The Federal Aviation Administration briefly issued a nationwide ground stop for all American Airlines flights the morning of Christmas Eve, as the airline said a "technical issue" was affecting flights. The FAA said the ground stop was issued at the airline's request, on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

American Airlines was forced to ground all flights in the US on Christmas Eve due to an unspecified technical issue. The airline did not immediately say why it was stopping all flights, but social media was quickly abuzz with travellers worrying about getting to their loved ones for the holiday.