By David Koenig

United Airlines said Tuesday it repaired a technology glitch that had forced it to halt departures nationwide, briefly crippling one of the nation's biggest carriers on a busy travel day.

Federal officials said United crews had been unable to contact airline dispatchers through normal means.

“United asked the FAA to pause the airline’s departures nationwide,” the Federal Aviation Administration said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

The FAA said the issue was limited to United and its subsidiaries. It was less than an hour from the time that the FAA issued a bulletin about United's ground stop until the agency said that flights were resuming — shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern time.

“We have identified a fix for the technology issue and flights have resumed,” United said in a statement. “We’re working with impacted customers to help them reach their destinations as soon as possible.”

United said earlier that it was “experiencing a systemwide technology issue" and was holding up all departing planes. Flights that were already in the air when the technology problem occurred continued to their destinations, the airline said.

By midafternoon Tuesday on the East Coast, United had canceled only seven flights, well below its average of about 16 per day over the busy Labor Day weekend, according to figures from tracking service FlightAware.

However, more than 300 United flights were delayed — 12% of the carrier's schedule, far more than rivals American, Delta and Southwest — on a day that many holiday vacationers were expected to fly home.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has criticized airlines for flight problems and other issues over the past year, posted that the FAA was “receiving more information about the cause and scope of the issue, and DOT will make sure UA meets its obligations to affected passengers.”

The FAA is part of the Department of Transportation.

Shares of Chicago-based United Airlines Holdings Inc. fell on news of the ground stop and were down almost 3% in afternoon trading.

Share:
More In Business
Re-Wiring to a Career as a Ghostwriter
At the age of 65, Judy Katz, who ran her own public relations firm for years, was looking for a change. After retirement, she started a brand-new business as an author and ghostwriter of books. Judy Katz joins Jamie Hopkins to discuss finding a new beginning as a ghostwriter and living life to the fullest post-retirement.
Meta to Attend Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
Meta announced its plans to join the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This is leaving businesses and customers wondering what the tech giant has in store for the event. Nicola Mendelsohn, the vice president of the global business group at Meta, joined Cheddar News to preview what the tech giant will discuss at this year's festival. "We're going to be showcasing more about reels. We're going to be talking about our commerce solutions, are messaging solutions, and of course, the method of us speaking of new ways to kind of connect with customers," she said.
UK Experimenting With 4-Day Work Week; Companies 'Ghosted' by New Hires
On today's episode of On The Job: Cheddar gets a look at how the salon and beauty industry has pivoted throughout the pandemic; Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, breaks down how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board; Julie Bauke, President & Chief Career Strategist at The Bauke Group, breaks down why companies are being 'ghosted' by new hires, and what repercussions can come from this.
How Remote Work is Expanding Talent Pools Around the Globe
Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, joins On The Job to discuss how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board, and the latest trends surrounding remote hiring across the globe.
New Hires Are 'Ghosting' Companies
Julie Bauke, President & Chief Career Strategist, The Bauke Group, joins Cheddar to discuss the phenomenon of new hires accepting jobs and quitting before their first day of work, and how ghosting one company may come back to bite you when you find a job you really want.
Miami Real Estate Market Explodes in Popularity During Pandemic
Miami's real estate market has boomed since early 2020, thanks to an overall strong housing market, remote work, and no income tax as incentives. The city is preparing to welcome even more residents as people relocate to warmer climates to work from home. Garrett Derderian, director of market intelligence at SERHANT, joined Cheddar to discuss the Magic City's red hot market.
Load More