An American Airlines plane sits near the gate at Miami International Airport on October 25, 2024 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Radle | Getty Images
american airlines Airlines suspended U.S. flights Tuesday morning due to technical issues, disrupting travel during a holiday period when airlines expected record demand.
An American Airlines spokesperson told CNBC that the ground stop had been lifted by 7:55 a.m. ET. The ground stop lasted less than an hour, but more than 900 American Airlines flights were delayed, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. That was more than 38% of American Airlines’ Tuesday schedule and had more delays than any other U.S. airline. However, only 11 mainline flights were cancelled.
The airline’s subsidiary, regional airline Envoy, also reported 200 additional flight delays. In addition to the early grounding, American Airlines was also hit by thunderstorms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where its largest base is.
American Airlines said in a statement that the issue was a network hardware issue involving a platform that uses DXC technology. DXC Technology is a vendor that maintains aviation operating systems that allow aircraft to depart from the gate.
This system is tied to critical data such as the aircraft’s weight and balance, which is required before the plane leaves the gate.
“The issue has been resolved and operations have resumed,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize for the inconvenience this morning caused to our customers.”
The Federal Aviation Administration announced that American Airlines requested a ground stop.
Airlines routinely require ground stops, holding flights at origin to ensure destination airports are not crowded with flights with nowhere to park during disruptions. In addition to technical issues, ground stops will be made in case of thunderstorms or other severe weather.
American Airlines was operating a reduced schedule on Christmas Eve compared to other days around the Christmas holiday. A spokesperson said the airline had no cancellations related to the issue.
The airline’s patchwork system of critical technology platforms has recently come under increased scrutiny following periods of mass flight cancellations. southwestMeltdown during the 2022 holiday season and deltastruggle to recover from cloud strike power outage this summer.
Correction: The ground stop order was issued on Tuesday. Previous versions had incorrect timing.