Christmas Eve Chaos: American Airlines Flights Grounded Nationwide by Tech Glitch

It was the snafu that almost diminished Christmas.

American Airlines plunged holiday travel into turmoil on Christmas Eve after momentarily grounding all flights due to technical issues.

Although the challenges were sorted out after a few hours, their repercussions were experienced throughout the day at major airports nationwide.

The airline notified passengers shortly after 6:30 a.m. that it was “facing a technical issue with all American flights,” without providing details. Later, American attributed the problem to a “vendor technology issue.”

Just ahead of 8 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration announced that the ground halt requested by the airline had been lifted.

“That issue has been remedied, and flights have recommenced. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning,” American Airlines stated. “Our team is working tirelessly to ensure customers reach their destinations as swiftly as possible.”

The exact number of travelers affected wasn’t immediately clear. However, at one point, FlightAware’s misery map displayed nearly 900 delayed flights throughout the US, with Charlotte Douglas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, and Washington National airports—major American hubs—being the most severely impacted.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and Miami International Airport experienced the highest count of delays, with DFW alone observing over 170 flight postponements. CLT recorded approximately 76 delays, while Miami registered at least 60 aircraft taking off late.

Fliers in New York and New Jersey were also left with a holiday travel headache, reporting a total of 128 delays across local airports.

Travelers found themselves stranded at LaGuardia Airport early Tuesday as the entire American Airlines fleet seemed stuck, with snow accumulating on top of the planes around 9 a.m.

Jackie Winter, a retired NYPD officer now teaching in Long Island, voiced her worries that her flight to Sarasota, Florida, wouldn’t make it to its destination on schedule.

“Look, their planes aren’t even being de-iced while Continental is taking off and heading for the runways! No American Airlines flights are even lifting off!” Winter expressed Tuesday morning.

“I’m writing to the CEO of American Airlines today! They ought to have informed us!”

About 40 minutes later, the airline commenced de-icing the planes, as shown in videos.

It was a matter of chance for travelers leaving from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, which recorded over 40 delays during the peak of the ground halt.

Newark-Liberty International Airport bore the unfortunate title of the most delayed airport in the NYC area, once logging over 60 delays, although it’s likely those numbers are somewhat exaggerated due to snowfall early Tuesday.

With Post wires.