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Home » American Airlines » American Airlines Resumes Operations After Nationwide Ground Stop, But Travelers Face Over 600 Delayed Flights
American AirlinesNews

American Airlines Resumes Operations After Nationwide Ground Stop, But Travelers Face Over 600 Delayed Flights

Matthew Klint Posted onDecember 24, 2024 7 Comments

an airplane on the runway

A “technical issue” with a vendor forced the grounding of all American Airlines flights earlier this morning. While normal operations have resumed, thousands of travelers’ Christmas Eve plans were disrupted.

Travelers Face Over 600 Delayed American Airlines Flights On Christmas Eve After Brief Nationwide Ground Stop Blamed On Technical Glitch

At around 7:00 am ET, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all American Airlines flights (at the request of the carrier). The ground stop lasted for exactly one hour, lifting just before 8:00 am ET.

AA confirmed the issue has been resolved:

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

Several flights from AA’s hubs are delayed, with Dallas – Fort Worth (DFW) and Charlotte (CLT) hit hardest, per Flight Aware:

  • Dallas (DFW) – 207 delayed flights
  • Charlotte (CLT) – 168 delayed flights
  • Philadelphia (PHL) – 57 delayed flights
  • Chicago (ORD) – 53 delayed flights
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – 29 delayed flights
  • Phoenix (PHX) – 26 delayed flights
  • Boston (BOS) – 21 delayed flights
  • New York JFK (JFK) – 19 delayed flights

While the specific nature of the technical issue is not yet known, as delays spread earlier this morning, American AIrlines emphasized safety in its responses to customers:

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

As customers pleaded with American Airlines, it could only apologize:

“Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

Whatever the nature of the technical issue, hopefully, there will only be delays. I noted the hundreds of delayed flights above, but as of 10:30 am ET there has not been a single cancellation yet.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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7 Comments

  1. Andrew H. Reply
    December 24, 2024 at 11:15 am

    Supposedly it was a FOS network issue.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      December 24, 2024 at 12:04 pm

      What is FOS?

      • Andrew H. Reply
        December 24, 2024 at 12:42 pm

        Flight Operations System.

        It manages crew and aircraft.

        It’s about 100 years old (I’m being only slightly facetious) and AA has been trying to replace it for at least 15 years.

  2. FrequentWanderer Reply
    December 24, 2024 at 11:36 am

    There’s no cancels yet because AA likes to delay flights for hours, on a rolling basis 15-30 minutes at a time, and then cancel many hours later. It’s the evening departures that will fall apart once crews timeout and the Christmas Eve reserves are depleted.

    If you have to go AA, only the first flight of the day!

    Good luck and may the spirit of the season help the stranded!

    • Cory Cesar Reply
      December 24, 2024 at 2:17 pm

      @FrequentWanderer – good points to consider, and I also add my wishes to those affected.

      As someone in the DFW area who has become a free agent with travel, I’ve given AA some opportunities to earn my business this year. Unfortunately, I’ve been stung many times. I agree – first flight of the day ensures some recoverability.

      I’ve found this year that AA plays the following game – DFW edition:

      1) Sends first notification of delay *after* flight is supposed to board, and usually a 30-60 minute push. Also, at DFW, this is where they may try to change a gate/terminal on you and/or try to switch to another inbound equipment

      2) After original updated/delayed boarding time is passed, sends another message indicating a longer duration delay (e.g. 2+ hours) – possibly another gate/terminal change.

      3) After another hour or so, the flight is either “delayed” to the wee hours of the next day or cancelled outright.

      The key here, I’ve found, is don’t check any luggage unless it’s necessary and to find an alternate (or go home and try again) between 1 and 2. Keep tuned to FlightAware for any delays on the inbound equipment, AA’s application is notoriously out of phase.

  3. Cory Cesar Reply
    December 24, 2024 at 2:06 pm

    Add in the weather slow-rolling through the DFW area this morning and early afternoon, and the usual AA and DFW Clown Show – “Holiday Super Special Edition” ensues.

  4. JG Reply
    December 24, 2024 at 9:39 pm

    No one notices unusual delays on AA because it’s the norm.

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