Passengers of United Airlines experienced significant delays after the airline was forced to issue a ground stop due to "technology issues." The interruption affected mainline flights at major airports, including Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and New Jersey. The airline announced around 22:00 EDT on Wednesday that the technology issues had been resolved, yet ongoing disruptions were anticipated. "While we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore normal operations," stated the airline.
Flight tracking service FlightAware reported that over 700 United flights had been delayed by 21:00 EDT on Wednesday. While flights already airborne were unaffected and continued to their destinations, United warned that regional flights could also face delays due to congestion stemming from the ground stops. One frustrated passenger, Jessica Jeffers, shared her experience with CNN, stating, "I've been stuck for two hours on a plane in Denver waiting to go to Newark, New Jersey. It's been pretty rough over here." Social media was flooded with complaints from passengers stuck on tarmacs for hours without clear communication.
According to CBS News, United Airlines is treating the incident as a preventable delay, meaning they will cover certain costs incurred by passengers during this disruption. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that he had been briefed by United regarding the incident, clarifying that the technology glitch was not related to the US air traffic control system.
