American Airlines experienced a nationwide technical outage on Tuesday morning, December 24th, 2024, causing widespread flight delays on one of the busiest travel days of the year. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded by issuing a ground stop for all American Airlines flights across the U.S., including those operated by its subsidiaries. The ground stop, implemented around 6:50 a.m. EDT, lasted approximately one hour.
American Airlines attributed the disruption to a vendor technology issue affecting its flight release systems. The airline issued several statements acknowledging the problem and assuring passengers of its efforts to resolve the situation. In a social media response to a concerned passenger, American Airlines stated that safety was its top priority and that its teams were working to restore service as quickly as possible. By 8:50 a.m. EDT, the airline reported that flights had resumed. “A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed,” the airline stated, offering a sincere apology for the inconvenience.
The outage occurred during a peak period for holiday travel. American Airlines’ vice president had predicted this to be the airline’s busiest holiday season on record, a projection consistent with national travel forecasts. AAA anticipated over 119 million people traveling at least 50 miles from home between December 21st and January 1st, potentially surpassing 2019’s record. Air travel projections were similarly high, with the TSA and Airlines for America both predicting a significant increase in air passengers during the holiday period, a jump of at least 6% compared to last year.
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com, covering breaking news with a focus on crime and extreme weather. Her previous work includes contributions to the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, and Newsweek.