Bryan told CNN that Leah Bryan and her family sat on a plane at Kahului Airport in Hawaii for five hours before learning that their Maui flight to Dallas was grounded by the FAA Flights across the country were canceled on Wednesday.
Bryan’s final destination was to return to Kansas City after flying to Dallas. At around 10pm local time on Tuesday, she was told her flight was unable to depart and would be delayed.
“Initially, they told us it was a computer error on American Airlines, but recently they told us on the PA that it was an FAA problem and the planes were all grounded,” Bryan said.
Bryan said passengers had the option to disembark and wait at the airport, but she chose to stay on board because she was traveling with a young passenger who was already asleep.
“My daughter fell asleep on my shoulder, so we chose to stay on the plane,” Bryan said. “I feel bad for the flight attendants, they have been doing their best to make sure we have water and food.”
Five hours after Blaine’s flight was scheduled to take off, the family was told the flight had been cancelled. “They said the flight timed out while waiting for the FAA system to restart,” Bryan said.
After announcing the flight cancellation, the airline refunded the family’s checked luggage and is assisting the family find a hotel where they can stay, Bryan said. “At first, they said the hotel rooms were full. Now they’ve sent us to the ticket counter to try to figure it out.”
CNN reached out to American Airlines for comment.