Passengers traveling with United Airlines faced significant interruptions as the airline temporarily grounded flights across major U.S. airports due to a "technology issue." A ground stop was initiated for mainline flights departing from several key locations, including Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and New Jersey. Although the airline announced around 10:00 PM EDT on Wednesday that flights would no longer be grounded, lingering disruptions were expected.
In a statement, United Airlines confirmed that the underlying technology problem had been resolved but cautioned that residual delays would continue as the team worked to resume normal operations. By 9:00 PM EDT, flight tracking service FlightAware reported that over 700 United flights had been delayed, leaving many passengers stranded. Flights already airborne during the ground stop were able to complete their journeys unhindered.
Passengers on the ground reported frustrating experiences, such as Jessica Jeffers, who shared with CNN that she had been stuck on a plane in Denver for two hours while awaiting a flight to Newark, New Jersey. "It's been pretty rough over here," she expressed. Many other travelers took to social media to voice their grievances about being stuck on tarmacs for hours, anxious for updates.
In response to the incident, CBS News reported that United Airlines categorized the situation as a preventable delay, which means the airline would compensate passengers for certain incurred expenses. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated he had been informed by United about the situation and emphasized that the problem was not related to the nation's broader air traffic control system.
