Phoenix Sky Harbor flight delays hit travelers following American Airlines IT glitch
American Airlines ground stop causes Phoenix delays
A nationwide American Airlines IT glitch and East Coast storms caused major delays for travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen reports.
PHOENIX - A double whammy impacted travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor on Tuesday night as passengers faced a wave of delays across the country—some triggered by storms, others by a nationwide technology issue.
What we know:
American Airlines says a technology issue impacted connectivity for some of their systems, forcing a temporary nationwide ground stop. That ground stop was lifted around 4 p.m., but flight boards showed widespread delays.
Storms across the country also left passengers stranded for hours, including a group of exchange students.
At Phoenix Sky Harbor, Charity Stuart was coordinating students in the EF Exchange program.
"Unfortunately, that's nothing we can control, but it does add a layer of stress," Stuart said.
Stuart says a combination of the American Airlines tech glitch and East Coast weather left some teenagers stranded for more than 10 hours.
"Some of my families, they have birthdays today," Stuart said. "They don’t even get to celebrate their birthdays with their student."
American Airlines ground stop issued by FAA; systems coming back online, American says
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a full ground stop Tuesday evening for all American Airlines flights still on the ground.
Dig deeper:
In the early evening, only 13 out of the 42 exchange students had arrived.
"I love our host families and I understand the struggle they're going through, and I really appreciate them leaning on me for support and being patient," Stuart said.
Talking with her exchange student Eira on the phone, Eira said she was delayed in Newark, New Jersey.
"It's very frustrating because we just want to come in and meet our host parents and come to the States," Eira said.
American Airlines says it has resolved the IT glitch that prompted the ground stop, but it still left some American Airlines passengers changing their plans.
"We had to lengthen our car rental, but that actually went fairly smoothly, and we had a place to go," said Jenny Wirtz, who was flying American Airlines.
Although the ground stop has been lifted, multiple American Airlines flights remained delayed at Phoenix Sky Harbor.
"They actually rolled us over to the previous flights, so fingers crossed we're going to get home tonight," said Roshni Ruben, who was also flying American Airlines.