American Airlines lifts ground stop on all flights in US
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A national ground halt has been lifted following American Airlines' decision to suspend its flights for about an hour on Christmas Eve, during one of the peak travel times of the year.
The Federal Aviation Administration informed The Independent that "American Airlines experienced a technical problem earlier today and asked for a temporary halt to flights across the country. This halt has since been lifted."
American Airlines announced at 8:48 AM ET that a problem with a vendor's technology caused temporary disruptions to flights earlier today. The issue has now been fixed, and flights are back on schedule.
"We truly regret any trouble our customers experienced this morning. Our entire team is fully engaged and doing everything they can to make sure everyone reaches their destinations as swiftly as possible."
The technical problem affected the systems responsible for launching flights, resulting in a ground halt that lasted around an hour.
"Prepare for potential delays today, but we're doing our best to minimize them and prevent any cancellations," said airline spokesperson Sarah Jantz. "We're operating a reduced schedule today and have enough staff on hand to help ensure a swift recovery."
The setback happened during a peak travel season. The Transportation Security Administration reports that roughly 40 million travelers are anticipated to pass through airports during the holiday period, lasting until January 2.
The airline encourages passengers to check the most up-to-date details about their flight through its mobile app or website.
According to Axios, a groundstop was put in place at 6:49 AM ET on Tuesday, December 24, but was lifted by 7:50 AM ET.
According to a spokesperson for the airline, they started allowing passengers to board their flights again at approximately 8 AM Eastern Time.
Before the ban was removed, American Airlines announced in a statement on Tuesday morning that “a technical problem is impacting American flights today.”
“Our teams are hard at work to fix the problem as soon as they can, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
In a reply to a passenger on X, the airline stated that it was “currently facing a technical problem affecting all American Airlines flights.”
"Your safety is our top concern. Once we resolve this issue, we’ll ensure you’re safely on your way to your destination."
"While no specific timeline has been given, they are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," it stated.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. flights at the airline's request, according to an advisory notice.
Travelers took to social media to express their frustrations over delays in their Christmas Eve travel arrangements caused by the temporary suspension of American Airlines flights.
A One X passenger mentioned that they had to get off the plane at Pittsburgh International Airport. In response, the airline said, “We’re working hard to resolve the situation. We truly apologize for any trouble this may have caused.”
Another traveler shared their thoughts: "What a way to kick off the Christmas season! American Airlines, just let us know if we should head home or not. We really don't want to spend hours waiting at the airport."
A video shared from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport captured a sizable group of people gathered in the gate area. An announcement was made, stating that their "system is down," preventing them from boarding passengers or getting the crew onto the plane.
FlightRadar24, a website that tracks flight data, stated on X that although the ground stop has been lifted, it will take a while for flights to return to regular operations.
It mentioned that there are currently 420 American Airlines flights in operation as of 8:32 AM ET, compared to 620 at the same time the previous week.
The Independent has reached out to American Airlines for a response.
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