FAA Ground Stop Strands College Football Teams on Eve of Saturday Games, Texas and Tennessee Seek Alternative Travel
The FAA ground stop issued on Friday afternoon has stranded college football teams scheduled to play on Saturday. Flights were temporarily halted at airports across the United States after a serious fault hit the internal communications systems of air traffic control centres.
It is the second nationwide ground stop since 9/11. Travel could be disrupted over the next few days as passengers wait for the FAA to allow flights to resume ahead of a busy travel weekend.
According to multiple sources, schools currently looking for alternative travel include Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Washington, Minnesota, Baylor, Tulane, Auburn, Arizona State, Oregon State and others. USC, by contrast, had already taken off for Bloomington for a showdown with Indiana and was in the air.
Texas was scheduled to depart Austin and had already boarded its plane for Baton Rouge ahead of Saturday's showdown against LSU, but the FAA issued the ground stop before the team had taken off for Louisiana.
Tennessee's Vols were scheduled to depart McGee Tyson Airport in Knoxville at 4 p.m. ET, but the FAA notice meant the team was not able to get into the air. How they will get to College Station was still to be determined, with the situation described as fluid.
No. 2 Utah was also grounded. The Utes were held in Salt Lake City before they were scheduled to take off for their matchup with Arizona on Saturday night.
Other schools were luckier and had already departed for their road-game destinations. Some also had the option of taking buses, as Alabama did in travelling to Nashville for its game against Vanderbilt. The same could apply to Auburn, scheduled to play Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville.
Schools typically travel on Friday afternoons for Saturday games, holding a walkthrough at their own facility before heading straight to the airport. Most schools have security checkpoints set up at their facilities, so the team can get off the bus and board its plane directly.
