American Airlines grounded all its U.S. flights due to what the company described as a “technical issue” in a statement Tuesday morning.
“A technical issue is affecting American flights this morning,” an American Airlines spokesperson told CNN Tuesday morning. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
CNN first reported the stop citing an advisory notice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The outlet reported that an FAA statement said American Airlines requested a nationwide ground stop but referred all questions to the airline for more information.
Traveling Christmas passengers began sharing complaints about delays and diversions on social media early Tuesday morning. In a now widely shared video posted from a packed Fort Lauderdale airport, an airport staffer can be heard saying “our system is down” and crew members cannot be boarded on the tannoy.
American Airlines has not provided an official timetable for resolving the issue but has told passengers on X that it is “trying to fix it in the shortest possible time.”
“Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination,” one American Airlines response read.
This isn’t the first time a nationwide airline has experienced acute technical issues during the busy holiday period. In 2022, millions of passengers were left stranded after Southwest Airlines canceled more than 16,900 flights due to an operational meltdown. A heavy storm had left the airline crippled with staffing issues as flight attendants and pilots were out of position for their next flights, passenger bags had piled up and planes were behind on de-icing. The airline was fined a record $140m by the U.S. government in 2023.
