Summary
- United Airlines paused all flights nationwide attributable to a technical issue.
- A glitch from a software update prevented the airline’s crews from contacting airline dispatchers.
- The bottom stop occurred during a busy travel period, affecting passengers throughout the holiday weekend.
Chicago-based United Airlines temporarily grounded all flights on Tuesday attributable to a problem with its technical systems. The incident reportedly didn’t affect aircraft in flight and was unrelated to cybersecurity.
The bottom stop, following the Labor Day holiday weekend, went on for longer than an hour, with only a minimal amount of flights being canceled. Nevertheless, nearly 20% of the carrier’s flights were reportedly delayed.
“Holding all aircraft at their departure airports”
In line with the Associated Press, a glitch from a software update prevented United’s crews from contacting airline dispatchers normally. The issue forced the US legacy carrier to ask the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to pause all of its upcoming departures across the country.
At around 12:30 CDT on Tuesday, United alerted passengers of the bottom stop on social media.
“We’re experiencing a systemwide technology issue and are holding all aircraft at their departure airports. Flights which might be already airborne are continuing to their destination as planned. We are going to share more information because it becomes available. Thanks on your patience as we work on a resolution to get you in your way as soon as possible.”
Photo: Framalicious/Shutterstock
The precise time the bottom stop began is unclear, however the Associated Press reported that it lasted barely over an hour. United confirmed in a press release that the technical difficulties weren’t a cybersecurity issue. The complications also reportedly affected United’s subsidiaries, that are responsible primarily for regional flights operating under the United Express banner. Airlines that fly United Express branded flights include CommuteAir, GoJet Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Republic Airways, and SkyWest Airlines.
Resuming operations
Around 13:00 CDT, the carrier announced that the bottom stop was lifted.
the airline explained.
Data from FlightAware late Tuesday indicated United had only eight canceled flights, which is half of the common amount of canceled flights per day, in keeping with the Associated Press. Quite the opposite, greater than 480 flights were reported as delayed, similar to about 18% of its operation.
Happening during holiday travel
The bottom stop occurred amid a busy travel period surrounding the vacation weekend, marking the tip of summer. In line with Travel + Leisure, greater than 14 million people were expected to go through airports nationwide throughout the prolonged weekend.
Photo: Tupungato/Shutterstock
On Friday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 2.7 million passengers; Saturday and Sunday brought around 2 million passengers day by day, and on Labor Day, 2.6 million travelers went through TSA checkpoints. The agency expects to see a high volume of passengers through Wednesday.
This is just not the primary time a systemwide ground stop has occurred attributable to technical issues this 12 months. In April, Southwest Airlines paused all flights for 17 minutes, causing nearly 1,900 flights to be delayed. Most notably, the FAA’s Notice To Air Missions system went dark unexpectedly in January. The problem prompted all US domestic flights to be grounded for just a few hours but didn’t appear to be affiliated with a cyberattack.