BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — There were travel pains Christmas Eve for those flying American Airlines. A technology issue caused the Federal Aviation Administration to ground all of the airline’s flights Tuesday morning.
The issue was resolved, and flights are back in the air. Most of them were running on time by Tuesday afternoon.
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport did not see heavily impacted flights because of the American Airlines ground stop Tuesday.
American Airlines said that the technology issue was caused by a vendor and impacted systems needed to release flights.
“We’re about 30 minutes behind, but that’s OK,” said Bill Corbin, who was flying to Oregon to visit his grandchildren for Christmas. “We will get there eventually.”
American Airlines lifts ground stop order after technical issue
Ella Rosenthal is travelling to see friends for Christmas. She said the ground stoppage was not a concern as she prepared for her flight.
“I fly a lot, so these types of things I think tend to happen here and there, but I’m not too worried about it,” Rosenthal said. “I’ve seen TSA here in Birmingham a lot worse than what it is looking like right now. I’m not too worried about it. I have also a decent layover in Charlotte, so I’m really not worried about making my connection either.”
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning,” American Airlines wrote in a statement. “It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible.”
The airline put out a travel notice regarding the stoppage, allowing for passengers affected by it to have more flexibility when rebooking or changing travel plans.
If you do a flight coming up Tuesday or this holiday season, American Airlines stated the most recent information can be found on its mobile app or website.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.