United Airlines Technical Glitch Causes Nationwide Flight Delays, Cancellations

United Airlines experienced a significant technology glitch involving its Unimatic system, which manages crucial flight information such as weight and balance, leading to widespread flight delays and cancellations across major hubs including Denver, Chicago, Newark, Houston, and San Francisco. The outage, lasting several hours, disrupted about 35% of United flights with an additional 7% canceled on the day of the incident, and caused prolonged delays even after the technical issue was resolved. Passengers faced extended wait times both on planes and in terminals, with some flights delayed on the tarmac for hours, exemplified by a Denver-to-Charlotte flight that was delayed over four hours due to a combination of the airline’s system failure and an unrelated access control system issue at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. United Airlines offered fee-free rescheduling and compensation for incurred expenses such as hotels, emphasizing safety as its top priority while working to restore normal operations. The Federal Aviation Administration closely monitored the situation, halting departures to major hubs temporarily and coordinating with United to manage the disruption. Despite the resolution of the initial technical issue, passengers were advised to remain vigilant about potential residual delays as the airline worked to normalize its schedule.