An American Airlines flight experienced significant turbulence while approaching Phoenix during the bustling holiday travel season, resulting in injuries to several crew members and one passenger, according to an airline spokesperson.
Flight 700 departed Seattle shortly before noon PT on Thursday and encountered the turbulence about an hour and 45 minutes into its 2.5-hour journey. Data from FlightAware.com revealed the Boeing 737 MAX 9 descended over 200 feet within 30 seconds during the incident.
The aircraft landed safely in Phoenix at 3:10 p.m. MT (2:10 p.m. PT). Alaska Airlines confirmed that the injured crew members and passenger received medical attention, though further details about their conditions were withheld out of respect for their privacy.
Last week, American Airlines lifted a nationwide groundstop after reporting a “technical issue.”
“We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights,” the airline wrote on X. “Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination.”
A statement on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website noted the airline requested a “nationwide groundstop.”
In a statement to ABC News, American Airlines said, “A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed.”
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning,” the statement added. “It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible.”
The issue came as 120 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holidays, an increase of three million compared to last year.
Earlier this month, American Airlines agreed to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices after pressure from conservative organization America First Legal (AFL). This agreement followed a federal civil rights complaint AFL filed in January, accusing the airline of breaching federal contracting requirements. According to AFL, despite receiving over $140 million in federal contracts since 2008, American Airlines implemented hiring programs that allegedly discriminated based on race and sex.