A nationwide ground stop has been lifted after American Airlines grounded its flights for around an hour across the US on Christmas Eve amid one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The Federal Aviation Administration told The Independent that “American Airlines reported a technical issue this morning and requested a nationwide ground stop. The ground stop has now been lifted.”
American Airlines said in a statement at 8.48am ET: “A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning. It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible.”
The technology issue impacted systems needed to release flights, causing a ground stop that lasted approximately one hour.
“Expect some delays throughout the day but [we’re] working to mitigate those and avoid cancels,” airline spokeswoman Sarah Jantz added. “We have a smaller schedule today and have the staffing to support the quick recovery.”
The delay struck during an incredibly busy travel period. According to the Transportation Security Administration, some 40 million passengers are expected to travel via an airport over the holidays until January 2.
The airline urges customers to find the latest information on their flight using its app or its website.
The groundstop was issued at 6.49am ET Tuesday, 24 December before it was cancelled at 7.50am ET, Axios reports.
The airline began boarding flights again at around 8am ET, an airline spokeswoman told CNN.
Before the stop was lifted, American Airlines said in a statement Tuesday morning that “a technical issue is affecting American flights this morning.
“Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
The airline wrote on X in response to one passenger that it was “currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights.
“Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination.
“An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time,” it added.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted a nationwide groundstop order for all American flights at the request of the airline, an advisory notice shows.
Passengers aired their woes on social media about the delays to their Christmas Eve travel plans due to the temporary halting of American Airlines flights.
One X user wrote that they had been required to deplane at Pittsburgh International Airport, to which the airline responded: “We’re doing our best to get things back on track. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.”
Another passenger wrote: “Heck of way to start Christmas. Hey, American Airlines just tell us whether we should go home or not. Please don’t make us wait in the airport for hours.”
A video posted from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport showed a large crowd waiting in the gate area with an announcer saying that its “system is down” so they could not get the crew on the plane nor board any customers.
FlightRadar24, a flight data tracking site, said on X that while the ground stop has now been canceled, “it will take some time for flights to get back to normal.”
It added that there are 420 active American Airlines flights as of 8.32am ET, whereas at the same time last week there were 620.
The Independent has contacted American Airlines for comment.
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