United Airlines temporarily grounded all of its mainline flights on Wednesday (local time) due to a technical issue and warned of additional flight delays in the evening, the airline said. The affected flights include those operated directly by United using its own aircraft and crew, distinguishing them from regional flights handled by partner carriers.
More than 800 United Airlines flights were cancelled and hundreds more delayed by late Wednesday, following a major technology outage that triggered a systemwide ground stop across the United States. The disruption caused severe delays in both domestic and international travel, affecting thousands of passengers.
According to Fox News, the mainline operations typically cover larger aircraft such as the Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777, and 787, along with Airbus A319 and A320 models.
We expect additional flight delays
"Due to a technology issue, we are holding United mainline flights at their departure airports," a spokesperson told FOX Business. "We expect additional flight delays this evening as we work through this issue. Safety is our top priority, and we’ll work with our customers to get them to their destinations."
In an X post, United Airlines, in a statement, said, "Due to a technology outage, we are temporarily holding some United flights at their departure airports to manage gate availability at destination airports. This may result in delays throughout the evening as we work to resolve the situation."
United apologised for the disruption and said its teams were working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. "Our teams are focused on restoring normal operations as quickly as possible while maintaining safety as our highest priority. We apologize for the inconvenience," it said.
At Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), a key hub for United Airlines, long queues and frustrated travellers crowded the terminals. The airline later confirmed that the outage was linked to failures in its dispatch and fuelling systems, which are critical for flight planning and operations. Efforts were underway to restore normalcy, though residual delays were expected.
FAA issues ground stop in the US
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the grounding was initiated by United and shared an official statement on social media: "United Airlines requested the FAA to pause its departures nationwide while they addressed a technology issue. The FAA is monitoring the situation closely."
In a statement, the FAA said, "We're aware United experienced a technology issue disrupting their operations. 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."
The outage affected United's global network as well. Flights from Newark and Chicago to Delhi and Mumbai were delayed by several hours, complicating onward connections for passengers from cities including Houston. Routes to Frankfurt, London, Sao Paulo and Panama City also faced cascading delays.
Passengers are concerned about delays
Passengers affected by the ground stop delay began voicing their frustration on X, with many sharing their experiences of being stranded at departure gates and inside grounded aircraft.
In response, United Airlines acknowledged the issue on the platform and assured passengers that they were working swiftly to resolve the technical problem. "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 responded. "We understand that this disruption has caused frustrations during your travel and appreciate your continued patience."
A passenger reported on X, "Stuck on the tarmac in New Orleans thanks 2 a United system outage. 0 planes moving. No weight & balance data. Just vibes. Hearing the same from IAH, DFW, Detroit, and DEN. United needs a reset button."
Another wrote, "System-wide outage, all United Airlines planes grounded. Sitting on the plane…they have given us the option to get off with no ETA."
"@united is currently having a total ground stop for departing flights. Currently sitting on tarmac waiting to go to Paris with the latest update “they tried a fix but it didn’t work” no timeline has been given," said another passenger.
Another passenger said, "Stuck on Aruba. @united system outage of loads and balances system appears to have grounded all United flights. They just let us off the plane. No eta for resolution."
(With PTI inputs)
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