United Airlines reported a technical problem that caused its flights to be grounded. The significant delay throughout its network for a few hours on Wednesday, August 6 at major U.S. airports, such as Chicago, Denver, and Houston, had been fixed.
“While we expect residual delays, our team worked to restore our normal operations,” the carrier stated.
At 10 p.m. ET, United informed USA TODAY that the “underlying technology issue” had been fixed and that they were in the process of getting back to business as usual. The Chicago-based airline also stated that it was trying to get passengers to their destinations while preparing for any remaining delays.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s website states that the technological problem led to ground halt at a number of significant United hub airports, including Newark, Denver, Houston, and Chicago.
In a previous statement, United Airlines stated, “We are holding United mainline flights at their departure airports due to a technology issue.” “Safety is our top priority.”
Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, stated that he was informed about the “internal tech outage” at United Airlines and that the FAA had communicated with the airline’s systems operations team.
United claimed that the issue was with their Unimatic system, which stores flight data and feeds it to other systems, such as those that track flight hours and compute weight and balance.
In a statement on X, Duffy stated, “The issue was specific to United’s operations and is unrelated to the broader air traffic control system.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the system disruption caused United Airlines planes to be grounded at several airports throughout the United States. The agency acknowledged that the airline’s operations were being disrupted by a technological glitch.
FlightAware, which tracks air travel, reported that 1,038, or 34%, of United flights were delayed on August 6 by 10:25 p.m. ET.
In order to help United with its backlog of flights, the FAA acknowledged the technical problem and stated that it had pledged full support.
The FAA also informed USA TODAY that “some delays may continue as they work through the recovery process.” “We’ve offered full support to help address their flight backlog and remain in close contact with United.”
In a post on X, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the problem was unique to United’s operations and had nothing to do with the larger air traffic control system.
The failure occurs weeks after Alaska Airlines experienced its second IT outage in less than a year, which caused all of its aircraft to be grounded for around three hours. Alaska grounded their entire fleet in April 2024 because of a problem with the technology that determines the planes’ weight and balance.
A technological problem unrelated to cybersecurity issues as the Unimatic system, according to United Airlines, “houses information about each flight that’s then fed to other systems, including those that calculate weight and balance and track flight times.” This is the source of the problem.
The airline claims that the disruption, which started at approximately 6:12 p.m. ET, was fixed in a few of hours. The business also stated that it was handling the issue as a manageable delay and, where necessary, reimbursed customers for their lodging costs.
The downtime, according to the airline, had nothing to do with “recent concerns about cybersecurity in the airline industry.”
When flights are disrupted, travellers express frustration. A frustration which was shared on social media, according to a post on X, Newark Liberty International Airport and other airports were experiencing flight interruptions due to a system breakdown, which caused some passengers to be delayed for hours. The airport advised passengers to enquire about the status of their flights with their carrier.
“We’re aware of the system error at this time and are working on a fix to have you on your way as soon as possible,” United Airlines tweeted in its social media answers to irate customers. We recognise how frustrating this interruption has been for you while travelling, and we value your patience.
A passenger posted, “Another ground system failure at @EWRairport has me locked on the tarmac for nearing 2 hours now…,” in an attempt to vent their frustration with the airline.Look for another hub @united, maybe.
All incoming planes were being held at their origin until 10 p.m. ET, while FlightAware.comreported departure delays of an average of 45 minutes at around 9:30 p.m. ET.
United stated that it would cover consumer costs, including lodging, when appropriate because it was handling the technical problem as a manageable delay.
The carrier’s issue occurred a few weeks after Alaska Airlines experienced its second IT failure in less than a year, causing all of its aircraft to be grounded for almost three hours.
Alaska grounded their entire fleet in April 2024 because of a problem with the technology that determines the planes’ weight and balance.
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