Tech Glitch Briefly Grounds United Flights Across U.S.

Sep. 5—A "technology issue" Tuesday afternoon grounded United flights across the country, as the company and federal officials hustled to address the issue and keep passengers up to date and on track to their destinations.

"We're working with impacted customers to help them reach their destinations as soon as possible," United officials said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

The ground stop, which kept all United planes on the ground as incoming flights landed and joined the queue, was announced about 12:30 p.m. Central. By 1 p.m., officials confirmed the issue was resolved and flights would resume.

In a statement on his X feed, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Federal Aviation Administration was "receiving more information about the cause and scope of the issue, and ( Department of Transportation) will make sure UA meets its obligations to affected passengers."

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport, travelers complained on social media about sitting on crowded planes, pulling away from the terminal and sweltering on the tarmac waiting for updates.

Bush, a major hub for United, airport authorities advised passengers and those dropping off flyers to stay alert for changes and effects on departing planes. As of shortly before 2 p.m., there were 139 flights delayed on Tuesday, according to the airline tracking system Flight Aware. Of those, 68 were United flights, with another 30 by Mesa Airlines, which operates many United Express regional flights under a deal with United.

Denver International, another hub for United, had 175 delays, 78 of which were United.

___

(c)2023 the Houston Chronicle

Visit the Houston Chronicle at www.chron.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.