PHX Update: Wind Keeps Sky Harbor Delays Going on Sunday

PHOENIX, October 12, 2026 — Update to our October 11 story. Wind kept delays going at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) on Sunday, a day after storms tied to Tropical Storm Rachel forced a ground stop. The FAA ran a ground delay program for wind, and flight-tracking counts showed hundreds of delays by mid-afternoon.

What happened Sunday

Ground delay program: the FAA’s airport status feed, updated at about 1 p.m. Phoenix time on Sunday, October 11, showed a ground delay program at PHX for wind. Delays averaged 1 hour 23 minutes, with a longest delay of 3 hours 31 minutes.
Delays and cancellations: PHX had 425 delays and 23 cancellations as of 2:39 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, according to flight-tracking figures reported by Travel And Tour World. Only Charlotte had more delays among the airports in that report.
Saturday recap: as we reported on October 11, a thunderstorm ground stop on Saturday afternoon became a ground delay program that averaged close to three hours.

Monday

FAA delay programs for Monday, October 12: TBA.
Airline waivers for Phoenix: none found in the sources we opened. Check your airline’s alert page.

What it means for travelers

Two bad days add up. Passengers from Saturday’s and Sunday’s cancelled flights are being rebooked onto Monday flights. Expect fewer open seats.
Check your flight status close to departure. Flights are filling with rebooked passengers.
Allow long connections. With delays averaging over an hour on Sunday, a tight connection through PHX is risky until operations settle.
Carry on your bag. Rebookings raise the chance of a bag being separated from you.

Sources

FAA — National Airspace System Status, airport status information — nasstatus.faa.gov
Travel And Tour World — “US Airports Face Travel Disruptions As Las Vegas, Phoenix, And Others Record 225 Flight Cancellations And 4,182 Delays” — travelandtourworld.com