Are United Airlines Flights Still Grounded in the US Today? Confusing Announcement Baffles Fliers — Here's the Truth

A wave of confusion swept social media on 11 August 2025, as outdated reports about United Airlines grounding flights sparked panic among travellers.

The misinformation stemmed from a technical outage, which briefly halted United's mainline flights across the US. The airline has since clarified that operations are back to normal, but residual delays and mixed messages continue to perplex fliers.

Here's what happened and the current state of United's flights.

The 6 August Outage: What Happened?

On 6 August 2025, United Airlines grounded all mainline flights due to a system-wide outage affecting its Unimatic system, which manages critical flight data such as weight and balance calculations.

The issue began around 6:00 p.m. ET, impacting major hubs like Chicago, Denver, Newark, Houston, and San Francisco.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued ground stops at these airports, halting departures for over two hours.

United reported that the outage led to more than 1000 flights delayed and 40 cancelled by the evening's end, according to FlightAware data. 'We're aware of the system error at this time and are working on a fix to have you on your way as soon as possible,' United posted on social media, responding to frustrated passengers.

The issue was resolved by 10:00 p.m. ET, with the airline confirming, 'The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and we're working to restore normal operations.'

The FAA supported recovery efforts by supporting to clear the backlog.

Confusion Sparks from Old Reports

Despite the resolution, confusion resurfaced on 11 August 2025, when old articles and social media posts about the 6 August grounding were mistaken for current news.

A Hindustan Times report noted that outdated reports on platforms like X falsely suggested United flights were grounded today.

An X post by @ALkhammas2 from 7 August 2025 stated, 'United Airlines has grounded all U.S. departures due to a system failure affecting load calculations. Passengers are frustrated, many stuck on the tarmac.'

Another post by @ospensadorestt on the same day claimed, 'United Airlines has halted all U.S. departures due to a nationwide system failure.'

These posts, no longer accurate, fuelled misinformation. United clarified on its website and social media that no groundings are in effect today, urging passengers to check flight statuses online.

The airline's lack of a proactive statement addressing the confusion has drawn criticism, with traveller noting, 'First experience with United Airlines is a bust. Too long to go into details.'

Current Status and Passenger Advice

As of 11 August 2025, United Airlines flights are operating normally, with no system-wide groundings reported.

However, residual delays from the 6 August outage persisted into 7 August, affecting some schedules. United has offered compensation, including meal vouchers and hotel stays, costing an estimated £2.3 million ($3,082,110) based on industry standards for similar disruptions.

The airline advises passengers to monitor flight statuses via its website or app, as minor delays may still occur due to ongoing recovery. 'Safety is our top priority, and we're working to get customers to their destinations,'

United reiterated in a statement. The FAA has confirmed no further ground stops are in place, and the issue was unrelated to cybersecurity threats, dispelling earlier speculation.

For travellers who faced delays in New Orleans on 6 August, the experience demanded the need for clearer communication. United's recovery efforts continue, with no new outages reported.