Will the American Airlines Xmas Eve debacle affect Columbia travel? What to know
Early Tuesday morning, one of the largest U.S. airlines announced all of its flights were grounded due to a “technical issue. “ That technical issue was resolved shortly after 8 a.m. but it may still cause travel delays.
American Airlines has a massive hub at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, and also has a presence at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
One American Airlines flight from Columbia was affected, according to the airport. Flight logs show a Columbia to Dallas-Fort Worth flight had a roughly one hour delay but departed around 8:10 a.m.
But travelers picking up a connection in Charlotte, or those who are flying out of the Charlotte airport directly, may see more delays on Christmas Eve, one of the busiest travel days of the year.
“A technical issue briefly affected American Airlines flights this morning. The system is back up, but we expect residual delays,” the Charlotte airport posted on social media Tuesday morning. “We apologize to our passengers for the inconvenience and wish everyone safe and happy travels.”
Three American Airlines flights from Columbia to Charlotte are scheduled Tuesday, according to Flightradar24 — a flight scheduled for a 9:03 departure that is estimated to leave at 9:34, a flight scheduled to leave at 11:13 a.m. is estimated to depart at 11:34 a.m., and a flight scheduled to leave at 12:57 p.m. The latter flight is scheduled to leave on time, Flightradar24 reported around 9:30 a.m.
The Charlotte Observer contributed to this report.
