United Airlines restores flights after tech issue fixed

United Airlines Resumes Flights After Tech Issue

United Airlines has confirmed that the technology issue which caused a temporary grounding of its flights across several major U.S. airports, including Chicago, Denver, and Houston, on August 6 has been resolved. The airline provided an update at 10 p.m. ET, stating that the underlying technical problem had been addressed and that efforts were underway to restore normal operations.

The Chicago-based carrier emphasized that while it was working to return to regular service, some residual delays were expected. "Due to a technology issue, we are holding United mainline flights at their departure airports," the airline stated in an earlier release. It also reiterated that safety remained its top priority.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mentioned that he had been briefed on the internal tech outage affecting United Airlines. He noted that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was in communication with the airline’s systems operations team. "The issue was specific to United’s operations and is unrelated to the broader air traffic control system," Duffy said in a statement on X.

The system outage led to ground stops for United Airlines flights at multiple airports nationwide, according to the FAA. The agency confirmed awareness of the technology issue disrupting the airline's operations. By 10:25 p.m. ET, FlightAware reported that 1,038, or 34%, of United flights had been delayed on August 6.

"Some delays may continue as they work through the recovery process," the FAA told USA TODAY. "We’ve offered full support to help address their flight backlog and remain in close contact with United."

This incident follows a similar situation involving Alaska Airlines, which grounded all its flights for about three hours due to an IT outage. This marked the second time in just over a year that the airline faced such disruptions. In April 2024, Alaska Airlines had to ground its entire fleet due to an issue with the system responsible for calculating the weight and balance of its planes.

Unimatic System Affected

United Airlines clarified that the issue was related to its Unimatic system, which "houses information about each flight that is then fed to other systems, including those that calculate weight and balance and track flight times." The outage began around 6:12 p.m. ET and was resolved within a few hours, according to the airline. The company described the problem as a controllable delay and covered customer expenses, such as hotel stays, when applicable.

The airline also stated that the outage was not associated with "recent concerns about cybersecurity in the airline industry."

Traveler Frustration

The system outage caused significant disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport and other locations, with some travelers experiencing delays of several hours. The airport urged passengers to check with their airline for updates on their flights.

United Airlines responded to frustrated customers on social media, stating, "We're aware of the system error at this time and are working on a fix to have you on your way as soon as possible. We understand that this disruption has caused frustrations during your travel and appreciate your continued patience."

One traveler expressed anger on social media, writing: "Another ground system failure at @EWRairport has me locked on the tarmac for nearing 2 hours now…perhaps look for another hub @united."

By 9:30 p.m. ET, FlightAware.com was reporting an average of 45 minutes in departure delays, with all inbound flights being held at their point of origin until 10 p.m. The airline continues to work closely with the FAA to manage the backlog and ensure passengers reach their destinations as efficiently as possible.