American Airlines has resumed flights after suspending its services for about an hour on Tuesday due to technical issues impacting the systems necessary for releasing planes. The nationwide halt was lifted just before 13:00 GMT, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This disruption occurred during one of the busiest travel days of the year, as passengers were making journeys on Christmas Eve.
American Airlines stated the disruption stemmed from a "vendor technology issue" and emphasized their commitment to minimizing the inconvenience. "We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning," the airline remarked. "It's all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible."
Despite the quick resumption of flights, departure boards at major U.S. airports exhibited delays of up to two hours for some flights as the airline recovered from the incident. According to the real-time tracking website Flightradar24, planes began taking off again at several major U.S. travel hubs, and most flights started departing on schedule. Passengers shared their frustrations on social media, reporting being stuck on the tarmac or at gates. Some were even asked to disembark from their planes during the outage.
A video posted on X by a CBS reporter from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, showed a gate agent announcing the start of boarding for a flight to Philadelphia, stating, "The system is slowly coming back" from the disruption. This situation echoes previous challenges faced by major airlines. Back in July, American Airlines, along with other operators, had to ground flights across the U.S. due to issues arising from a global IT crash linked to a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike.
The recent disruptions come on the heels of findings from the Department of Transportation (DOT) which highlighted struggles American Airlines faced over the last holiday season. According to the DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report, American Airlines mishandled more luggage than any other major airline last December, misplacing or damaging 60,032 bags out of 9.2 million handled. This translated to 6.5 mishandled bags for every 1,000, equaling nearly one bag lost or damaged per flight based on commonly used aircraft such as the Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A321-200.
Interestingly, December saw American Airlines manage to cancel only 0.1% of its flights, the lowest rate among major airlines, even as it faced baggage issues. By comparison, Southwest Airlines had similarly impressive cancellation numbers, with only 0.6% canceled. Dallas-based American Airlines, even amid holiday chaos, had over 13.6 million flights last December, with 5.81% experiencing delays primarily due to National Aviation System delays—issues arising from air traffic management rather than the airline itself.
Despite the operational hurdles, overall air travel increased significantly last December, showing up by 9.5% compared to the previous year. Nearly 67.9 million domestic travelers and 10.8 million international passengers flew on U.S. airlines during this period. Notably, the Department of Transportation data illustrated how significant the recovery of travel has been post-pandemic.
The upcoming holiday travel period suggests even greater numbers, with American Airlines planning around 12.7 million customers over 118,000 scheduled flights. Meanwhile, Southwest expects more than 8.3 million travelers across its 64,178 flights. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is projecting about 4.7 million passengers traveling through its terminal from December 20 to January 7, reflecting a 2.4% increase compared to the previous year.
Overall, the operational performance of American Airlines during the peak travel season emphasizes the importance of system reliability, especially considering the frustrations passengers have faced during these traveling months. With air traffic set to increase, the airline industry is compelled to address logistics and technology challenges head-on to improve customer experience, ensuring smoother travel for all passengers.
