Travel Nightmare: Customers Irate as American Airlines Grounds All Flights on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, American Airlines temporarily grounded all flights due to an unspecified technical issue.The Federal Aviation Governance (FAA) lifted the nationwide ground stop approximately an hour later, allowing flights to resume boarding. The airline announced the issue via social media,assuring passengers that their safety was the priority and that the situation would be resolved promptly.
Despite the swift resolution, the lack of detailed data about the outage led to passenger frustrations, especially as this was one of the busiest travel days of the year. Many passengers expressed their concerns and dissatisfaction on social media,wiht some contemplating switching their loyalty to other airlines. Even though the technical problem appeared to be resolved shortly after it occurred, it could still lead to ongoing disruptions for travelers, notably given the high volume of holiday traffic and the potential for cascading cancellations.
American Airlines briefly grounded all flights early Christmas Eve while it addressed an unspecified “technical issue.”
An hour later, the Federal Aviation Administration lifted the nationwide ground stop, releasing flights to once again begin the boarding process, ABC News reported.
The airline posted an announcement just before 7 a.m. ET, according to the Associated Press.
We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights. Your safety is our utmost priority. Once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination.
— americanair (@AmericanAir) December 24, 2024
“We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights,” the post read. “Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination.”
The airline told ABC it did not know when the problem would be resolved. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
It was unwelcome news to passengers who got up early to catch a flight during one of the year’s busiest travel days.
Some immediately blamed the airline.
@AmericanAir 24th December morning and system goes down. Boarding passes not verified. Time to rethink loyalty with you. No wonder United and Delta are doing better than you.
— sibasisha padhy (@sdrdpadhy) December 24, 2024
Fly @AmericanAir for the first time in ages and the whole system is down… back to delta and United I go
— Shup Medusa (@ShupMedusa) December 24, 2024
Others were concerned about not knowing details about what caused the outage and what the broader implications might be.
American Airlines flight out of Cedar Rapids sent back to the gate due to a nationwide software outage. Nothing says Merry Christmas quite like a … Cyber attack? Any other airlines experiencing outages? @AmericanAir @KCRG @nytimes @usa
— Ashley Smith (@AshleyS87018180) December 24, 2024
“American has not expanded on what technical issue grounded the flights, and the airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment,” AP reported.
While the problem appears to have quickly been solved, it could still cause lingering problems for travelers.
“Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periodsm” according to the outlet.
“Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up.”
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