NEW YORK (CNN) – American Airlines said it had resumed flights Tuesday morning after a brief power outage that grounded all American Airlines flights during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. .
American Airlines said all flights within the United States were delayed due to “technical issues.” However, airline spokeswoman Sarah Jantz told CNN that the airline began boarding planes again around 8 a.m. ET.
The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted a nationwide ground stop order for all U.S. flights. The FAA said in a statement that American Airlines requested a nationwide ground stop, but referred all questions to the airline for further details.
American Airlines issued a statement saying, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers.”
David Myers, a 62-year-old disaster consultant heading to New Orleans from Salisbury, Maryland, with a layover in Charlotte, said he was first alerted to the problem at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. He and his wife are planning to spend Christmas with their children.
“It’s Christmas Eve, so I don’t think it’s appropriate to complain,” Myers told CNN. “And safety always comes first. But more information at the gate would be helpful.”
Customers began complaining on social media early Tuesday morning that some flights had returned to the gate, causing delays of about 90 minutes.
“Captain says a @AmericanAir software failure is preventing weight and balance calculations “company-wide” and there are no resolution estimates. As a result, the flight was unable to depart. Not a good start to a Christmas Eve trip! ” one person posted on X.
In a video posted from the Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida, an agent can be heard saying “the system is down” and forcing passengers to wait at the gate.
American Airlines (AAL) shares rose 1% after the resolution, after initially falling nearly 3% in premarket trading.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
