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Have a flight on Christmas Eve? Holiday travel impacted by weather, technical issues

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Have a flight on Christmas Eve? Holiday travel impacted by weather, technical issues

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American Airlines flights nationwide were grounded for a short time Tuesday morning due to a technology issue, setting a rough start to one of the busiest days for holiday travel.

The airline said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the issue had been resolved as of 8:30 a.m. Arizona time. The airline was offering customers traveling to or from 12 U.S. cities, including Phoenix, to change their flight for no additional fee if they book by Dec. 24.

“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and have issued a travel alert to allow for additional flexibility,” the airline posted.

Flights were prevented from taking off after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide ground stop. Government officials then cleared flights to get airborne about one hour later, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport had reported one canceled and 70 delayed flights between Dec. 23 and 25., as of 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

The flight that was canceled was headed to Oklahoma City, and the flights that were delayed were headed to different cities in the U.S. and Mexico, including Flagstaff, Dallas, Chicago, Monterrey and multiple cities in California and Hawaii, among other destinations.

Several flights were affected by weather conditions, with rain and snow expected in the Pacific Northwest through Christmas Day. Thunderstorms were also developing in the South, freezing rain was reported near Baltimore and Washington, and snow was falling in New York.

People can check the status of impacted flights at skyharbor.com/flights/delayed-canceled-and-diverted-flights/ or directly with their airlines.

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