Bay Area Travel Disrupted: SFO Flights Grounded by Weather Woes

Disruptive meteorological conditions are affecting airports in California right as holiday travel commences, and the Bay Area’s biggest airport is already experiencing delays.

In the early hours of Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay for San Francisco International Airport owing to low-hanging clouds that are creating challenges for departures and arrivals. The FAA indicated that the typical delay time is 54 minutes.

The FAA communicated on social media that weather would affect airports throughout California, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Diego International.

At SFO, over 100 flights have been delayed thus far on Monday, as per FlightAware. United Airlines, being the airport’s largest operator, is the hardest hit with 28 delays reported as of 9:30 a.m. and one flight canceled.

The National Weather Service has forecasted a “series of storm systems” anticipated to inundate the Bay Area with wind, rain, and potentially thunder as Christmas Day approaches.

Individuals who are flying out of SFO or picking up someone at the airport should verify the flight status through the airline to check for any delays. During peak holiday travel, SFO recommends passengers arrive at the airport two hours ahead of their flight to adequately prepare and “mitigate stress and congestion.”