ALBAWABA - Following an unexpected countrywide ground halt due to a technical problem, American Airlines swiftly resumed operations on Tuesday's Christmas Eve.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the one-hour interruption affected all US aircraft during the busiest holiday travel time, from 11:50 AM to 12:50 PM GMT, AFP reports.
According to the FAA, American Airlines requested the ground stop to address the issue at hand. Citing a “vendor technology issue” as the reason, the airline said in a statement that the situation was quickly fixed.
American Airlines commented earlier saying “Your safety is our utmost priority,” offered its passengers an apology for the inconvenience, and promised to work toward resuming regular operations.
On social media, travelers complained about possible holiday interruptions and delays, with some travelers complaining that they were deplaned when their aircraft returned to the gate. In an active response to online consumer inquiries, American Airlines emphasized that its workers were working nonstop to resolve the issue.
Holiday travel was at an all-time high at the time of the interruption. Between December 19 and January 2, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) predicted that around 40 million passengers would transit through American airports, a 6.2% increase over the previous year, according to ABC News.
December 20 and December 27 were expected to be American Airlines' busiest travel days during the holiday period.
Flights continued as planned despite the brief disruption, with American Airlines informing customers that reducing delays and guaranteeing safety were their top missions.
Although the airline could not provide any information on the technological problem, it did emphasize its dedication to promptly addressing operational difficulties and preserving service dependability.
