Is there a ground stop at SNA today?
No ground stop at SNA right now (as of 5:54 PM PST, Nov 6), but the FAA lists an airport closure. In the last 12 months the FAA issued 4 ground stops and 1 ground delay program for SNA, most often for special events, holding flights on 4 days.
Live FAA delay status for John Wayne Orange County International Airport (KSNA, Santa Ana, CA): ground stops, ground delay programs and delays right now, what the FAA has listed for SNA recently, and how often flights here actually run late.
No ground stop at SNA right now, but the FAA is reporting an airport closure event.
Details are in the FAA delay status card below. Checked Nov 7, 2026 · 0154Z (5:54 PM PST); this page refreshes about every two minutes.
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FAA Delay Status
FAA NAS Status for KSNA
FAA NAS Status is reporting an airport closure event for John Wayne Orange County International Airport (KSNA).
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · 0507Z (9:07 PM PST) · Source: FAA NAS Status
View all FAA delays → FAA status ↗
Verify with official FAA sources before operational decisions.
How long SNA delays usually last
Every FAA ground stop and ground delay program for SNA from Nov 6, 2025 to Nov 5, 2026, rebuilt from the FAA Command Center's own advisories.
Ground delay programs
1Ground stops
4Flights to SNA were held by at least one FAA program on 4 days in the last year.
What triggered them
SNA ground stops and delay programs by month
| Month | Ground stops | Delay programs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| October 2026 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| November 2026 to dateplus Nov 6-30, 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The busiest month was October, with 2 ground stops and delay programs combined.
Source: FAA ATCSCC advisory database (fly.faa.gov), every ground stop and ground delay program advisory the FAA Command Center issued for SNA, rebuilt daily by ATIS Alerts.
Best time of day to fly out of SNA
Airline departures scheduled before 9 AM left on time 92% of the time, against 72% for those scheduled 6 to 9 PM. By weekday, Saturday was the most reliable (84%) and Sunday the least (76%). BTS on-time data, June 2025 to May 2026; on time = within 15 minutes.
Recent FAA events at SNA
Ground stops and delay programs the FAA has listed for SNA in the last 90 days, from ATIS Alerts' own log of FAA NAS Status.
- Airport ClosureNov 3, 2026 · 0730Z (11:30 PM PST)in effect
- Airport ClosureOct 27, 2026 · 0630Z (11:30 PM PDT)lasted 85h 11m
- Airport ClosureOct 20, 2026 · 0630Z (11:30 PM PDT)lasted 23h 21m
- Departure DelaysOct 18, 2026 · 1930Z (12:30 PM PDT)lasted 1h 50m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 60 min
- Departure DelaysOct 16, 2026 · 1825Z (11:25 AM PDT)lasted 2h 10m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 16, 2026 · 1725Z (10:25 AM PDT)lasted 20 min · wx:wind · avg delay 15 min
- Airport ClosureOct 13, 2026 · 0630Z (11:30 PM PDT)lasted 102h 45m
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 4, 2026 · 1730Z (10:30 AM PDT)lasted 5h 6m · air show · avg delay 33 min
- Ground StopOct 4, 2026 · 1645Z (9:45 AM PDT)lasted 56 min · air show
- Airport ClosureSep 30, 2026 · 0630Z (11:30 PM PDT)lasted 14h 36m
- Airport ClosureSep 22, 2026 · 0631Z (11:31 PM PDT)lasted 6h 44m · !sna 09/034 sna ad ap clsd 2609220630-2609221315
- Departure DelaysAug 23, 2026 · 2038Z (1:38 PM PDT)lasted 3h 8m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 38 min
- Ground StopAug 9, 2026 · 1943Z (12:43 PM PDT)lasted 22 min · airport volume
Durations are the time the FAA kept the event listed. Log complete from 2026-09-22; older rows are the last event of each type seen by the ATIS Alerts bot since 2026-07-22.
Travel options · partner links
Travel disrupted?
Long delay at SNA? Options near John Wayne Orange County International Airport if your trip is disrupted.
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Smart flight search
Rebooking? Nearby airports right now
Airline airports near SNA with their live FAA status and 12-month departure on-time record. Pick one to rank its most reliable flights to your destination.
- Rank flights from LGB →
LGB · Long Beach · 19 mi
No FAA delays now83% of departures on time (12 months)
- Rank flights from ONT →
ONT · Ontario · 30 mi
No FAA delays now81% of departures on time (12 months)
- Rank flights from LAX →
LAX · Los Angeles · 36 mi
No FAA delays now80% of departures on time (12 months)
- Rank flights from BUR →
BUR · Burbank · 46 mi
No FAA delays now81% of departures on time (12 months)
Flight compensation · partner link
Flight delayed 3+ hours or cancelled?
If today's disruption at SNA wrecked your trip, you may be owed up to $650 per passenger. That applies when the flight departed from Europe, or flew into Europe on a European airline, within the last few years. Most US domestic delays do not qualify.
AirHelp checks eligibility for free and only takes a fee if your claim succeeds.
Check my flight with AirHelpATIS Alerts may earn a commission if you file a claim, at no additional cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
How often is SNA delayed?
Airline on-time performance at SNA, Jun 2025 to May 2026, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
45,365 scheduled airline arrivals and 45,364 departures in the period. Best month: Jan 2026 (85.8% on time); worst: Jul 2025 (77.3%). 22% of arrival delay minutes were charged to weather or the National Airspace System, the categories a ground stop or ground delay program falls under.
On-time arrivals by month
Bar = share of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule; largest month had 4,001 arrivals.
What caused the delays
- 39%Airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling)
- 39%Late-arriving aircraft
- 17%National Airspace System (ATC, volume, non-extreme weather)
- 4%Extreme weather
- 0%Security
Shares of delay minutes on arrivals 15+ minutes late, as reported by the carriers to the DOT.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline On-Time Performance (reporting carriers; regional, cargo, and general aviation flights are not included). Published about two months after each month ends.
Weather at KSNA right now
Weather drives most ground stops: thunderstorms, low ceilings, wind and snow.
METAR KSNA 070153Z 27004KT 10SM FEW200 23/12 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP147 T02330122
What a ground stop at SNA means
When the FAA issues a ground stop for John Wayne Orange County Intl, aircraft headed there are held at their departure airports until it lifts; flights already airborne continue, hold, or divert. It is the FAA's most severe traffic-management step short of closing the airport, and it is usually issued in 30 to 90 minute increments that get extended while the cause persists, then often converted into a ground delay program as conditions improve.
Passengers:your aircraft is probably sitting at its origin; the airline's "delayed" status usually resolves in waves after the stop lifts. Pilots: a stop at SNA ripples into the satellite airports and the whole TRACON; check the national board for programs at your alternate.
Terminology: ground stops explained · GDPs and EDCTs explained
Active FAA events nearby
Other airports in California with a delay event right now.
SNA ground stop FAQ
Is there a ground stop at SNA today?
No ground stop at SNA right now (as of 5:54 PM PST, Nov 6), but the FAA lists an airport closure. This page rechecks the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes.
How do I know if SNA has a ground stop right now?
The banner at the top of this page reads the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes. A red banner means the FAA currently lists a ground stop for John Wayne Orange County Intl; green means it does not. The official source is nasstatus.faa.gov.
How many ground stops has SNA had in the last year?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 4 ground stops and 1 ground delay program for SNA, most often for special events, holding flights on 4 days. Source: the FAA Command Center's advisory database (fly.faa.gov).
How long do ground stops at SNA last?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 4 ground stops for SNA. The typical one lasted 1 h 4 min, and the middle half ran 54 min to 1 h 12 min. Nationally, most stops run 30 to 90 minutes per issuance, but a stalled line of storms can keep one extended for hours.
Does a ground stop mean my flight is cancelled?
No. It means departures to SNA are held, not cancelled. Airlines cancel on their own when the backlog cannot be recovered, so watch your carrier's updates alongside this page.
⚠️ Informational only. FAA NAS Status is the authoritative source for delay programs; your airline or dispatch governs your flight. ATIS Alerts is not affiliated with the FAA.