UNITED and American Airlines flyers have been stuck waiting on the tarmac as technological issues cause a headaching series of delays.
Airline officials admitted that planes sat unmoving early Wednesday morning for minutes on end, hours before more passengers complained of flight issues.
United Airlines was forced to ground all planes in the US early Wednesday morning over a technological issue[/caption]
American also experienced delays hours after United’s technological bug[/caption]
At 1 am ET on Wednesday, United reported a “connectivity issue” to the Federal Aviation Administration and asked officials to declare a stop, NBC News reported.
The airline initially requested for flights to be grounded until 2:30 am, but the order was lifted by 1:30 am.
When asked about the delay, the carrier said, “United experienced a brief connectivity issue just before midnight Central time on Tuesday, but has since resumed normal operations.”
Forty-two delays and four cancellations were reported between 12 am ET and 4 am, according to FlightAware’s “Misery Map.”
The Los Angeles International Airport was the worst affected by United’s delay.
The air drama came just hours before American was forced to delay flights over technical issues.
At 9:14 am, Fox News contributor Gianno Caldwell moaned about issues with his American flight in a post on X.
He wrote, “They told us 2 plus hours ago about a national tech glitch.
“They say all planes have been grounded for the moment and we have been on the tarmac since then.”
In a statement given to The U.S. Sun, American admitted it had been experiencing “technical issues” that impacted some “maintenance applications.”
The carrier also said workers are using “alternative procedures for closing out flights, which is resulting in some delayed departures.”
“No flights have been canceled at this time and our teams are actively troubleshooting,” American said.
Why might an airline cancel or suspend routes?
By Chris Bradford, Assistant News Editor
To cut or make changes to airline routes, carriers have to file motions to the Department of Transportation first for approval. Airlines often refer to market conditions when explaining the motive behind a decision, such as:
- Demand. If bosses notice popularity for a particular route is down, they may be inclined to make a cut.
- Money. Services might be cut because they are not financially viable.
- Resources. Airlines might also make changes if they’re grappling with factors such as rising fuel costs, or pilot shortages. Making targeted cuts can allow airlines to allocate resources more effectively.
But sometimes, the political landscape can provide context behind a particular decision to cut or add routes.
If there are travel restrictions in place, then airlines may decide to take a particular course of action.
Right now, for example, airlines are cutting routes to and from Cuba.
President Donald Trump has demonstrated a tougher policy stance toward Cuba compared to his predecessor, Joe Biden.
He has vowed to enforce a ban on tourism to Cuba more strictly.
Cuba is on the state sponsors of terrorism list compiled by the US Government.
The U.S. Sun has confirmed that Southwest Airlines has requested to cut its number of Tampa, Florida, to Havana, Cuba services.
Southwest currently offers twice daily round trip services between the two cities, but from September 4, this service will be reduced to one daily return trip.
Bosses want the temporary schedule change to remain in place until March 2026.
Southwest has not ruled out a return to the twice daily return trip service if market conditions warrant it.
The low-cost provider is not the only airline that has made changes to its Cuba routes.
United Airlines is ending its sole direct service between Houston and Havana from September 2.
And, bosses at American Airlines have also filed a motion with the DOT to reduce its routes to Cuba.
Earlier this year, major carriers such as United, Delta, and American Airlines temporarily suspended routes to the Middle East due to the hostilities in the region.
OUTAGE NIGHTMARE
United customers experienced a similar issue in August when the major carrier grounded its fleet in several US airports over a tech issue.
Houston, Texas; Newark, New Jersey; and San Francisco, California, were all cities affected by the glitch.
While delays can be frustrating, flyers are always urged to get to the airport for their original departure times, or they could risk missing the trip entirely.
This is because carriers can resolve issues and abruptly swap back flight times to put airport schedules back on track.
The changes can be so quick that travelers should think twice before leaving their gates and going to get food.
Budget airline Spirit said, “In the event of a delay, guests are recommended to remain in the gate area for updates and possible early departures.
“Spirit shall not be liable to any guest who missed a flight, which departed earlier than the estimated departure time posted for the delay.”
