American Airlines Grounds Flights Due to “Technical Issues”
American Airlines grounded its U.S. flight due to a technical issue, the company said in a Tuesday morning statement.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told CNN on Tuesday that a technical issue was affecting flights. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
CNN reported the first stop, citing an alert notice from the Federal Aviation Administration. The outlet reported an FAA announcement that said American Airlines had requested a nationwide stop, but for further information they should be contacting the airline.
Early Tuesday morning, Christmas travelers began complaining about delays and divertions on social media. A video from Fort Lauderdale Airport has been widely circulated. In the video, an airport employee can be heard on the tannoy saying that “our system is not working” and that crew members are unable to board.
American Airlines did not provide an official timeline for resolving this issue, but told passengers aboard X that they are “trying to solve it in the shortest time possible.”
One American Airlines response stated: “Your safety is the utmost concern. Once this error is corrected, we will have you safely at your destination.”
It’s not the first time that a national airline has faced severe technical problems during the holiday season. Southwest Airlines cancelled more than 16,900 flights in 2022 due to a meltdown. The airline was crippled by staffing problems after a heavy storm. Pilots and flight attendants were not in position to fly their next flights. Bags had piled up, and planes had been behind with de-icing. The U.S. Government fined the airline a record-breaking $140m.
