US: American Airlines resumes flights after hour-long 'technical issues'
What's the story
American Airlines has resumed its operations across the United States after a brief suspension due to "technical issues." The disruption came on Christmas Eve, an especially busy travel period.
Services were restored by 8:00am ET (6:30pm IST), according to a statement from airline spokesperson Sarah Jantz.
The technical glitch resulted in a major system outage delaying flights and preventing the scanning of boarding passes.
Grounding details
FAA confirms nationwide grounding and subsequent cancelation
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the nationwide grounding of all American Airlines flights at 6:50am ET (5:20pm IST). An hour later, the FAA announced that this stoppage had been lifted.
The exact cause of these technical issues remains undisclosed by the airline.
However, a Bloomberg report suggests that they may be related to problems with the airline's weight and balance calculations.
Passenger experience
Airline's response and impact on passengers
During the disruption, American Airlines released a statement admitting the technical issue impacting all its flights.
The airline stressed passenger safety as its top priority and pledged to resume services once the issue was resolved.
Many travelers claimed they were asked to return to gates or disembark from their planes altogether.
The incident came during a peak travel period, with 40 million passengers expected to be screened by the Transportation Security Administration from Christmas through January 2.