United Airlines faced substantial delays for passengers across major US airports after the airline announced a temporary halt to flights due to a "technology issue." The ground stop affected mainline flights departing from key hubs, causing disruptions at airports including Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and Newark.
At approximately 22:00 EDT on Wednesday (02:00 GMT Thursday), United announced that the grounding had been lifted, yet ongoing disruptions persisted. "The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and while we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore normal operations," the airline stated.
As of 21:00 EDT (02:00 BST), over 700 United flights were delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. Flights already airborne continued to their destinations without issue, but regional flights faced potential delays due to congestion resulting from the ground stop.
One passenger, Jessica Jeffers, shared her experience with CNN, stating she was stuck for two hours on a plane in Denver awaiting departure to Newark, New Jersey. "It's been pretty rough over here," she remarked. Numerous travelers took to social media to voice their grievances, describing long waits on the tarmac with little to no updates.
According to CBS News, United Airlines is categorizing this incident as a preventable delay, which allows the airline to compensate passengers for certain incurred expenses. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed he had been in contact with United, clarifying that this issue was not linked to the broader air traffic control system in the United States.
