United Airlines resolves widespread system error that caused flight groundings across the U.S.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers across the country faced severe travel delays due to a “technology issue” at the airline.
A United Airlines plane at George Bush Intercontinental Airport
After grounding its entire mainline fleet nationwide on Wednesday night, United Airlines resolved the widespread issue with its weight and balance computer system, the company said.
In the statement, United informed the public that it is working hard to get customers to their destinations following the disruption and warned that residual delays are expected in the coming hours.
“Our team is working to restore our normal operations,” the airline said.
The failure, whose cause has not yet been disclosed, led to United flight groundings across the country, including at its major hubs in Newark, Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston.
In an earlier statement, United Airlines said it was facing a widespread error that forced the company to hold mainline flights at their origin airports.
"Due to a technology issue, we are holding United mainline flights at their departure airports," the airline reported. "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."
Mainline flights are those operated directly by the airline, using its own aircraft and crew. They generally include aircraft of the Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777 and 787 types and Airbus A319 and A320 models. The suspension does not affect United Express flights, nor does it affect flights that are in the air, which will arrive at their destinations as normal.
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At the time, some 827 flights were delayed and dozens more were canceled outright. According to ABC News, the airline confirmed that this is not a cyberattack.
In response to a concerned passenger on social media,United acknowledged the glitch and also stated that they are working quickly to resolve the situation.
"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," the airline responded. "We understand that this disruption has caused frustrations during your travel and appreciate your continued patience."
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