All US United Continental Flights Temporarily Grounded
NEW YORK (AP/WCCO) — What started out as a glitch in the "passenger connectivity" system for United Airlines, turned into big problems for travelers across the country.
All United Continental flights in the U.S. were grounded temporarily Wednesday due to computer problems.
That glitch was nationwide and caused delays for all United passengers Wednesday, including those trying to fly out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Less than two hours later, United requested the Federal Aviation Administration lift the ground stop order, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.
WCCO's Ali Lucia reports the passenger connectivity system was up and running at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as of about 8:45 a.m. However, there were very long lines.
The network was back up and running a little before 9 a.m., but things were still moving very slow.
Lines at airports are to be expected, but hour-long lines aren't usually greeted with a smile.
Douglas Tousey has a meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Baltimore, he's hoping to make to be there for dinner.
"I managed to check myself in. It took me 40 minutes to get that done," Tousey said.
The crash to the system caused blank screens at kiosks, leaving passengers unable to print boarding passes or check-in for flights.
Will French is headed to London and he's optimistic he'll make his flight.
"I think should just be able to make it. Assuming we keep moving like we have been, I think I'll just make it," French said.
The FAA imposed a ground stop right around 7:30 a.m. CST and it took roughly 80 minutes for that ground stop to be lifted.
Now that the grounding has been lifted, passengers seem a bit more optimistic.
"Well my flight doesn't leave until 2 p.m. They've been really great here, I was worried I was going to be here three hours, but we made it," Christina Lee, who's headed to Beijing, said.
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