American Airlines Resumes Flights After Technology Outage Grounds Flights Nationwide
American Airlines resumed its flights Tuesday morning after a brief technology outage delayed all of its flights across the United States, causing significant disruptions to air travel.
The outage, which was caused by a “vendor technology issue,” affected more than 3,300 domestic flights, according to the aviation analytics firm Cirium. However, the airline was able to begin boarding flights again at around 8am ET, with the majority of flights eventually taking off with delays.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents the 16,000 pilots at American Airlines, confirmed that the Airline’s Flight Operations System, known as FOS, went down, leading to the delays. This system is used for flight planning and to release aircraft for departure.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide groundstop order for all American flights, but later lifted it after the airline resumed operations.
The outage affected many passengers, including David Myers, a 62-year-old from Salisbury, Maryland, who was traveling to New Orleans with a layover in Charlotte. “It’s Christmas Eve, so complaining doesn’t seem quite right,” he said. “But more information at the gate would be helpful.”
Despite the delays, the airline said it had backup flight planning tools and trained staff to navigate system outages. The airline also apologized for the inconvenience and promised to work to get customers to their destinations quickly.
The incident is a timely reminder of the risks associated with air travel, particularly during peak travel periods. In recent years, a number of major airlines have experienced outages and technical issues, causing widespread disruptions and cancellations. American Airlines’ stock initially fell by nearly 3% in premarket trading, but recovered to rise 1% after the airline resumed operations.
Overall, while the outage caused significant delays, the airline was able to recover quickly, with 93% of its flights taking off within two hours of their scheduled departure time.
