United Airlines router and network connectivity upset grounds flights

CHICAGO, 8 July 2015. United Airlines suffered a “network connectivity issue” -- a problem with a router -- that caused flights to be grounded for more than an hour this morning; the airline is currently recovering from the technical problem. “We are in the process of restoring regular operations after a network connectivity issue impacted our systems,” says a United Airlines spokesperson in Chicago. “We apologize for the travel disruptions that our customers have experienced.”

The airline requested a ground stop for U.S. departures at 5:26 a.m. PDT; the order was lifted at 6:47 a.m.

A router “degraded network connectivity for various applications,” according to Jennifer Dohm, a United Airlines spokeswoman. She assures customers that the router issue has been fixed and normal functions have been restored.

Within hours of the United Airlines issue, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) suffered a technical problem that halted trading. Speculation as to whether the digital events are related and intentional arose, prompting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to reach out to United Airlines and NYSE officials. “The malfunctions at United and the NYSE were not the result of any nefarious actor,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says.

Cockpit images courtesy of Shutterstock.