Due to a technical issue, American Airlines lifted an hour-long ground stop of all its domestic flights, according to a notification posted on the website of the US aviation regulator.
The particular cause for the suspension has not been revealed by the airline. On social media, several travelers reported that their planes were stopped on runways at several airports before being directed to terminals.
“Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline earlier said while responding to a passenger’s complaint on X.
When passengers were prepared to board the flights, announcements were made at the airports. A video from an airport in the US showed the airline informing passengers that “They will give an update every 15 minutes and let them know what is going on…Our system is down and we cannot put the crew on or board any customer…We are working on it.”
According to the AAA, the issue arose on the morning of Christmas Eve, which was expected to set a travel record. Many travelers complained about the difficulty on social media, particularly at the airport where aircraft were delayed or canceled hours before they were scheduled to take off.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) statement, the company has asked for all flights to be grounded.
According to Reuters, the carrier’s stock was down 3.8% before the bell. The airline has addressed passenger complaints on X, Facebook, and Bluesky, but it has not released any official statements on social media.
From Sky to Server
Nearly six months have passed since the global Microsoft outage, which left banks, airlines, and companies rushing to get back up and running.
All aircraft were momentarily halted in the US, affecting flights in neighboring countries. It was one of the largest IT failures in recent memory, impacting air travel and international communication.
