American Airlines says a nationwide ground stop for its flights has been lifted, though travelers are advised to expect mass disruptions on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it was lifted around 8 a.m. after about an hour.
The airline said Tuesday that a vendor technical issue was responsible for the ground stop.
"A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed," the airline said in a statement. "We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning. It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible."
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The nature of the technical issue wasn't clear, but American said it impacted systems needed to release flights.
Long lines appeared to be building up at airports across the country as other travels reported having boarded and left the gate only to be forced to return to the gate -- and possibly deplane. Many said they had connecting flights.
No other details were immediately available.
Local
American Airlines said later Tuesday it was noticing improvement and flights were starting to board. Residual delays are expected. The airline said the issue was resolved by about 10:30 a.m., and told travelers to allow for extra time.
We have resolved a vendor technology issue that briefly affected flights this morning. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and have issued a travel alert to allow for additional flexibility. https://t.co/lAp094H8cx
— americanair (@AmericanAir) December 24, 2024
