Friday’s nationwide halt on take-offs, 13 November 2026, threw NBA, NHL and college-football trips into disorder ahead of the weekend’s games. The AP, as carried by ESPN, writes that officials cited “extraordinary circumstances” caused by communications problems at regional air-traffic centres. Some teams looked for hotel rooms, others rebooked flights, leagues moved start times, and a few chartered buses rather than wait. The stop lasted more than four hours and was lifted on Friday evening.

Most college teams that play on Saturday leave on Friday. Among those stuck as they set off were No. 2 Utah, heading to No. 22 Arizona; No. 8 Texas, heading to No. 24 LSU; and No. 9 Tennessee, heading to Texas A&M. Texas and Tennessee went back to campus while the stop was in force. After it was lifted they restarted their flight plans and landed late on Friday night.

Auburn was supposed to fly to Tupelo, Mississippi, for its game at Mississippi State, but could not take off, AL.com writes, citing a source. The team took a bus from the airport in Columbus, Georgia, to Tupelo, a drive of about four hours and 49 minutes. Of Alabama’s six FBS programmes, only Auburn was hit: Alabama had already planned, before the season, to bus to Nashville for Vanderbilt. ESPN writes that the SEC moved Saturday’s kickoff from noon to 4:15 p.m. Eastern.

Ole Miss said it would not travel on Friday night to Oklahoma and was still weighing options for Saturday. Purdue boarded buses in West Lafayette, Indiana, for its game at No. 15 Iowa.

In the NBA, the Brooklyn Nets were among five teams due to fly on Friday for Saturday games. They had just boarded in New Orleans, after playing the Pelicans, when the flight to Memphis was stopped in place. Around 6:40 p.m. Eastern, The Athletic, quoted by USA Today, wrote that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies were playing on Friday night and had flights straight afterwards; Memphis’s opponent, Brooklyn, was stuck, and the Dallas Mavericks were already in Cleveland, having left before the stop. A league spokesperson said the NBA would not comment on possible Saturday cancellations until it knew more. These reports do not confirm that any game was called off.

In the NFL, at that same hour, a league spokesperson told the New York Post, via USA Today, that it was too early and that the league would speak “at the appropriate time, if necessary.” ESPN notes later that teams playing on Sunday usually travel on Saturday and were expected to fly as planned.

In the NHL, USA Today wrote at 6:40 p.m. that no postponement had been announced, though 14 games were set for Saturday, and that the San Jose Sharks were among the teams reported grounded. That was the picture during the stop, not an outcome after it was lifted.

Image: Wikimedia Commons — a night game at Princeton Stadium (Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY 4.0). The photo is not from this weekend’s games.

Sources consulted: The FAA stop disrupts NBA, NHL and college football travel — AP; College teams stranded by the FAA stop — ESPN; Auburn changes its trip to Mississippi State — AL.com; How the stop was hitting sports at 6:40 p.m. — USA Today.