Tue Dec 24 12:57:05 UTC 2024: ## American Airlines Grounds All US Flights Due to Technical Glitch
**Washington, D.C. – December 24, 2024** – American Airlines issued a nationwide ground stop for all its U.S. flights on Tuesday due to an unspecified technical issue, causing significant disruption to holiday travel plans. The ground stop, which lasted approximately an hour, affected thousands of passengers, many of whom reported being stuck on runways or forced to return to gates.
The airline initially offered no explanation for the outage, only stating on X (formerly Twitter) that passenger safety was its top priority and that it was working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Passengers expressed frustration on social media, pleading for updates and information on whether they should return home.
Shares of American Airlines fell 3.8% in pre-market trading. A notice on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website confirmed the ground stop but provided no details regarding the cause. The FAA was unavailable for comment.
The incident comes months after other airlines experienced similar disruptions due to tech issues with Microsoft Azure and CrowdStrike software. It also echoes the 2022 Southwest Airlines meltdown, which resulted in thousands of flight cancellations and a hefty $140 million fine. American Airlines operates thousands of daily flights to over 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The airline lifted the ground stop around 7:00 p.m. ET.
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