American Airlines Tops Stocktwits Trending List After Technical Issue Disrupts Flights On Christmas Eve: Retail’s Skeptical

BBC News cited the US Federal Aviation Administration saying there has been a "nationwide groundstop for American Airlines,” but later reported that it has been canceled.

American Airlines Group (AAL) became the top trending ticker on Stocktwits on Tuesday morning after a technical issue reportedly disrupted its flights at the start of Christmas eve.

“We're currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights. Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we'll have you safely on your way to your destination,” American Airlines said in a post on X.

Replying to an X user’s comment, the airline said, “Our team is currently working to get this done. An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they're trying to fix it in the shortest possible time.”

BBC News cited the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration saying there has been a "nationwide groundstop for American Airlines.” Later on, it reported that the "nationwide groundstop” has been canceled.

Shares of AAL were down just over 0.5% in Tuesday’s pre-market session.

Despite the developments, retail sentiment on Stocktwits was trending in the ‘bullish’ territory (58/100) compared to ‘bearish’ a day ago, accompanied by high retail chatter.

However, retail chatter indicated skepticism surrounding the stock following the developments.

Earlier this month, American Airlines said in an SEC filing that it now expects fourth-quarter (Q4) adjusted earnings per share at $0.55 to $0.75 compared to a previous estimate of approximately $0.25 to $0.50. The airline noted that pricing and revenue environment has continued to improve since its prior Q4 guidance issued on Oct. 24, 2024.

AAL now expects Q4 total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) to be approximately flat to up 1% versus the same period in 2023. This compares with a prior guidance of 1% to 3% decline.

Recently, the stock received a slew of price target hikes by analysts. Citi raised its price target on AAL to $23 from $19, while keeping a ‘Buy’ rating on the shares, according to The Fly. Deutsche Bank too raised its price target on American Airlines to $24 from $16, while keeping a ‘Buy’ rating on the shares.

At the same time, Morgan Stanley hiked its price target to $22 from $18, and kept an ‘Overweight’ rating on the shares.

Notably, AAL shares have gained over 28% since the beginning of the year.

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