American Airlines flights resume after brief grounding due to technical issue

American Airlines flights were cleared to resume operations early Tuesday after a brief grounding due to a technical issue. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding at the airline's request just before 7 a.m. Eastern time. The grounding affected all American Airlines flights in the U.S. during a busy travel period. The airline reported a systemwide issue and communicated with travelers on social media, asking for patience as they worked to resolve it. The FAA acknowledged the airline's request for a nationwide groundstop. Millions of travelers are expected to fly over the holiday season, with the Transportation Security Administration anticipating 40 million passengers to be screened through January 2.