All United Flights Were Temporarily Halted—What You Need to Know

Travelers flying United Airlines on Tuesday, September 5, around midday (CDT), may have faced an unexpected disruption. United requested a short suspension of all flight departures nationwide, as confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The halt in departures was eventually lifted.

“We are facing a systemwide technology problem and have grounded all aircraft at their departure points,” United stated in a message to Dinogo. “Flights already in the air will continue to their destinations as scheduled. We are investigating the issue and will provide updates as they come in.”

Shortly after the announcement, United reported that it had found "a solution" to the technology problem and that flights had resumed operations.

“We are assisting affected customers to help them reach their destinations as quickly as possible,” United added.

At the time of reporting, 350 United flights were delayed, with that number seemingly increasing, according to data from flight-tracking service FlightAware. Only a few United flights had been fully canceled on Tuesday as of publication.

This marks the third instance in less than a year that a technical malfunction has significantly disrupted air travel in the United States. The largest incident occurred during the 2022 holiday season, when Southwest Airlines canceled over 15,000 flights in one week due to outdated crew-scheduling technology that mismanaged flight crews after several winter storms, effectively halting nearly all of the airline's operations.

Shortly after, in mid-January, a computer error at the FAA impacting the agency's Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) system temporarily grounded flights nationwide.

In response to these technical failures, Dinogo's dedicated air correspondent, Barbara Peterson, investigated the ongoing infrastructure challenges afflicting the U.S. air travel system. Her findings indicated that the issue is longstanding and unlikely to be resolved quickly.

“The root cause of all this disruption has long evaded a quick solution—outdated and glitch-prone technology,” Peterson wrote in her article.

United has not yet disclosed the specific details regarding the issue. In the meantime, air travelers should be prepared with essential information to handle any potential problems, including knowing how to track your flight status in real time, tips to avoid delays and cancellations, and steps to take when delays or cancellations happen.