FAA Lifts 'national Groundstop' Of American Airlines Flights After Technical Issue

American Airlines flight services have resumed across the United States after they were temporarily grounded due to a technical issue impacting the airline's entire system.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that a 'nationwide groundstop' of all American Airlines flights has been lifted.

Earlier, the FAA reported a technical issue affecting the carrier's entire system.

The problem has been resolved and the system is running again.

Delays are still expected after the hour-long outage with flight tracker Flightradar24 posting on X that "it will take some time for flights to get back to normal".

Services are expected to be departing on time by the afternoon.

The temporary disruption came as millions of people are travelling for the holiday season, including back home to Europe.

American Airlines flies to 15 countries in Europe with destinations including the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

In social media replies to frustrated travellers, the airline said: “Our team is currently working to rectify this. Your continued patience is appreciated.”

The company has now released a statement saying, "A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning".

"That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning," it continues.

"It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible."

The FAA's website confirmed that American Airlines requested a 'nationwide groundstop' for its flights, including those operated by its subsidiary airlines.

The timing of the grounding comes at a critical period, as the holiday season is one of the busiest travel periods.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) estimates it will screen 40 million passengers during the holidays, which run until 2 January.

RECENT NEWS

Flying Blue Flies High: These Are The Best Airline Rewards Programmes In Europe

Air France-KLM's Flying Blue was crowned the best frequent flyer scheme globally thanks to how easy it is to earn and sp... Read more

Europes Trending Travel Destinations For 2027 – Here's Where To Go According To The Experts

All the industry reports are in, so which destinations in Europe are going to be trending in 2027? We take a look at the... Read more

When Should You Leave For The Airport? This App Can Tell You Exactly When

Flighty will keep track of traffic conditions and public holidays that might affect your travel times, sending an alert ... Read more

India Has Just Been Named Destination Of The Year For 2027 – Heres Where To Go

Announced annually by Travel + Leisure since 2014, India follows in the footsteps of previous destinations of the year i... Read more

Ranked: The World's 10 Quietest Cities To Visit In 2027 – And All Are In Europe

Europe sweeps a new ranking of the world’s quietest cities, with Italian destinations featuring three times in the top... Read more

New Gateway To Antarctica: Worlds Southernmost Hotel Opens In Chile

Luxury cruise line Silversea has opened The Cormorant at 55 South – a 150-room hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile, where ... Read more