United experiences brief network-wide ground stop after connectivity issue

United Airlines briefly halted departures at airports across the United States and Canada late Tuesday night into early Wednesday after the carrier reported a technological connectivity issue, then resumed normal operations within about an hour, the airline said. The ground stop, requested by United from the Federal Aviation Administration, affected mainline departures for a short period late Tuesday, Sept. 23, and was lifted early Wednesday, Sept. 24.

"United experienced a brief connectivity issue just before midnight Central time on Tuesday, but has since resumed normal operations," a United spokesperson said. The airline said it had requested the FAA impose the ground stop from 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., though the pause was shortened and ended around 1:30 a.m. Reports varied on whether specific flights were delayed; United said there were no ongoing operational problems after service resumed.

Ground stops are traffic management measures that require aircraft meeting specific criteria to remain on the ground, and they can be airport, airspace or equipment specific, the FAA's website says. Such initiatives can be implemented with little or no warning when safety or system integrity...