American Airlines made a solid recovery after an internal IT-induced outage. That problem had by the company’s own admission wreaked havoc on its Wednesday flight schedule, stranding passengers on hundreds of flights at critical U.S. hubs. This longstanding issue forced the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to step in and act. They put in place ground stops at major airports including Newark, Denver, Houston, and Chicago.
On the day of the incident, United Airlines was the most delayed major airline in the US. These delays affected 1,038 flights or 34% of the number of the airline’s operations. The airline’s team worked diligently to restore normal operations following the outage, which was confirmed to be specific to United’s operations and unrelated to the broader air traffic control system.
Their IT outage wreaked havoc. Travelers at major chokepoints experienced excessive waiting periods and uncertainty regarding their flights. In addition, United Airlines stated its intention to get back on the positive side of things with consistent actions to make amends.
“While we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore our normal operations,” – United Airlines
The crash occurred just weeks after Alaska Airlines had experienced the same issue. This was the second IT collapse for them in a little over a year. Fast-forward to April 2024 when that same airline experienced a near-death meltdown. It was forced to temporarily ground its entire fleet due to a computer system failure that determines the weight and balance of its planes.
U.S. Federal Transportation Administrator Sean Duffy addressed the crash, stating. In particular, he focused on the plight that United Airlines found itself in, a predicament largely confined to its own making. He sought to calm travelers that this marked the beginning of a systemic failure underlying our air traffic control network.
While United Airlines addressed the immediate concern, they cautioned that residual delays would occur afterward. We appreciate the airline is working through the backlog of flights affected by the glitch at a rapid pace. Travelers are warned to continue checking their flight statuses for possible delays. The airline has been doing everything possible to get back to normal pre-incident operations.