REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN)
Nationwide ground stop snarled Eastern Iowa Airport travel Friday
LOCAL NEWS WIRE • November 14, 2026
Travelers in Cedar Rapids rebooked flights, collected bags and rented cars as delays and cancellations piled up. The stop has since been lifted.
KEY FACTS & RECORD HIGHLIGHTS
- A nationwide ground stop disrupted travel at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Nov. 13.
- Within about an hour, the flight board went from a few delays to a mass of canceled or delayed flights.
- Lines formed as travelers made new bookings and collected baggage.
- Jenni Stephens was traveling to Washington, D.C., to visit family; Jim Rowcliffe was trying to get home to Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
- Some travelers chose to rent a car instead of waiting.
- The ground stop has since been lifted.
- The Eastern Iowa Airport said passengers need to communicate with their airlines.
A nationwide ground stop left travelers at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids making new plans Friday, according to KCRG. It took about an hour for the flight board to go from a few delays to a mass of canceled or delayed flights, and lines formed as people made new bookings and collected baggage. The ground stop paused plans Jenni Stephens made months ago to visit family in Washington, D.C. Other travelers chose to rent a car. Jim Rowcliffe had been working in Cedar Rapids for the last week and was trying to get home to Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Rowcliffe was on a plane when the pilot told passengers about the ground stop. The ground stop has since been lifted, and the airport said passengers need to communicate with their airlines.
Official Attribution: KCRG • Photo: Patrick Byrne / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Eastern Iowa Airport concourse)