American Airlines flights cleared to fly after being grounded on Christmas Eve

Christmas travellers breathed a sigh of relief after American Airlines flights were cleared to fly after a grounding due to a systemwide technical issue earlier today.

The US Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded at the airline’s request just before 7am Eastern time.

The carrier had reported a technical issue that hit its entire system as millions travel in the run up to Christmas.

Frustrated travellers took to scial media to vent their frustration and the airline responded: “Our team is currently working to rectify this. Your continued patience is appreciated.”

The company did not issue a press release explaining the issue and an email from the Associated Press requesting a comment was not immediately returned.

A post on the Federal Aviation Administration’s website acknowledged the airline’s request for a “nationwide groundstop” for all American Airlines planes and their subsidiary airlines.

The grounding occurred with millions of travellers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2.