United Airlines paused all mainline flights across the U.S. on Wednesday. A system glitch affected its ability to calculate flight weight and balance, which caused delays at several major airports.
Key Highlights:
- United paused mainline flights due to a system failure
- The glitch affected flight weight and balance calculations
- Regional flights and airborne planes continued
- Over 800 flights were delayed
- FAA issued a brief ground stop
- United confirmed it wasn’t a cyberattack
- Flights resumed later in the day
Main Story:
On Wednesday, a major technical glitch disrupted United Airlines’ operations across the country. The airline halted all mainline departures when its weight and balance system failed. This system helps ensure safe takeoffs by properly calculating how cargo and passengers are distributed on the aircraft.
Due to this failure, United couldn’t safely allow flights to depart. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stepped in and issued a short-term ground stop at major hubs. These included Chicago, San Francisco, Newark, Denver, and Houston.
Regional flights under United Express and planes already in the air were not affected. However, the glitch still caused major delays. Many passengers had to wait on grounded planes. Others were stuck inside terminals with little information.
In total, the glitch delayed over 800 flights and canceled at least 20. United Airlines worked quickly to fix the issue. By evening, it restored the system and resumed flights.
The airline also issued travel waivers to help affected passengers reschedule without extra fees. United confirmed that a cyberattack did not cause the problem. It said the issue was purely technical and emphasized that safety remains their top concern.
Although flights resumed, many airports still faced delays throughout the night. United’s teams continued to help travelers and get operations back to normal.
