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CNN
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American Airlines said a “technical issue” was delaying all flights in the United States during one of the busiest travel times of the year.

“A technical issue is affecting American flights this morning,” an airline spokesperson told CNN. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a nationwide grounding order for all American flights, according to a statement. The FAA said in a statement that American Airlines had requested a nationwide ground stop, but all questions were referred to the airline for further information.

David Myers, a 62-year-old disaster consultant who traveled from Salisbury, Maryland, to New Orleans and stopped in Charlotte, said he was first alerted to the problem at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. He and his wife try to spend Christmas with their children.

“It’s Christmas Eve, so it doesn’t seem quite right to complain,” Myers told CNN. “And safety always comes first. But more information at the gate would be helpful.”

Customers on social media began complaining early Tuesday morning that some flights were returning to their gates and delays were about 90 minutes.

“Captain says a software outage at @AmericanAir is preventing weight and balance calculations “enterprise-wide” without an estimate for resolution. Flights could therefore not take off. Not a good start to a trip on Christmas Eve!” one person posted on X.

In a video posted by Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida, an agent can be heard saying, “Our system is down,” and they are holding passengers at the gate.

An AA representative said on X that “no estimated timeframe was provided.”

American Airlines (AAL) shares fell nearly 3% in premarket trading.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.