Passengers flying with United Airlines have faced significant delays after a “technology issue” led to the temporary grounding of flights across the United States. The problem, which began on Wednesday evening, affected departures at major airports, including key hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and New Jersey.
The airline confirmed the problem was a technology outage in a system called Unimatic, which manages flight information, including weight and balance calculations. While flights already in the air were allowed to continue to their destinations, hundreds of departing planes were held on the ground.
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According to the flight tracking site FlightAware, over 700 United flights were delayed. Passengers quickly took to social media to express their frustration, with many reporting being stranded on tarmacs for hours. One passenger, Jessica Jeffers, told CNN she was stuck on a plane in Denver for two hours waiting for a flight to Newark. “It’s been pretty rough over here,” she said.
The airline lifted the ground stop at around 10:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, but warned that residual delays would continue. The company’s statement read: “The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and, while we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore our normal operations.”
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that he was briefed on the situation and that the issue was specific to United’s operations and not related to the broader US air traffic control system. United has said that because the delay was considered “preventable,” it will cover certain expenses for affected passengers, such as hotel stays