United Airlines planes were seen parked at the airport in Newark, New Jersey, on June 1 CNN
A technical problem caused major delays for United Airlines flights on Wednesday night. The issue started around 6:12 p.m. ET and affected many flights across the U.S. It took a few hours to fix. The airline said flights may still face delays as they work to get things back to normal.
A spokesperson said the team is helping customers reach their destinations. They added, “The underlying technology issue has been resolved,” and confirmed that operations are returning to normal.
Flights Delayed, Some Canceled
By 9:45 p.m. ET, about 31% of United’s flights were delayed. Around 1% were canceled. A flight tracking service confirmed the data.
Even after fixing the glitch, delays continued into the night. The airline said the issue had no link to cybersecurity problems.
FAA Steps In
The Federal Aviation Administration also released a statement. It said they knew about the problem and were helping United fix the delays. They worked with the airline to manage the backlog and kept in close contact throughout.
Passengers Share Their Experience
Passengers felt the impact across many major airports, including Chicago, Denver, Newark, Houston, and San Francisco.
Angela Jeffers, flying from Nashville to Denver, said her flight was delayed by two hours. She said the pilot told passengers they couldn’t take off because some data was missing. The pilot didn’t give a time for when the issue would be fixed.
Angela later said passengers received an update at 9:30 p.m. ET. Some flights started boarding again, but due to crowding and delays, not all planes could move. United offered her a hotel stay and a flight the next day since her plane hadn’t boarded yet.
Her sister, Jessica Jeffers, was stuck in Denver. She was trying to fly to Newark but waited two hours on the plane. She said things were rough.
“We just got the choice to either deboard or stay on,” Jessica texted. “There’s no clear update. The air conditioning is barely working. We’ve been sweating in here for hours.”
Ground Stops Requested
United asked for ground stops at several airports during the issue. A system status report from the FAA showed these requests came in around 7:30 p.m. ET. This included stops at busy hubs like Denver and Chicago.
Passengers at New Orleans Airport also waited for updates as many flights faced long delays.
United Airlines faced a tough evening due to the tech issue. Though the main problem is now fixed, some travelers will still face delays. The airline and FAA continue to work on clearing the backlog.
