American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) grounded flights nationwide Wednesday morning due to a technical issue, snarling travel during what carriers expect to be a period of record demand for the holidays.
“A technical issue is affecting American flights this morning,” a spokeswoman said. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said American requested a ground stop for all its flights.
“We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights,” the airline wrote in a post to X.
The post added, “Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination.” Replying to questions from other social media users, the airline said it was not able to estimate how long the fix would take.
The airline wrote that it didn’t yet have a “timeframe” but that “they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time.”
In a statement, the airline added, “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
AAL shares lost 22 cents, or 1.3%, to $17.04.