American Airlines Flights Grounded Nationwide Over 'Technical Issue' as Thousands of Christmas Eve Travelers Left Stranded Hours Before Holiday
American Airlines made traveling on Christmas Eve even more of a headache for travelers.
Dec. 24 2024, Published 8:23 a.m. ET
American Airlines has just made thousands of travelers wonder if they will get to see their loved ones this Christmas.
The airline took to X to notify passengers of the holdup but did not give a full explanation behind the unexpected delay, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
American Airlines flights were grounded over a 'technical issue'.
"We're currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights," a statement from the airline read just after 6:30AM.
It continued: "Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we'll have you safely on your way to your destination. Our team is working to get this rectified so that you can be safely on your way to your family. Your continued patience is appreciated."
"We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," they added in a statement.
Thousands of Christmas Eve travelers were left stranded without a full explanation.
Plenty of concerned travelers responded to the tweet as one person raged: "Back to the gate and now deplaning at BNA (Nashville International Airport). Cyber attack is my guess. Heck of way to start Christmas. Just tell us whether we should go home or not. Please don’t make us wait in the airport for hours."
The airline responded: "Our team is working to get this rectified so that you can be safely on your way to your family. Your continued patience is appreciated."
Another said: "90 minute ground stop for all @AmericanAir flights. Need to deplane," as the airline once again reacted, "We're doing our best to get things back on track. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this has caused."
At 8:09AM, the FAA lifted the ground stop, allowing flights to resume, however, did not provide specific details about the issue.
Travelers on social media had reported issues with having their boarding passes scanned.
Despite the lift, American Airlines passengers were still reporting multiple issues on the airline's X account, as one said: "Never flying American Airlines again. Delays of all sorts every. Single. Time. No wonder your shares are going down. No one wants to deal with it anymore."
The airline responded: "We always want you to have the best experience with us, our apologies for the setback. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts as we always want you to enjoy your time with us."
According to the Transportation Security Administration, about 40 million passengers are expected to travel through an airport over the holidays until January. 2.
The FAA lifted the ban without providing details.
While American Airlines was having its issues the day before Christmas, fellow airline Spirit is closer to a downfall as in November they entered chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, following unsuccessful merger attempts and climbing debt.
The airline made it clear, however, it would continue to operate as normal throughout the holiday season and into 2025.
"Guests can continue to book and fly without interruption and can use all tickets, credits, and loyalty points as normal,” they said in a statement.
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The airline also made it clear employee wages and benefits would not be impacted.
