On a Friday afternoon in November, a federal pause on departing flights held a college football team on the ground in Las Vegas and rippled outward across the country, touching dozens of programs that had to bus or reroute their way to Saturday's games. The pause was born of a communication failure that reached every air traffic control center at once, and it lifted after more than four hours, leaving the Rebels to chase the calendar into the night. What remains is the familiar human arithmetic of travel: a team that will land late, a stadium that expects a sellout, and officials who were most
UNLV Football Resumes Flight to Albuquerque After FAA Ground Stop; Lobos Game Still Set
Not even a historic ground stop could stop the Lobos from playing Saturday.
On a Friday afternoon in November, a federal pause on departing flights held a college football team on the ground in Las Vegas and rippled outward across the country, touching dozens of programs that had to bus or reroute their way to Saturday's games. The pause was born of a communication failure that reached every air traffic control center at once, and it lifted after more than four hours, leaving the Rebels to chase the calendar into the night. What remains is the familiar human arithmetic of travel: a team that will land late, a stadium that expects a sellout, and officials who were mostly already in place, so that the game itself still stands on schedule.
The UNLV football team was meant to leave Las Vegas on Friday afternoon, bound for Albuquerque and Saturday's game against No. 23 New Mexico. Instead the Rebels sat on the ground while a nationwide halt on departing flights took hold. A program spokesman said the team would now fly Friday night.
The Federal Aviation Administration had grounded departures over what Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called a communication issue affecting every Air Route Traffic Control Center. The order lifted around 6:20 p.m. after more than four hours.
UNLV was not alone. Dozens of college teams reworked their plans. Auburn, Purdue and North Texas took buses to their road games, and Arizona State moved its flight to early Saturday morning.
Still, the game itself should go on as planned. Kickoff remains at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time at University Stadium, which is expected to sell out for the first time this season. UNM Athletic Director Ryan Berryman said nine of ten officials were already in town and the last was within driving distance.
The broadcast is less settled. It was unclear whether the ground stop reached The CW's crews for the game, which will be called by Jack McMullen, with Cody Kessler and Marshall Newhouse, in the network's first year as a Mountain West partner.
Other New Mexico teams were largely spared. The basketball team landed in San Jose on Friday afternoon, and New Mexico State's football team was unaffected ahead of its Saturday game at Missouri State. For now, the question is whether the Rebels arrive Friday night as planned, and whether a full house fills University Stadium.
The UNLV football team was supposed to leave Las Vegas on Friday afternoon. Instead, the Rebels sat on the ground, caught in a nationwide halt on departing flights that threatened the trip to Albuquerque for Saturday's game against No. 23 New Mexico. A program spokesman told the Albuquerque Journal that the team will now fly Friday night.
The cause was a federal order. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all departing flights over what Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described in a social media post as a communication issue affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The FAA lifted the order at about 6:20 p.m. Friday, after a stoppage that lasted more than four hours.
UNLV was far from alone. Dozens of college football teams had to rework their travel plans. Auburn, Purdue and North Texas chose to travel to their road games by bus. Arizona State changed course and planned to fly early Saturday morning ahead of its game at Central Florida.
Despite the Rebels' later-than-expected arrival, no significant changes are expected for the game itself. Kickoff remains set for 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time at University Stadium, which is expected to sell out for the first time this season.
On the officiating side, UNM Athletic Director Ryan Berryman said Friday evening that nine of the ten officials assigned to the game were already in town. The tenth and final official, he said, was within driving distance.
The broadcast is less certain. It was unclear whether the ground stop affected The CW's production teams for the game. Jack McMullen is scheduled to call play-by-play, with Cody Kessler as analyst and Marshall Newhouse on the sidelines. The network is a first-year Mountain West media partner.
Other New Mexico teams were largely spared. The UNM men's basketball team took a charter flight to San Jose, California, on Friday and landed at 3 p.m., ahead of Saturday night's game at Santa Clara. A New Mexico State spokesperson told the Journal that the Aggies' football travel was not affected; they play at Missouri State at 1 p.m. Saturday.
With the flight restrictions lifted and the officials in place, the focus turns to whether UNLV arrives Friday night as planned and to a sellout crowd Saturday at University Stadium.
Citazioni salienti
The ground stop stemmed from a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.— Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, social media post
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