American Airlines hit by outage leaving thousands stranded
American Airlines has been hit by a widespread outage that is impacting all flights. Reports of issues surfaced around 1:30pm ET, with travelers saying they are stuck on the runway or crammed in waiting areas. Some travelers have shared their frustrations on social media, saying they have been sitting at the gate for more than one hour.
'Sitting at the airport, they are saying AA flights everywhere are impacted by the maintenance system being down,' one user shared on Reddit . One flyer in Fort Myers said the Pilot told passengers that they are unable to 'get a flight plan, fuel report or passenger manifest.' 'Our team is awaiting the all clear to take the air, and we truly apologize for the added wait. We'll have you on the way very shortly,' American Airlines shared at 2:37pm ET.
Downdetector, a site that monitors online outages, shows issues with the website, delays and logging into the app. A live outage map shows major cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York and Phoenix, are all in the red. Derick Bores, who is flying out of Dallas-Fort Worth, shared on X: 'Pilot just said he's considering deplaning because we've been sitting here so long.'
'He said many planes are now getting out with a manual signature of the maintenance form, but isn't sure how long they will take.' The American Airlines X account replied: 'We know you're ready to be off to your sunny destination. 'As soon as we have the final sign-off complete, we'll head for the skies! Thank you for packing your patience today.'
The outage comes just days after five American Airlines passengers and flight attendants were taken to the hospital after being injured by extreme turbulence on the way to North Carolina. Panic spread through Flight 1286, traveling from Miami to Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Sunday night, when the 'unexpected' disturbance hit.
Sudden altitude drops sent laptops, cellphones and other personal items flying through the aircraft, forcefully striking those aboard. Passengers alleged they saw a man knocked unconscious, a flight attendant scorched by spilled boiling water from a drink cart and another who sustained a broken arm.
'I would say it was absolutely horrific. People thought that they were going to lose their lives,' one anonymous passenger told WRAL. The airline said in a statement to DailyMail.com that the plane landed safely around 10:50pm despite the terrifying event. Three flight staffers and two customers were taken to the hospital after landing. None of these injuries were life-threatening and all victims have since been discharged.
Four other people were evaluated by EMS workers onsite, but refused care, CBS reported. While American Airlines said the situation was handled with grace, passengers have claimed otherwise. 'It took way too long for the captain to address what happened,' the anonymous passenger told WRAL.
'There were injured people aboard the aircraft. He should have stopped at the closest airport instead of flying another hour and 10 minutes when two people were in need of immediate medical attention.' The airline said the seat belt sign was on, but those on board told WRAL that was not the case. 'They wouldn't have been serving drinks if they knew turbulence was coming,' she explained.
'They were carrying hot water. I mean, there was ice flying everywhere, soda cans, cups. People by the carts, they just had things flying in every direction.' Another flyer, Cameron Autry, told WRAL he was in the 'absolutely worst place in the entire plane' when the turbulence struck - the bathroom.
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