WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines grounded short flights across the country on Tuesday due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season is in full swing and winter weather threatens more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive.
U.S. flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a national ground stop order.
There were 1,447 delays for flights entering or leaving the US early in the day, with 28 cancellations. Snow fell early in New York and rain hit Dallas-Fort Worth International, American Airlines’ main hub.
Dallas-Fort Worth had the most delays, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, New York, Chicago and Miami
Because the holiday season lasts for weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than during the Thanksgiving rush, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes its toll on flight crews. And any hiccups – a winter storm or a computer malfunction – can result in enormous disruptions.
That’s how Southwest Airlines does it stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Airlines then had a smaller but significant meltdown a global technology failure in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
Many flights during the holidays are sold out, making cancellations even more disruptive than during quieter periods. This is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that allow them to place stranded customers on another airline’s flights.
This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule went into effect requiring airlines to give customers a holiday automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for a refund, but often had to apply for one.
Passengers can still request a rebooking, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. This is because it is very expensive to find a last-minute flight with another airline yourself.
Just before 7 a.m. Eastern Time, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the U.S. at the airline’s request. American had reported a technical issue that affected the entire system, with millions of people traveling for the holidays.
American said in an email that the problem Tuesday morning was caused by a supplier technology issue that “impacted systems necessary to release flights.”
The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next ten days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2.
Airlines expect their busiest days to be on Friday and Sunday, and on December 26, December 27 and December 29.
Many flights during the holidays are sold out, making cancellations more disruptive than during quieter periods. Even for a brief outage, cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to resolve.
About 90% of Americans who travel far from home during the holidays will be in their cars, according to AAA.
“Air travel is very high right now, but most people are driving to their destinations, and that applies to any vacation,” said AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz.
Gasoline prices are comparable to last year. According to AAA, the national average was $3.04 per gallon on Thursday, up from $3.13 a year ago. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per kilowatt hour, but varies by state.
Transport data company INRIX says journey times on the country’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the festive period, with the heaviest traffic expected to be on Sunday. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C. are the metropolitan areas poised for the biggest delays, according to the company.
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AP Reporters David Koenig, Mae Anderson and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.