American Airlines Grounds All Christmas Eve Flights Due To “Technical Issue”

deadline.com:

American Airlines grounded all its U.S. flights due to what the company described as a “technical issue” in a statement Tuesday morning.  “A technical issue is affecting American flights this morning,” an American Airlines spokesperson told CNN Tuesday morning. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.” CNN first reported the stop citing an advisory notice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The outlet reported that an FAA statement said American Airlines requested a nationwide ground stop but referred all questions to the airline for more information.

Traveling Christmas passengers began sharing complaints about delays and diversions on social media early Tuesday morning. In a now widely shared video posted from a packed Fort Lauderdale airport, an airport staffer can be heard saying “our system is down” and crew members cannot be boarded on the tannoy.

Announcement from American Airlines as we wait at @FLLFlyer @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/zL4137ih4g American Airlines has not provided an official timetable for resolving the issue but has told passengers on X that it is “trying to fix it in the shortest possible time.” “Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination,” one American Airlines response read.