Ground delays, in plain language.
Ground stop, GDP, EDCT, gate departure and wheels up describe different things. Knowing the difference helps commuting pilots and flight attendants interpret flight updates.
What is a ground delay program (GDP)?
A ground delay program manages demand when an airport cannot accept all the flights expected to arrive. Affected flights are held at their departure airports to spread arrivals over time. Weather and reduced airport capacity can contribute to a GDP.
An ordinary late pushback does not, by itself, establish that a flight is in a GDP.
What is a ground stop?
A ground stop requires flights meeting the restriction’s criteria to remain on the ground. Its scope can depend on destination, departure location, time period and other conditions. It does not necessarily stop every flight nationwide—or every departure from the affected destination airport.
What does EDCT mean?
EDCT stands for Expect Departure Clearance Time. It is an assigned traffic-management time associated with an affected flight. It is different from a flight’s proposed or estimated takeoff time.
GroundDelay’s proposed takeoff estimates are not verified EDCT assignments. Our lookup does not provide departure clearance or establish that a particular flight is subject to a ground stop or GDP. Use official FAA and airline channels to verify restrictions.
Gate departure versus wheels-up time
Pushback is departure from the gate or stand. Wheels up is runway departure. Taxiing and departure queues come between them, so a flight can have different pushback and takeoff estimates. GroundDelay and AirlineBoard keep these times separate.
The “Scheduled” baselines in our tools come from initial or original stream values; they are not independently verified airline timetable entries. Orange timing indicators compare recorded estimates with those baselines and do not identify the cause of a delay.
Planning a commute as a pilot or flight attendant
Our airline crew Commute finder searches recorded nonstop, two-leg and three-leg combinations across airlines. Set a minimum connection and compare destination-local arrivals, or prioritize nonstop and same-airline options.
Gate-arrival to pushback comparisons are more useful for changing planes than landing-to-takeoff comparisons. Connections involving runway estimates are labeled. Standby and non-revenue travelers must separately verify seat availability, travel eligibility, airline agreements and transfer requirements; this tool does not check loads or guarantee a connection.
Check a flight or airport
Look up a recorded takeoff estimate, view airport departures and arrivals, or find a flight combination home. Coverage depends on received FAA stream updates and is not a complete schedule. Flight-plan expiry or cancellation reports are not independently verified airline cancellations.
Official information
Definitions and restrictions should be checked against the FAA traffic-management glossary and FAA National Airspace System Status. GroundDelay is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA.
For informational use only. Not for operational use.