American Airlines Corrects Computer Issue Following Ground Stop

Flights were delayed Thursday morning when American Airlines and American Eagle were hit with computer issues.

American Airlines began to notice the issue at around 11 a.m. when passengers were unable to use the airport check-in counters at three domestic hubs.

Due to what has been referred to as a connectivity glitch passengers at Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami and Chicago O’Hare were unable to check in or view their reservations. When passengers were unable to get to the flights, American was forced to issue a ground stop at the affected hubs.

“We’re working to resolve technical issues impacting several airports as quickly as possible,” American Airlines said in a statement they released on Thursday. “We will provide updates and more information as they become available. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

Casey Norton, a spokesperson for the airlines, indicated that six American Eagle flights originating in Chicago were canceled while approximately 300 were delayed by more than an hour.

According to NBC News, a tracking service (FlightAware.com) reported different findings.

“Tracking service FlightAware.com reported nearly 600 delays on American and more than 200 on Eagle operator Envoy Air by late afternoon.”

Norton continued on to insist that many of the delays reported had nothing to do with the computer issue responsible for the ground stop.

Passengers didn’t have to wait long for the issue to be solved. By 1pm, American Airlines was able to remove the issue and their computers began working as normal.

“We have resolved connectivity issues that led to a ground stop today at our Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami hubs,” American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said in a statement to USA Today. “We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to get our customers on their way as soon as possible.”

American Airlines also issued a similar statement to their passengers by way of Twitter.

We’ve resolved connectivity issues that caused challenges at DFW, ORD and MIA. We’re sorry and will have you on your way soon.

— American Airlines (@AmericanAir) September 17, 2015

Comments from customers replying to the notice, however, insisted that American Airlines customer service was anywhere from unhelpful to outright rude. One user, RyanneEx, even claimed that he’d been stranded for 24 hours and that the American customer service representative had hung up on him more than once. The airlines gave a seemingly unhelpful response.

@RyanneEx We must work with our customers directly, Ryanne.

— American Airlines (@AmericanAir) September 18, 2015

Spokespeople for American Airlines insist that their computer issues had nothing to do with the merging of their reservation systems with US Airways.

The two airlines merged a while ago, and the completed product of their merger is set to be seen in October.

[Image courtesy of Scott Olson/Getty Images]