MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- An unexpected alert early this morning informed many American Airlines passengers that their flights were grounded due to a technical issue. The hour-long delay had a ripple effect on travelers, including those flying out of the Memphis International Airport. An American Airlines traveler in Memphis said although delayed, she was staying optimistic she would see her grandparents in time for Christmas. "I am just trying to get to my family," said Margaret Sudduth. Sudduth drove from Oxford, Mississippi to the Memphis airport and is en route to Dallas. She was ready to travel by air the nearly 600 miles to visit loved ones. 📡 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. But, her scheduled 10 a.m. flight will now depart around 1 p.m. The Tennessee to Texas trip was delayed by a few hours and she learned about it through an alert from American Airlines.         "It's not that big a deal, but it's like I hope nothing else happens kind of thing. But it's okay because a lot of people are traveling today," she said. Those with the Memphis International Airport have been bracing for more than 100,000 travelers to pass through the TSA checkpoints during the two-week December holiday travel period. American Airlines says it was a "vendor technology issue" that caused the holiday hold-up. A representative with the airline went on to tell us the technical glitch had an impact on systems used to release flights. As a result, there was an hour-long ground stop issued by American Airlines. Shortly after the ground stop was announced, five outgoing flights were affected, with all five being rescheduled.