American Airlines grounds all US flights on Christmas Eve due to THIS reason, it is...

On Christmas Eve, the busiest travel period of the year, American Airlines, the world’s largest airline operator, grounded all its flights across the United States due to an unspecified technical issue, Reuters reported. The unexpected disruption left thousands of travellers stranded at airports during the holiday season.

In a statement, the airline said, "Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience." 

Announcements were made at airports informing passengers that the system was down, preventing the airline from boarding customers or assigning crews. Passengers were promised updates every 15 minutes.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that American Airlines requested the grounding of its flights. Social media platforms were flooded with complaints from frustrated passengers as flight cancellations and delays disrupted their holiday plans.

The glitch occurred on the morning of Christmas Eve, a day the American Automobile Association (AAA) predicted would set a new travel record. Videos from airports showed long lines and confusion among travelers.

The incident also impacted the airline’s stock, with shares falling 3.8% before the market opened. While the airline has yet to issue a detailed explanation, it is actively responding to customer queries on platforms like X, Facebook, and Bluesky.

This outage echoes a major Microsoft crash six months ago, which disrupted global airlines, banks, and businesses. That incident briefly grounded US flights and caused widespread delays worldwide.