Avianca of Colombia and Copa Airlines of Panama said on 13 November that passengers on US flights can change their tickets without a fee after an unusual nationwide halt of US departures. Mexico’s Aeroméxico and Volaris told passengers to expect delays or to check their flight status.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aviation regulator, ordered the stop on Friday 13 November. The cause was communication failures at air traffic control centres.
—What. The FAA halted all departures at US airports on Friday 13 November after air traffic control communication failures.
—Free changes. Avianca and Copa let passengers on US flights of 13 and 14 November change dates without a fee.
—Mexico. Aeroméxico asked passengers to check flight status and Volaris warned of delays; Mexico’s aviation agency kept US-bound aircraft grounded.
—Prediction markets. Polymarket, a real-money prediction market, priced a telecom carrier or contractor fault at 66% as the cause (14 November).
Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 70.8 points (November 2026 edition).
What Happened on Friday
The FAA said on 13 November that it issued a nationwide ground stop for all US airports after communication issues affecting several Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which guide aircraft between airports. The agency said the stop was for reasons of safety.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told a press conference on 13 November that the stop began in the late afternoon. He said airspace reopened at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time, after more than four hours.
Duffy said telecommunications routers were overloaded with data and went down. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin saw no indication yet of an attack and called it just a telecommunications outage as of that evening.
An Avianca Airbus A330 taxis at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport. Avianca flies US routes from Colombia.Mexico: Grounded Aircraft and Warnings
Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) said on 13 November that the FAA had asked that all aircraft at Mexican airports with flights to the United States stay on the ground. It told passengers to check their airline’s channels.
Aeroméxico, a Mexican airline, said on 13 November that the halt would affect scheduled operations. It asked passengers to check flight status through a link on its website.
Volaris, a Mexican low-cost carrier, warned that some flights could face delays or cancellations. We found no published fee waiver from Volaris or Aeroméxico.
Colombia and Panama: Free Date Changes
Avianca, a Colombian airline, said that passengers with flights to or from the United States on 13 and 14 November can move their travel up to 15 days later. The change carries no penalty and no fare difference, subject to seat availability.
Copa Airlines, a Panamanian airline, published a flexibility policy on 13 November for flights on 13 and 14 November to or from the United States, except Puerto Rico. Tickets issued up to 13 November qualify, with no change fee and no fare difference.
Copa said customers must ask for the change by 17 November and start the new trip by 22 November. Copa advised customers to check copa.com or its app.
One published summary of the Copa policy gave later dates for ticket issue and new travel, so passengers should confirm the final terms on copa.com. Avianca’s terms are on avianca.com.
What It Means for You
For a US traveller with a 13 or 14 November ticket, the calendar matters: Avianca allows a move of up to 15 days and Copa a new trip start by 22 November. A stop of more than four hours leaves crews and planes out of position, so schedules take hours to recover.
Mexican carriers have published no waiver terms that we could see. Our earlier coverage of the halt is here, with more on Copa delays.
What Is Not Known
The FAA had published no final cause by 14 November, and officials have called the outage a telecommunications failure. The number of Latin American flights cancelled and the times each carrier resumed US departures are not confirmed.
Whether Mexican carriers will offer free changes is also open. Related news is in our Mexico, Colombia and Panama sections.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket, a real-money prediction market, lists a market on what caused the FAA stop, with US$11,712 traded. On 14 November it priced equipment failure at 93%, a telecom carrier or contractor fault at 66% and a cable cut at 3%, and the options can overlap.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
These prices are bets, not findings. Prices on such markets move within minutes, so these figures are a snapshot of 14 November.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change a Copa ticket for 13 or 14 November without a fee?
Yes, for flights on 13 and 14 November to or from the United States, except Puerto Rico, on tickets issued up to 13 November. Copa said requests must come by 17 November and new travel must start by 22 November.
What did Avianca offer after the US flight halt?
Avianca said passengers with US flights on 13 and 14 November can travel up to 15 days later without a penalty or fare difference. The offer depends on seat availability.
Did Mexican airlines waive change fees?
We found no published waiver from Volaris or Aeroméxico. Aeroméxico asked passengers to check flight status on its website.
Was the US flight halt an attack?
US officials said no. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on 13 November there was no indication of anything nefarious, and the Transportation Secretary blamed overloaded telecom equipment.
FAA statement on nationwide ground stop, 13 November 2026 · AFAC notice, 13 November 2026 · Press conference by the Transportation and Homeland Security secretaries, 13 November 2026 · Airline notices of Aeroméxico, Volaris, Avianca and Copa Airlines, 13 and 14 November 2026 · Polymarket market data.