American Airlines Grounds All Flights in US for an Hour on Christmas Eve

American Airlines, the world's largest airline operator, temporarily grounded all flights in the US on Christmas Eve due to an unspecified technical glitch. The disruption lasted over an hour, impacting thousands of passengers during the busy holiday travel period.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the ground stop was requested by the airline but has since been lifted, allowing flights to resume.

Passengers faced delays and cancellations, with announcements made at airports explaining the issue. A video shared on social media showed airline staff informing travelers that systems were down, preventing crew assignments and passenger boarding.

The airline issued an apology via social media, stating, "Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

The timing of the issue added to frustrations, as Christmas Eve travel was expected to set a record according to the AAA. Passengers took to social media to express their disappointment.

American Airlines shares fell 3.8% in pre-market trading following the incident. This comes months after a global Microsoft outage disrupted operations for airlines, banks, and businesses worldwide. The airline has yet to release a formal statement about the technical glitch.