United Airlines Resolves Technology Issue That Grounded Flights Nationwide
On the evening of August 6, 2025, United Airlines experienced a significant technology outage that led to a temporary ground stop for flights departing from multiple major airports across the United States. The disruption, which began shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern Time, affected key hubs including San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston, causing widespread delays and a small number of cancellations.
According to a spokesperson for United Airlines, the grounding of mainline flights was a precautionary safety measure in response to a technical issue involving the airline’s Unimatic system—a critical platform that stores flight information used for calculating aircraft weight and balance as well as tracking flight times. "Safety is our top priority, and we’ll work with our customers to get them to their destinations," the airline stated.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that United had requested the ground stops at the affected airports. By 9:45 p.m. Eastern, reports indicated that approximately 31% of United’s flights were delayed, with about 1% canceled amid the incident.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the situation via social media, emphasizing that the technology problem was isolated to United Airlines and was unrelated to the broader national air traffic control system. This clarification helped alleviate concerns that the issue might have been part of a larger disruption impacting other carriers or the overall aviation infrastructure.
United Airlines worked swiftly to resolve the technological glitch, and the problem was cleared within a few hours. Despite the system recovery, some delays persisted through the night as the airline managed its flight schedules and accommodated affected passengers.
The incident serves as a reminder of the critical role that technology systems play in modern air travel operations and the potential impact when those systems experience technical difficulties. United Airlines has not yet released detailed information on the root cause of the Unimatic system failure but assured travelers that measures are being taken to prevent a recurrence.
Passengers impacted by the outage have been encouraged to check their flight status and contact United Airlines customer service for rebooking options or assistance.
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— Reporting by Jordan Gartner, Gray News
