American Airlines grounds all flights nationwide — then fixes tech glitch

American Airlines briefly halted all departures across the United States Tuesday evening after what the carrier described as a technology issue. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to Nexstar that the airline had requested a nationwide ground stop, effectively freezing its entire operation for a short period.

The disruption came at a busy travel hour, leaving passengers at airports from coast to coast staring at departure boards showing sudden delays. American Airlines said the problem was traced to an internal IT system failure, though the company did not specify which systems were affected. Social media lit up with travelers sharing photos of crowded gate areas and uncertain wait times.

Within roughly an hour, the ground stop was lifted and flights resumed. American apologized to customers and said it was working to get planes in the air as quickly as possible. For vacationers heading out or trying to get home, the brief shutdown added an unwelcome layer of stress — but most were back on their way by evening. The FAA said normal operations had been restored.