Love Field, on September 19, with one major airline blaming the telecommunications provider.
“The FAA is managing air traffic delays in the region this afternoon. If you’re traveling, be sure to check your flight status and stay updated with your airline for the latest,” Dallas-Fort Worth airport confirmed on X.
A telecommunications outage caused some air traffic controllers in Dallas to “lose radar and some communications,” CNN reported.
The FAA Was Working With the Telephone Company to Determine the Outage Cause
“The FAA is slowing flights at Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to a reported local telephone company equipment issue,” the FAA said. “The FAA is working with the telephone company to determine the cause.” However, by 3:30 p.m. CT, some flights were resuming, according to CNN.
According to Flight Aware, arrival delays at Dallas-Fort Worth airport were:
- Averaging 1 hour and 21 minutes.
- Departure delays were averaging 1 hour and 38 minutes. However, the delay times for departures were decreasing.
- The site publishes a “Misery Map” that shows how other airports are affected, with Atlanta coming in second after Dallas-Fort Worth.
In all, FlightAware was reporting more than 4,200 delays and more than 270 cancellations on September 19 in the U.S. About 27 percent of flights at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport were delayed and 9 percent were cancelled, the site reported. At least 416 flights were either delayed or cancelled at the Dallas hub.
American Airlines Says the Problem Involved the ‘Telecommunications Provider’ for Air Traffic Control
American Airlines wrote on X, “The FAA reported an issue involving the telecommunications provider for the air traffic control facility that oversees the airspace in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As a result, the FAA has severely limited flights into both DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field, which is affecting our operation.”
“As the FAA and its provider work to resolve the issue, American has issued a travel alert allowing customers whose travel plans are affected to rebook without change fees.”
The FAA is managing air traffic delays in the region this afternoon. If you’re traveling, be sure to check your flight status and stay updated with your airline for the latest. pic.twitter.com/LNDNJ3eibn
— DFW Airport (@DFWAirport) September 19, 2025
American has a page with additional details for travelers.
