United Airlines passengers have encountered significant delays across the United States after a technology glitch led to the temporary suspension of flights at major airports. The airline announced a ground stop for its mainline flights, affecting numerous locations such as Chicago, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, and New Jersey.

At around 22:00 EDT on Wednesday (02:00 GMT Thursday), United Airlines confirmed that the ground stop had been lifted; however, they cautioned that disruptions were still in effect. “The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and while we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore normal operations,” the company stated.

Flight tracking service FlightAware indicated that over 700 United flights had been delayed by 21:00 EDT (02:00 BST). Passengers who were already airborne during the ground stop were allowed to complete their journeys. While regional flights were not directly affected, potential delays were anticipated as they could be impacted by congestion resulting from the ground halt.

One affected passenger, Jessica Jeffers, shared her frustrating experience with CNN, revealing that she was stuck on the tarmac in Denver for two hours awaiting a flight to Newark, New Jersey. "It's been pretty rough over here," she said. Many passengers expressed their dissatisfaction on social media, reporting prolonged waits on tarmacs without updates.

According to CBS News, United Airlines classified the incident as a preventable delay, committing to cover certain expenses for impacted passengers. The Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, stated he had been informed by United and confirmed that the issue was not linked to the broader air traffic control system in the United States.