American Airlines Grounds All US Flights After ‘Technical Problem’

New York
CNN
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American Airlines said a “technical issue” is delaying all its flights in the United States during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

“A technical issue is affecting American flights this morning,” an airline spokesman told CNN. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide groundstop order for all US flights, according to a advisory message. The FAA said in a statement that American Airlines requested a nationwide ground stop, but it referred all questions to the airline for more information.

David Myers, a 62-year-old disaster consultant who travels from Salisbury, Maryland, to New Orleans with a stay in Charlotte, said he was first alerted to the problem at 6 Tuesday morning. He and his wife try to celebrate Christmas with their children.

“It’s Christmas Eve, so it doesn’t seem right to complain,” Myers told CNN. “And safety always comes first. But more information at the gate would be helpful.”

Customers on social media began complaining early Tuesday morning that some flights were returning to their gate and that delays are around 90 minutes.

“Captain says @AmericanAir software is down, preventing weight and balance calculations ‘enterprise-wide’ with no estimate of resolution. So flight can’t depart. Not a good start to travel on Christmas Eve!” a person posted on X.

In one video posted from Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida, an agent is heard saying “our system is down” and they are holding passengers at the gate.

An AA representative at X said an “estimated time frame has not been provided.”

American Airlines ( AAL ) stock fell nearly 3% in premarket trading.

This is a development story. It will be updated.