Technical Glitch Grounds American Airlines Flights Nationwide

• American Airlines flights briefly grounded nationwide early Christmas Eve due to a technical issue.
• FAA lifted the ground stop after an hour; flights resumed as the issue was resolved.
• Airline apologized for the disruption, working to minimize delays during peak holiday travel.

A technical issue briefly disrupted American Airlines flights nationwide early on Tuesday, according to the airline, causing delays just as the busy Christmas Eve travel period was beginning.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that American Airlines had requested a ground stop for all its flights. About an hour later, the airline announced that flights were starting to board again and that the FAA had lifted the nationwide ground stop.

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In a statement provided to ABC News, American Airlines explained, “A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. The issue has now been resolved, and flights have resumed.”

The airline also expressed regret, stating, “We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning. Our team is working around the clock to get customers to their destinations as quickly as possible.”

Earlier, American Airlines had posted on X (formerly Twitter), flagging the “technical issue with all American Airlines flights.” The post emphasized, “Your safety is our utmost priority. Once this is resolved, we’ll ensure you’re safely on your way to your destination.” Responding to inquiries, the airline indicated it could not yet provide an estimate for how long the fix would take.

While no specific timeframe was given, the airline assured travellers that efforts were being made to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

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This disruption comes at a time when a record number of Americans are expected to travel during the holiday season. According to the Transportation Security Administration, nearly 40 million travellers are anticipated to pass through security from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2, marking a 6.2% increase compared to 2023.

American Airlines has also noted that Dec. 27 and Dec. 20 are expected to be the airline’s busiest and second-busiest days, respectively, during the holiday period, which began on Dec. 18.

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