Denver – On Wednesday evening, United Airlines implemented ground stops for flights at various major airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop alert, indicating that airlines requested this due to technical difficulties.
The issue was linked to a system called “Unimatic,” which contains vital flight information shared across different systems. This includes calculations for weight, balance, and estimated flight durations.
United Airlines characterized the resulting disruptions as “controllable delays,” noting they would cover customer expenses for things like hotels and meals when necessary.
The problem began at 5:12 PM MDT and was resolved within a few hours.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, informed by United’s CEO Scott Kirby, clarified that this issue was specific to United’s operations and unrelated to the larger air traffic control structure.
The airline provided an update around 8:15 PM.
“We’re collaborating with our customers to get everyone to their destinations after the technical issues on Wednesday night. The tech problems have been sorted out, and we anticipate some lingering delays, but our team is working to return to normal operations,” said a spokesperson for United Airlines.
A spokesperson also told Nexstar’s KDVR that United was well aware of the situation. Although they expected delays to worsen through the evening, the airline committed to ensuring customer safety and facilitating their travel.
The FAA stated it would offer full support to manage the flight backlog.
Several air traffic control facilities were impacted, including those in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, along with locations in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Denver. The FAA noted that Canadian facilities also felt the effects.
In San Francisco, ground stops were lifted, and flights resumed at around 6:20 PM PDT, according to an SFO spokesperson.
However, by 7 PM, Denver International Airport reported 412 delays and 10 cancellations, with 176 delays attributed to United Airlines.
United emphasized that the ground stops were not related to any cybersecurity threats facing the aviation industry.
