United Airlines experienced extensive delays for passengers due to a technology glitch that prompted a ground stop for its mainline flights, affecting multiple major airports. While the issue has since been resolved, residual delays are expected as operations are gradually restored.
United Airlines Faces Major Flight Delays Due to Technology Malfunction
United Airlines Faces Major Flight Delays Due to Technology Malfunction
A significant technology failure leads to widespread flight disruptions for United Airlines passengers across major US airports.
Passengers of United Airlines encountered significant delays across various U.S. airports due to a major technology malfunction that resulted in a temporary halt of flights. The airline issued a ground stop affecting its mainline flights, with disruptions reported at key locations including Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and New Jersey.
As of 10:00 PM EDT on Wednesday (02:00 GMT on Thursday), United announced that the problem had been fixed, although continued disruptions were forecasted. "The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and while we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore normal operations," the airline's official statement noted. Efforts were ongoing to manage the situation, which had led to the delay of over 700 flights by 9:00 PM EDT, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service.
Flights that were already airborne managed to reach their destinations successfully, while regional flights remained unaffected, although United indicated they might experience delays due to increased traffic from the ground stop. One passenger, Jessica Jeffers, shared her experience with CNN, having been stuck for two hours on a plane in Denver while waiting to fly to Newark, New Jersey. She described the experience as "pretty rough."
Many passengers took to social media to express frustration over long waits on the tarmac, seeking updates on their flights. The BBC's US affiliate, CBS News, highlighted that United Airlines was categorizing the incident as a preventable delay, which means it would reimburse certain expenses incurred by passengers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed he had been informed by United regarding the incident, stating that the technical failure had no connection to the overall air traffic control system operating across the U.S.
