American Airlines is gradually returning to normal operations after a significant computer system outage caused widespread disruptions across its network. The technical issue, which affected flight schedules and passenger services, led to delays and temporary grounding of several flights.
The airline confirmed that systems are now back online and that operations are stabilizing. Crews are working to rebook affected passengers and restore full service as quickly as possible.
While the exact cause of the outage has not been disclosed, American Airlines assured travelers that it is investigating the issue to prevent future disruptions. Passengers are still advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport, as residual delays may continue throughout the day.
American Airlines experienced a major computer system outage Friday that disrupted operations at airports across the country, according to airport officials and passenger reports.
“We are working with our partners to fully resolve the issue,” American said.
Officials at two affected airports told CNN the outage caused problems with key systems responsible for flight bookings, check-in, ticketing, and baggage handling. One airport source said the issues persisted for at least two hours before American Airlines sent a message around 2:45 p.m. ET indicating the systems were beginning to recover and that “slight delays” should be expected as operations returned to normal.
Miami International Airport said it was alerted to the outage shortly after 2 p.m. Friday. “We have just been notified about that.
Passengers across the country reported long delays and confusion.
Jason Hass, a passenger in Arizona, told CNN he had been stuck on his plane since the morning. “The flight was supposed to take off at 10:22 a.m. MT. The app now says 11:30 a.m., but that’s just a placeholder,” he said. “The pilot came on and said AA’s electronic maintenance system is down, and they can’t input or confirm work done on the plane—so we’re stuck until that system is back up.”
In Charlotte, North Carolina, another passenger, John Noona, said his flight, originally scheduled for 1 p.m., had not taken off as of nearly 3 p.m. “Airline staff said the main system went down,” Noona said, describing a nearly two-hour delay on the tarmac.
According to data from FlightAware, more than 40% of American Airlines flights were delayed on Friday, with approximately 7% canceled altogether. Its regional carrier, PSA Airlines, reported similar trouble, with over 40% of flights delayed and more than 20% canceled.
In a statement, American Airlines apologized for the inconvenience: “We apologize to our customers for their experience and are working to get everyone on their way as quickly and safely as possible.”
The airline has not yet released details about the cause of the outage but says it continues to monitor the situation closely as operations gradually return to normal.