United Airlines Resolves Technology Issue That Grounded Flights Across US, Causing Over 1,000 Delays and Cancellations

United Airlines experienced an unexpected technology issue on Wednesday, resulting in grounded flights across the nation and causing over 1,000 delays and numerous cancellations. The problem was traced to a malfunction in their weight and balance computer system, Unimatic, which did not relate to recent cybersecurity concerns within the industry.

The outage, starting at 6:12 p.m. ET and resolved within hours, affected flights from airports in Chicago, Denver, Newark, Houston, and San Francisco, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA acknowledged the disruption and stated that residual delays might persist as United Airlines worked through the recovery process.

Angela Jeffers, a passenger on a flight from Nashville to Denver, was one of those affected. She reported that her flight had been delayed for two hours due to an unavailable system required for takeoff. Passengers received updates around 9:30 p.m. ET indicating some flights were beginning to board, but delays in traffic prevented all flights from doing so. United Airlines offered passengers compensation including hotel accommodations and rebooked flights for the following day.

Jessica Jeffers, Angela’s sister, also faced inconvenience at a Denver airport on Wednesday night, waiting for two hours in a delayed flight bound for Newark. Jessica reported that air conditioning was running low, making the wait uncomfortable.

Passengers in other locations were similarly affected by the disruption. Johan Kotze at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport experienced delays while traveling to the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius for vacation, potentially missing connecting flights and requiring rebooking of travel arrangements.

As of the latest update, United Airlines is working diligently to restore their normal operations, acknowledging that some residual delays may still occur.