Steelers' Trip To Cincinnati Hit With Huge Complication From FAA Ground Stop

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the bye week getting healthy for the biggest game of their season. Now they have a problem that has nothing to do with football. The FAA ordered a rare nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon, halting departing flights across the country less than a day before the Steelers were scheduled to fly to Cincinnati. The team says it is keeping an eye on the situation ahead of Sunday night's first-place showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The ground stop came without much warning. The FAA's advisory cited extraordinary circumstances and safety, and the agency later explained what happened in a post on X.

"There has been a temporary telecommunications outage – out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis," the FAA said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the communication issue affected the country's Air Route Traffic Control Centers and that FAA technicians were investigating, according to CBS News. The White House said there was no indication of a nefarious act.

WPXI's Shelby Cassesse checked in with the team shortly after the news broke. Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten told her the team is monitoring the situation.

Steelers Have A Simple Backup Plan If Flights Stay Grounded

The good news for Pittsburgh is geography. Cincinnati is one of the shortest road trips on the schedule. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio listed the trip at about 290 miles, and he noted that this is only the second nationwide ground stop since 9/11. If the planes stay on the ground, the Steelers can load up buses on Saturday and still arrive at their hotel with plenty of time before an 8:20 p.m. kickoff on Sunday.

That does not mean a bus ride would be ideal. A drive of four and a half hours would eat into a Saturday that is normally built around meetings, a walkthrough and rest. Head Coach Mike McCarthy has spent two weeks preparing his team for this game, and a change in travel plans is the kind of disruption coaches try to avoid. For a 42-year-old quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, a long ride the day before a night game is not the most comfortable way to get ready either.

Still, the Steelers are in a much better spot than many teams. The Associated Press reported that the ground stop threw the sports weekend into chaos, with most of the NFL's Week 10 schedule left in limbo and no timeline from the FAA on when flights would fully resume. Florio pointed out that the San Francisco 49ers planned to fly to Dallas on Saturday, and the Los Angeles Chargers face a long trip to Baltimore for Monday night. Those teams cannot simply drive if the problem drags on.

There were signs of progress Friday evening. ABC News reported that the FAA was allowing some flights to depart as its en route facilities recovered, even though the ground stop technically remained in effect. By early evening, FlightAware showed more than 1,900 cancellations and more than 10,000 delays nationwide, and that number was expected to climb overnight.

Fans could feel it, too. Plenty of Steelers fans planned to fly to Cincinnati for the white-out at Paycor Stadium, and airlines have started offering waivers. Delta is waiving change fees for travel on Friday and Saturday, and United is waiving change fees and fare differences for rebooked trips. For fans in Pittsburgh, the drive down Interstate 70 and Interstate 71 might be the safer bet this weekend.

The Bengals, of course, do not have to go anywhere. Cincinnati has scored at least 31 points in each of its last four games, and Joe Burrow is playing at an MVP level. The Steelers won the first meeting 30-27 in Week 3, and SteelerNation has looked at the rematch TJ Watt faces against Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims and the players Cincinnati could get back from injured reserve for this one.

Both teams are 6-2, and the winner will take sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Pittsburgh is coming off a bye and is riding a four-game winning streak. Whether the Steelers arrive by plane or by bus, they will be expected to be ready on Sunday night.

This story was produced with the help of AI and reviewed by SteelerNation editors.

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