On December 24, 2024, American Airlines grounded all U.S. flights for about an hour due to a technical issue with its flight operations system, which caused significant delays during the busy Christmas travel season.

The grounding order was issued at the request of the airline, leading to a nationwide halt in operations just as travel volumes peaked for the holiday. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials lifted the order about an hour later, allowing flights to resume.

American Airlines attributed the technical issue to a vendor’s technology that impacted their flight operations system (FOS), which is crucial for a range of airline functions from planning to boarding.

As a result of the ground stop, flight delays were reported across major hubs, with only 36% of American’s scheduled flights departing on time. A total of 51 flights were canceled, according to the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Dennis Tajer, a representative for the Allied Pilots Association, stated that systems like FOS have experienced downtimes before, but a complete systemwide outage is quite rare.

Despite the disruptions, Tajer mentioned that officials were monitoring the situation for additional complications related to staffing and further delays.

Customer reactions on social media reflected significant frustration, with many missing connections and expressing dissatisfaction with the support offered by the airline.

In one instance, Bobby Tighe, a traveler from Florida, noted that he would miss a family gathering in New York due to multiple delays of his American flight. “I’m just going to take an Uber or Lyft to the airport I was originally supposed to go to, pick up my rental car, and kind of restart everything tomorrow,” he shared.

Flight tracking services like FlightAware reported approximately 4,058 flights delayed across all airlines and noted significant congestion at major airports, particularly in Dallas-Fort Worth, New York’s JFK, and Charlotte.

As travel steadily increases through the Christmas period, strong winter weather may create additional challenges. Heavy rain, snow, and possible freezing temperatures have been forecasted across various parts of the U.S., notably the Pacific Northwest and other regions.

American Airlines and other carriers expect heavy traffic toward the end of the week, with holidays typically resulting in higher volumes of air travel compared to the standard year-round levels.

Conclusion

What will airlines do to prevent similar issues in the future?