United Airlines Grounds Over 1,000 Flights Amid Nationwide Tech Meltdown

What We Know

United Airlines was forced to ground more than 1000 of its flights on Wednesday due to a sweeping technology failure that triggered a systemwide disruption. Hundreds more flights were delayed, stranding passengers across the country and causing cascading effects on both domestic and international travel routes.

The glitch prompted a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop, temporarily halting United’s mainline departures from U.S. airports. The airline later confirmed the issue was linked to its internal dispatch and fueling systems.

“Due to a technology issue, we are holding United mainline flights at their departure airports,” the airline said in a statement. “We expect additional flight delays this evening as we work through this issue.”

What They’re Saying

The FAA issued a public statement acknowledging the severity of the disruption and pledged continued support to resolve the backlog:

FAA Statement

We’re aware United experienced a technology issue disrupting their operations. Some delays may continue as they work through the recovery process.⁰⁰We’ve offered full support to help address their flight backlog and remain in close contact with United.

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) August 7, 2025

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also addressed the issue publicly, clarifying that the failure was isolated to United Airlines and not a wider aviation infrastructure problem:

I’ve been briefed by United CEO Scott Kirby on their company’s internal tech outage. The issue was specific to United’s operations, and is unrelated to the broader air traffic control system.

The team at @FAANews is in close contact with their systems operations team, and we’ve… https://t.co/jLHMerYEv9

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 7, 2025

What’s Next

As of late Wednesday, United Airlines was still working to clear the backlog of stranded flights. Passengers were urged to check their flight status before heading to the airport and expect further delays as recovery operations continue.

Transportation authorities and United said they remain in coordination to ensure minimal additional impact on the rest of the week’s travel schedule. However, ripple effects are expected to linger into Thursday due to crew displacement and grounded aircraft repositioning.

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