American Airlines grounded all its US flights for an hour over a technical issue

• American Airlines briefly grounded all of its US flights over a technical issue.
• The airline told BI that an issue impacted the systems needed to release flights.
• After an hour, a nationwide groundstop issued by the FAA was lifted.

American Airlines grounded all of its flights across the US for an hour on Tuesday, saying it was experiencing technical issues as airlines gear up for the Christmas travel rush.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in an advisory statement early on Tuesday morning that the airline’s flights across the US were grounded. An update around an hour later said the nationwide groundstop was canceled.

American Airlines told Business Insider in a statement that 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.”

The airline said the technology issue impacted the systems that are needed to release flights and said the ground stop lasted approximately one hour.

It said customers can find information on their flights through the airline’s app and website.

The extent of the resulting disruption is unclear.

American Airlines did not make a general comment while the incident was happening but replied to users on X. In one post, it said “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.”

The issue prevented the airline from calculating weight and balance requirements for its flights, Bloomberg reported.

At an early-morning check-in line at Denver International Airport, the scene was quiet despite the unfolding delays.

Morgan Goldwich, a Business Insider staffer headed home for the holidays, said an AA employee was telling passengers they expected the grounding to be lifted soon. Shortly after, it was.

Users on X said they were made to get off their planes on Tuesday morning.

The disruption comes on Christmas Eve, one of the biggest travel days of the year.

The Transportation Security Administration said it expected to screen almost 40 million people through airports over the holidays, more than a 6% increase from last year.