Thunderstorms Trigger Ground Delays at Boston Logan, Snarling East Coast Flights

What This Means

Delays at Logan rarely stay contained to Boston, and today the inbound pipeline is in severe distress. Roughly 51% of all scheduled incoming traffic is tied to eight major feeder airports that are already backed up:

• Newark (EWR): Ground stop (supplying 4% of Logan's traffic)
• New York LaGuardia (LGA): Ground delays (8% of traffic)
• Washington Reagan (DCA): Departure delays (10% of traffic)
• Chicago O'Hare (ORD): Departure delays (8% of traffic)
• New York JFK (JFK): Departure delays (6% of traffic)
• Philadelphia (PHL): Departure delays (5% of traffic)
• Baltimore (BWI): Departure delays (4% of traffic)
• Miami (MIA): Departure delays (4% of traffic)

What To Do

• Track your physical aircraft, not your departure time. Airline apps often show an on-time departure until the last possible minute. Tap "Where is my plane coming from?" in your airline's app. If that inbound aircraft is originating at DCA, ORD, LGA, or EWR, your flight is delayed regardless of what the departure board says.
• Protect your connection right now. If you are connecting through Logan to an international flight or a final leg tonight, check your buffer. If your connection window is under an hour, message an airline agent or visit a customer service desk immediately to discuss alternate routings before seats fill up.
• Hold off on heading to Logan early. If your inbound plane is stuck on the tarmac in Washington or New York, your outbound flight will not leave on time.

Outlook

Do not expect a fast recovery. With more than half of Boston's inbound pipeline clogged and Newark under a ground stop, air traffic controllers face a massive queue of deferred arrivals. Even if local storm cells dissipate, clearing the backlog of diverted and held aircraft will push rolling delays deep into the evening rush.