Computer crashes United Airlines' reservation system grounding flights for 2 hours

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United Airlines flights nationwide were grounded at about 8am Wednesday
Airline suffered 'network connectivity issue' but did not give further details
Passengers say carrier's reservation system was 'down across the board'
At several airports, United staff were pictured writing out boarding passes
Shortly before 10am, two hours after incident began, service was resumed
Less than two hours later, NYSE halted all trading for unknown reasons
Airline has apologized to fliers for the nationwide computer system glitch

Published: 08:15 EST, 8 July 2015 | Updated: 11:29 EST, 8 July 2015

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Tens of thousands of United Airlines passengers were stranded at U.S. airports on Wednesday morning after all of the carrier's flights were grounded nationwide due to a computer system glitch.

At around 8am EST, United requested that all of its planes be prevented from taking off after it suffered from a 'network connectivity issue', according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Although the airline did not explain the nature of the issue, passengers said its reservation system was 'down across the board' - meaning those without hard boarding passes could not check in.

At some airports, United staff were pictured writing out boarding passes for fliers by hand. Shortly before 10am - two hours after the nationwide ground stop began - United resumed its service.

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Travel chaos: Tens of thousands of United Airlines passengers were stranded at U.S. airports on Wednesday morning after all of the carrier's flights were grounded nationwide due to a computer system glitch. Above, irritated passengers are pictured waiting to check-in manually at the United desks at Boise Airport in Idaho

Grounded: At around 8am EST, United requested that all of its planes be prevented from taking off after it suffered from a 'network connectivity issue', according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory

Not going anywhere: Although United did not explain the nature of the issue, passengers said its reservation system was 'down across the board' - meaning those without hard boarding passes could not check in

United Airlines flights resume after computer glitch

Apology: On Wednesday morning, United Airlines apologized for 'any inconvenience' caused to customers

Update: The airline later took to Twitter to inform customers that it was restoring its flight operations

Travel chaos as United Airlines flights grounded nationwide

In a statement before the stop was lifted, United spokesman Luke Punzenberger told Bloomberg that the company had experienced a 'network connectivity issue' and was 'working to resolve this'.

'[We] apologize to our customers for any inconvenience,' he added.

The computer error caused delays for around 3,500 flights at major U.S. airports before it was resolved, NBC reports. On its website, the FAA says the incident was due to 'automation issues'.

The glitch does not appear to have affected airborne flights.

Although a FAA advisory, seen by ABC, states that the ground stop began just before 8am EST, it was not reported until 9am - and United did not confirm the incident on Twitter until about 9.40am.

At 9.20am, United's feeder airlines - such as United Express - were released from the ground stop. However, United flights remained grounded until just before 9:47 a.m, according to CNN Money.

The widespread delays that occurred as a result of the computer glitch could have a snowball effect on flights traveling to hundreds of domestic and international destinations, aviation experts say.

Angry: A Twitter user posted this photo of himself and his friends looking annoyed on a grounded United flight

Stuck on the tarmac: Alongside the image, the user wrote that he was 'not happy' with the nationwide situation

Handwritten: Flights that were airborne at the time of the incident are not thought to have been affected by the glitch. Above, a Twitter user holds up his boarding pass, which had to be hand-written due to the error

Queue: United passengers are pictured queuing up outside a U.S. airport during the nationwide ground stop

People wait in line at the United Airline counter in Newark International Airport, New Jersey, on Wednesday

Less that two hours after the error was resolved, the New York Stock Exchange halted all trading, for reasons not yet announced. CNBC reports that the halt was triggered by 'technical issues'.

On Wednesday morning, passengers were taking to the airline forum flyertalk.com to discuss the United ground stop, with one saying the pilot told them 'three of four' computer systems were down.

Another said their plane had headed to the runway to depart, before turning back to the gate.

And a passenger at Port Columbus Airport in Ohio said the gate agent had told them that United's reservation system, SHARES, was 'down across the board', resulting in the nationwide incident.

'Every flight is delayed at the moment. Rough start to the day,' the user added.

Indeed, at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United passengers without a hard copy of their boarding pass were not being allowed to check in for their flights, NBC reports.

Confused: Shortly before 10am - two hours after the worldwide ground stop began - United resumed its service. Above, passengers are pictured queuing up at a United customer service desk during the incident

Stranded: One Twitter user uploaded this photo of several United planes stuck on the tarmac to the website

Halted: In a statement earlier on Wednesday, United spokesman Luke Punzenberger told Bloomberg that the company had experienced a 'network connectivity issue' and was 'working to resolve this' problem

Incident: On the FAA's website, the reason for the nationwide grounding is cited as being 'automation issues'

Meanwhile, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois - where around 120 flights reported delays - passenger queues stretched throughout the departure hall, with barely any room to move.

It is the second time in just five weeks that United has grounded all of its U.S. flights due to 'automation issues' after the airline suffered a lack of 'proper dispatch information' on June 2.

In that instance, the airline's U.S. planes were prevented from taking off for less than an hour.

In 2012, United switched to a new passenger information computer system that was previously used by merger partner, Continental Airlines - and subsequently suffered a number of systematic issues.

The airline has hubs at San Francisco International Airport and New Jersey's Newark Liberty Airport.

An investigation into Wednesday's incident is ongoing.

'Missing meetings': United flier Anthony Barrows took to Twitter to express his frustration at the incident

'How do all your computers crash at once?' Another flier asked whether United had backed up its systems

Second incident: This is the second time in just five weeks that United has grounded all of its U.S. flights due to 'automation issues' after the airline suffered a lack of 'proper dispatch information' on June 2 (file image)