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American Airlines Flights Snarled by Computer Glitch

American Airlines Flights Snarled by Computer Glitch

New York Times3 days ago

Some American Airlines flights were temporarily grounded on Friday after a technology outage took a number of the airline's systems offline.
A spokesman for the airline confirmed in a text message just before 4:30 p.m. Eastern time that the outage had been resolved and systems were 'all back to normal.'
Passengers across the United States began posting on social media shortly after noon that their flights had been delayed because airline staff were unable to use computer systems needed to complete predeparture tasks. According to the posts, problems included gate agents being unable to board passengers and pilots being unable to gain access to flight plans.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, American Airlines acknowledged that 'a technology issue is affecting connectivity for some of our systems,' and said it was working to resolve the issue. No flights were canceled as a result of the outage, the statement said.
About 28 percent of American Airlines flights were delayed as of 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking platform. That number is near the high end of the normal range of delays, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Charlotte Douglas International, Chicago O'Hare and Dallas Fort Worth International, the airline's major hubs, were reporting minor or no delays as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to FlightAware.
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Fireworks to light up July 4 skies: Here's the cities that will have the best view - and the duds that will be rainouts
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Fireworks to light up July 4 skies: Here's the cities that will have the best view - and the duds that will be rainouts

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We Made It Rain On These Waterproof Duffels—These 8 Didn't Let Any Water In
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We Made It Rain On These Waterproof Duffels—These 8 Didn't Let Any Water In

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The Details: 11.81 x 15.35 x 27.56 inches | 2.478 pounds | 70 liter capacity | Double TPU-coated recycled nylon Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Amazon $230 at Amazon View on REI View on Made with several adjustable straps and an expandable build, the Peak Design Travel Duffelpack is easy to pack and carry. At minimum, it features 45 liters of carrying capacity, but if you need to pack a few more things, the bag can expand to hold 65 liters max. In fact, during testing we were able to stuff the bag with five tops, two bottoms, three pairs each of socks and underwear, a sweater, jacket, and sneakers, plus a dopp kit and water bottle. 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The Details: 26 x 15 x 12 inches (standard), 26 x 17 x 13 inches (expanded) | 3.9 pounds | 65 liter capacity | Recycled nylon, anodized aluminum, glass-reinforced nylon (hardware) Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure While a structured design can provide direction for how to organize your bag, an unstructured bag like the Matador Freefly Duffle gives you more control over how and where you pack things. Its flexible build can allow you to quite literally pack it to the brim by taking advantage of every nook and cranny. The Freefly has a 30-liter capacity, so it's best used as a personal item bag, or for day or weekend trips. Best of all, the bag can be folded down to fit into a pouch. 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The Details: 28 x 15.25 x 11.75 inches | 2.13 pounds | 70 liter capacity | TPU-coated 840-denier heavy-duty nylon Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure While this massive 140-liter bag is technically a duffel, it also functions as checked luggage. That's because it's one of the largest suitcases we've seen out of the 700+ travel bags we've tested. To make it easier to move around, the bag is designed with two wheels that allow you to roll it, or stand it on its own. During testing, we were able to pack the duffel with clothing for ten days (including a rain jacket and a puffer jacket), four pairs of boots, a tent, and two hiking chairs. In fact, it's so wide and spacious, senior testing editor Jackie Cucco says could climb right in and lay in it. " It is definitely one of the largest checked suitcases I have ever seen out of the 700+ travel bags we've tested, even when compared to traditional checked suitcases," she adds. If not used for a long trip, the duffel may also be ideal if you're packing for an entire family, group outings, or trips where you need to pack a ton of gear, like a boating trip where you'll be snorkeling. What's even more impressive about this bag is that it's very water-resistant despite its larger size. After getting wet, the water that got on the bag beaded up and rolled right off of the plastic-y fabric. We didn't find that any water snuck in through the zippers, either, something we experienced with some of the other duffels on this list. This bag is one of the heaviest duffels we've tested, but if you compare its weight against other checked luggage, it's actually pretty lightweight. Though it can be worn as a backpack or carried like a traditional duffel, it's probably best to only do so occasionally and not for extended periods of time. The easiest way to transport the bag is probably to wheel it like a traditional suitcase, and luckily, we found that the wheels are very sturdy. We rolled the duffel over carpet, up onto pavers, and through stanchions meant to look like an airport waiting line, and the wheels never lagged or felt uneven. The Details: 14.2 x 38.6 x 17.7 inches | 112.5 ounces | 85, 110, and 140 liter capacity | Polyester, aluminium (floor plate) Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Rains $110 $100 at Amazon $110 at Nordstrom View on While many of the waterproof duffels we've tested sport more rugged looks, the Rains Hilo Weekend Bag features a modern minimalist design that makes it the most stylish bag on this list. While it is a bit smaller than most of our other waterproof duffel options, it can comfortably carry up to 36 liters. During testing, we were even able to pack it with bulkier items, including a pair of hiking boots and a foldable hiking chair. While the bag isn't designed with any pockets (just one large main compartment), it is made with compression straps that can be used to secure the items you pack. They also help to minimize the size of the bag, allowing you to easily fit it under an airplane seat if you want to use it as a personal bag. The bag is designed to handle light rain, and we found that this is pretty accurate. When we showered the duffel in water for 30 seconds, we didn't find that anything in the bag got wet or moist immediately after. In fact, the water turned into beads once it hit the bag's surface, and streamed off, as if it were running down a window pane of glass. The bag's zipper is also pretty smooth, even though it's coated with waterproof material. Like a number of our other bags, the duffel's handles did stay wet for a while. While the bag's fabric is thin, we found that it felt very durable, and would likely be very difficult to tear or rip. We didn't notice any scuffs or scratches on the bag after we repeatedly pushed it off a table during our drop test. Carrying the bag is pretty easy, as its lower carrying capacity makes it lightweight, but it's also designed with an adjustable shoulder strap that can be shortened or made longer to accommodate people of different heights. The Details: 20.5 in x 10.6 in x 10.2 inches | 28.9 ounces | 36 liter capacity | Polyester Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: SealLine $355 at Amazon View on REI View on If you're looking for something built to withstand your most rugged activities from hiking to boating, we recommend the Sealline Pro Zip Duffel. The 70L bag is just a little over two pounds, despite its larger size, and its durable material is completely waterproof. The bag can be fully submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. While we didn't submerge the bag during testing, we showered it with water for 30 seconds, and none of the materials in the bag got wet, not even through the zipper. In fact, the duffel's zipper is pretty heavy-duty, so you may have to yank it to get it going. We like that the bag's main (and only) compartment is very spacious. It had enough room for us to pack a water bottle, five tops, three bottoms, two jackets, seven pairs each of socks and underwear, two toiletry kits, and two shoes, including a pair of boots. It does lack smaller compartments, so figuring out a way to organize your things falls on you, and you may have to actively dig through the bag when you're trying to locate a specific item. The bag's opening is wide enough to allow you to see what's inside, but a little too narrow to stuff in multiple items at the same time. We found we had to separate a stack of clothes into several parts in order to get every piece into the bag. The duffel's material looks and feels heavy-duty, but it also didn't show any damage during our testing period, making this a solid choice for outdoor adventurers who plan on using this duffel on different terrains. The Details: 15.5 x 28 x 11 inches | 2.9 pounds | 40, 70, or 100 liter capacity | PU-coated polyester, PU-coated nylon Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Backcountry View on Backcountry View on View on The Watershed Colorado Duffel features one of the most unique closures out of the bags on this list. Instead of using a zipper to close it, you can close the bag by simply pressing its top together to suction it close, similar to the way you'd close a freezer bag. "When it's completely flat, it looks like a massive flat Longchamp purse," says Cucco. "You can fit so many different things in it, whether it's two weeks worth of clothing, some type of bulky river gear or fishing supplies, or muddy gear." We did find that you had to pull it rather hard to get it back open after it's closed, but that's a fair trade-off for achieving a waterproof seal. After getting wet, the water on the bag beaded up into circles and rolled right off. None of the water got inside of the bag, as we observed that everything inside was as dry as when it was first packed. The handles and their padding did remain wet for about an hour, though, but that was pretty standard for most of the waterproof duffels we tested. This duffel can hold 75.5 liters, but you can compress it to take on different shapes. If you roll the top and compress it with the bag's straps and buckles, you'll get a cylinder-shaped duffel bag, but if you don't roll the top down, the bag resembles a large tote. While it doesn't come with a shoulder strap, it does come with lash points where you can attach your own. However, the duffel's carrying hands are wide enough that you can force it over your shoulder if you prefer not carrying it in your hands, too. One thing to note is that while the duffel's thick, rubbery material feels durable and rip-proof, we did find that it was prone to creasing and observed a few white scuff marks on it after it was thrown onto the ground a few times during our drop test. The Details: 27 x 7 x 5 in | 3.7 pounds | 75.5 liter capacity | PU-coated nylon Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure

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