Flights Back On After American Airlines Tech Glitch

Early on Tuesday morning, American Airlines hit a snag that grounded all their flights in the US. The problem? A tech issue with one of their vendors. But don't worry, they were back in the air by 8 am ET. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted their groundstop order, and flights resumed, though there were some delays. The airline's Flight Operations System (FOS) briefly went down, causing the hiccup. This system handles boarding and other crucial tasks. Pilots and crew are trained to deal with such issues, and American has backup tools to prevent extended shutdowns. Today was a busy travel day, with over 3, 300 domestic flights scheduled. Despite the glitch, most flights took off with only minor delays. American apologized for the inconvenience and assured passengers they were working to get everyone to their destinations fast. David Myers, a traveler heading to New Orleans, took the delay in stride. "It's Christmas Eve, so complaining doesn't seem right, " he said. He did wish for more updates at the gate. Social media buzzed with complaints about delays and flights returning to gates. One person tweeted about a software outage preventing weight and balance calculations. An airport agent in Florida was heard saying their system was down. American Airlines' stock initially dipped but rebounded after the issue was resolved. Tech outages during holiday travel aren't new. Last summer, a global tech glitch caused chaos, and a winter storm in 2022 led to mass cancellations, especially for Southwest Airlines.