United Airlines passengers in US delayed after tech glitch halts flights

United Airlines passengers across the United States experienced significant delays after a major technology problem forced the airline to temporarily stop all mainline flights from leaving several major airports. The issue, which the company described as a 'technology issue,' led to a ground stop at airports such as Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and New Jersey. Although United announced around 10 PM Eastern time that the problem had been fixed and flights were no longer grounded, the airline warned that delays would continue as they worked to return to normal operations.

According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, more than 700 United flights had been delayed by 9 PM Eastern time. Flights that were already in the air when the ground stop was announced were allowed to continue to their destinations, but regional flights, while not directly affected, could also face delays due to the resulting congestion at airports. Passengers reported being stuck on planes for hours, waiting for updates. For example, Jessica Jeffers told CNN that she had been sitting on a plane in Denver for two hours, waiting to fly to Newark, New Jersey. She described the experience as 'pretty rough. '

Many other passengers took to social media to share their frustration about being stranded on the tarmac with little information. United Airlines said it would treat the incident as a preventable delay, which means the company would cover certain expenses for affected passengers, such as meals or hotel stays. The US Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, said he had been briefed by United and confirmed that the issue was not related to the broader air traffic control system in the US, but was specific to United’s own technology systems. The airline’s team continued to work through the night to restore normal operations and minimize further disruptions for travelers.