American Airlines on Monday grounded all of its flights across the country due to what it described as an unspecified “technical issue,” drawing ire from the passengers with travel plans on Christmas eve.
According to Bloomberg report, there might be a technical problem with the airline’s weight and balance computations.
The airline requested that the FAA implement a nationwide ground stop for all American flights as of 6:49 a.m. ET. While itis planned to end at least 8:30 a.m. ET, there are chances that it may be prolonged. Moreover, the nationwide outage may cause traffic jams on Christmas Eve.
In a statement, the airline issued an apology to its passengers stating, “A technical issue is affecting American flights this morning. Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
American Airlines reacts to frustrated passengers queries
On X, several travelers reported that their aircraft had been ordered to return to gates, and in several instances, all passengers were required to disembark.
The airline responded to a one of the customers, saying that it was “currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights.” They continued: “Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination.”
“An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time,” the airline said to a different client.
Reacting to the airlines’ response, one X user wrote: “Time to start issuing refunds.”
“Worst. Airline. Ever,” another said, while the third user asked, “IT issue? Cyber attack?”
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FAA website acknowledges airline’s request
Meanwhile, Federal Aviation Administration’s website gave acknowledgement to the airline’s request for a “nationwide groundstop” for all American Airlines flights and their subsidiary airlines.
The groundings couldn’t have come at a worse moment for the millions of passengers who are anticipated to travel over the next ten days.
From the holidays till January 2, the Transportation Security Administration is likely to screen 40 million passengers.
