A nationwide technological failure at American Airlines left Miami International Airport overwhelmed with long lines of frustrated passengers trying to rebook flights or request refunds, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop order for the entire airline fleet.
The FAA issued the order around 6:30 p.m. ET, while the company's technical teams were working to restore connectivity to their systems.
Although the suspension was lifted that same afternoon and flights began to operate again, chaos had already taken hold in the terminals.
The impact in Miami and Fort Lauderdale
According to data from FlightAware cited by CBS News, Miami International Airport recorded 206 delayed flights and 40 cancellations, representing 34% of delayed flights and 6% of cancellations for the day.
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, the situation was proportionally worse: 17 flights were delayed and four canceled, representing 40% of the delayed flights and 9% of the cancellations.
Nationwide, reports estimated approximately 1,100 delayed flights and at least 221 cancellations across the airline's network.
The outage also left the company's mobile applications and check-in counters out of service, worsening the situation for thousands of passengers who were unable to complete the boarding process.
"Chaos and Disorganization": The Voice of the Passengers
Hundreds of travelers formed long lines at the customer service counters seeking answers that the airline was slow to provide.
The traveler Adam Cohen summarized it bluntly: “It’s simply chaotic. Disorganization and chaos.”
Cohen and his family arrived on time at the airport, but they could not check in.
"We arrived on time, but we couldn't check in because the check-in system was down, so we missed our flight," he told Telemundo 51.
"They gave us another flight to Baltimore, but we are trying to get to Jersey City, and then that flight was canceled."
Another passenger -identified only as Pierce- described his experience: "Exhausted. This is a nightmare. Six hours on a plane, three hours of total delay." He admitted that he had no hope of reaching Dallas that night.
The traveler Ava Eogner chose resignation: "Let's try to get a hotel, spend the night, and find another way to get there."
The response from American Airlines
A spokesman for the airline acknowledged the issue without providing details about its cause
"A technological issue briefly affected the connectivity of some of our systems on Tuesday afternoon. The systems are coming back online, and flights are departing again. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."
The company did not disclose the specific cause of the failure.
A recurring pattern
This is not the first episode of this kind.
On December 24, 2024, American Airlines had already requested a nationwide flight suspension from the FAA due to a technological failure of an external provider that impacted its flight operations system, with more than 3,300 domestic flights scheduled and only 37% departing on time.
Miami International Airport is one of the main operational hubs for American Airlines for flights to Latin America and the Caribbean, which means that any disruption in its systems has a disproportionate impact, especially during the peak summer season.
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