American Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights on Tuesday after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop due to an IT outage that affected all of the carrier’s flights nationwide. Although the ground stop lasted less than an hour, it was enough to boost American Airlines’ cancellations, leaving the carrier with the most delays of any airline by the end of the travel day.
Airlines With The Most Cancelled Flights On July 28
|
Rank |
Airline |
Cancellations |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Republic |
522 |
|
2 |
American Airlines |
321 |
|
3 |
Endeavor Air |
285 |
|
4 |
United Airlines |
281 |
|
5 |
JetBlue |
243 |
The meltdown by American Airlines comes just a day after the FAA grounded flights over weather and staffing issues across the United States. Yet another cancellation surge took place on Tuesday, with 2,538 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States. American Airlines was a major reason for the disruptions, which are ongoing the following day. As of Wednesday morning, American Airlines has the most cancelled flights among all airlines worldwide.
American Airlines’ Flight Disruptions Surged Following A Brief Nationwide IT Outage
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for all American Airlines flights on Tuesday due to an IT outage at around 6:30 p.m. ET. The stoppage of all American Airlines flights, despite being short-lived, caused hundreds of flight disruptions. The ground stop was cancelled less than an hour later at 7:18 p.m ET.
American Airlines issued a statement regarding the nationwide outage, confirming that a ground stop was in place while its team worked to resolve the technical issue.
“Systems are coming back online now and flights are departing again. We put a temporary ground stop in place while our teams worked to resolve the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
Due to the outage, American Airlines had the second most canceled flights, just behind Republic. Additionally, American Airlines customers faced nationwide delays. The carrier had the most delays among all airlines. According to FlightAware, American Airlines delayed 1,402 flights, more than a third of its capacity at 38% of its total volume. The cancellation woes for American are continuing into Wednesday.
American Airlines’ Cancellations Are Ongoing The Following Day
On Wednesday morning, there are 407 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States. American Airlines currently has the most cancelled flights among all airlines worldwide, with 88. That number is expected to increase throughout the day due to Eastern U.S. weather and a carryover from the nationwide IT outage.
U.S. Airlines With The Most Cancelled Flights On July 29
|
Rank |
Airline |
Cancellations |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
American Airlines |
88 |
|
2 |
United Airlines |
85 |
|
3 |
Republic |
62 |
It was a frustrating day of delays and cancellations for American Airlines’ customers. Some took exception to the airline’s lack of transparency and support during the IT outage, while others had their flights diverted and received only a $12 voucher in compensation.
How American Airlines Passengers Reacted To The IT Outage
Traveler Christina flew with American Airlines during the tech outage. On X, the traveler reported multiple delays which first started with an aircraft issue. Once the problem was resolved, the IT outage delayed customers during boarding. Christina says American Airlines’ compensation was weak despite all the disruptions.
“First time traveling international with @AmericanAir & it has been a mess. Plane had issues and couldn’t cross ocean space so we had to go all the way back. Plane is fixed, but now the IT system is down so we can’t board. But hey we got a $12 voucher.”
Traveler Stephen Wetmore also expressed frustration with the lack of help from American Airlines, despite a wait of an hour at the help desk.
“@AmericanAir is the worst, least transparent airline in the industry. Desk agents are no help, 50-60 minute wait if you call the priority desk, AA Club staff is clueless. I hope the entire industry collapses under its lies,” Wetmore wrote online.
On X, American Airlines responded to backlash from its customers. The carrier confirmed that flights were departing once the IT outage ended.
“A technology issue briefly impacted connectivity for some of our systems on Tuesday evening. Systems are coming back online now and flights are departing again. We put a temporary ground stop in place while our teams worked to resolve the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” American Airlines wrote.
A tough day of travel for American Airlines’ customers, as the carrier continues to lead the way with the most cancelled flights a day after its nationwide IT outage that affected thousands of passengers.
