{"id":140200,"date":"2024-12-24T12:56:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T12:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/24\/american-airlines-christmas-eve-ground-stop-lifted-following-technical-problem-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2024-12-24T12:56:13","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T12:56:13","slug":"american-airlines-christmas-eve-ground-stop-lifted-following-technical-problem-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/24\/american-airlines-christmas-eve-ground-stop-lifted-following-technical-problem-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"American Airlines Christmas Eve ground stop lifted following technical problem &#8211; The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Christmas Eve travel is off to a rocky start.<\/p>\n<p>American Airlines encountered a technical problem Tuesday morning, and requested the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily ground its flights, nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>The disruption lasted about an hour but is expected to cause residual flight delays throughout the day Tuesday, airports warned \u2014 a day when <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/busiest-days-travel-holidays\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">millions more travelers<\/a> are expected to fly.<\/p>\n<p>Reports of the problems began to circulate widely shortly after 7 a.m. EST on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When things go wrong: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/new-automatic-airline-refund-rules\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> New airline refund rules are in effect \u2014 here&#8217;s what you should know<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a statement to TPG, the Fort Worth-based carrier cited a technology issue at a third-party vendor affecting a system needed to release flights. The problem has since been resolved, American said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible,&#8221; the carrier said in a statement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-27.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">ZACH GRIFF\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a id=\"residual-delays-expected\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Residual delays expected<\/h2>\n<p>Tuesday&#8217;s flight troubles come in the midst of what&#8217;s expected to be a record-setting year-end travel rush. According to data from the Transportation Security Administration, at least 2.8 million travelers filled airports on Friday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 22. More than 2.7 million passengers hit airports on Saturday, Dec. 21.<\/p>\n<p>Generally speaking, air travel ran smoothly over the weekend \u2014 but Christmas Eve is already shaping up to be a trying day at airports.<\/p>\n<div class=\"&#10;        EmailSignUp_container__qYzYT&#10;        undefined&#10;        EmailSignUp_isLoading__i_qm0&#10;      \"><picture class=\"EmailSignUp_graphic__zgpFm\"><source media=\"screen and (max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-mob.svg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-dt.svg\"\/><\/picture>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_form__C8FWb\">\n<p>Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>American has more than 3,300 domestic departures planned for Tuesday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium \u2014 along with over 500 departing or inbound international flights. Its busiest airports Tuesday are, unsurprisingly, some of its biggest hubs, most notably Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Miami International Airport (MIA).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Upgrades clearing less? <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/upgrades-clearing-less-first-class-tickets\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> Airlines say more passengers are just paying for those first-class seats<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The system is back up, but we expect residual delays,&#8221; Charlotte&#8217;s official airport account wrote Tuesday in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CLTAirport\/status\/1871546990623949251\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><img alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/12\/Boston-Philly-Planes-31.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">ZACH GRIFF\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tuesday&#8217;s disruption comes after a generally smooth 2024, and holiday season, for air travel. Between January and mid-December, around 1.3% of flights on U.S. carriers were canceled, according to data from FlightAware. That&#8217;s far better than 2022, when cancellation rates collectively topped 2%.<\/p>\n<p>To date this year, the only major operational &#8220;meltdown&#8221; at a U.S. airline came in July, when a global outage at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike led to mass flight disruptions worldwide and helped trigger thousands of cancellations <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/delta-air-lines-operations-getting-back-on-track\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">over several days at Delta Air Lines<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, travelers have all-too-recent memories of Southwest Airlines&#8217; 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/southwest-airlines-christmas-meltdown\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">holiday meltdown<\/a> that saw close to 17,000 flights canceled over several days.<\/p>\n<p>American, for its part, has touted technical and operational improvements made in recent years which, executives say, help the airline keep flights running smoothly when problems arise. Over the Thanksgiving travel period, the carrier enjoyed a strong performance, including four days when it did not cancel a single flight across its entire mainline network.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"what-to-do-if-youre-flying-american-on-christmas-eve\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">What to do if you&#8217;re flying American on Christmas Eve<\/h2>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what you can do if you&#8217;re traveling with American on Tuesday:<\/p>\n<h3>Keep an eye on your app<\/h3>\n<p>Now that American&#8217;s systems appear to be back online, keep a close eye on the carrier&#8217;s mobile app. With residual delays expected, there&#8217;s certainly a chance your flight could be affected.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, the airline may offer you rebooking options with just a few taps, allowing you to avoid waiting in a long line or on hold for an extended period of time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passenger protections: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/biden-administration-proposes-airline-compensation-delays\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> DOT proposes compensation for flight delays, but Trump administration will get final say<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Remember the refund rules<\/h3>\n<p>Under U.S. Department of Transportation policy, airlines are entitled to give travelers a <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/guide\/refund-for-canceled-flight\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">full cash refund<\/a> for the unflown portion of their trip if there&#8217;s a flight cancellation or significant delay and the customer chooses not to travel.<\/p>\n<p>So, if you encounter a major flight disruption Tuesday and decide you don&#8217;t want to travel anymore, the carrier would owe you a refund (but wouldn&#8217;t owe you one if you accept rebooking accommodations).<\/p>\n<h3>You could be owed meals, hotel, ground transportation<\/h3>\n<p>If you find yourself stranded for a long period of time, American will likely be expected to make good on promises it spells out on the DOT&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/airconsumer\/airline-customer-service-dashboard\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FlightRights.gov<\/a> dashboard for meals, plus hotel and ground transportation costs for travelers affected by overnight delays.<\/p>\n<p>While these guarantees don&#8217;t apply in the case of weather disruptions or other factors outside the airline&#8217;s control, the DOT typically considers technical outages with airline software to be &#8220;controllable&#8221; disruptions \u2014 in other words, the airline&#8217;s responsibility.<\/p>\n<p><b>More resources:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><em>This is a developing story. Check back for frequent updates.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Related reading:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/american-airlines-ground-stop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christmas Eve travel is off to a rocky start. American Airlines encountered a technical problem Tuesday morning, and requested the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily ground its flights, nationwide. The disruption lasted about an hour but is expected to cause residual flight delays throughout the day Tuesday, airports warned \u2014 a day when millions more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-140200","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}