HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- As holiday travel reached its peak, some passengers faced unexpected delays as American Airlines experienced a brief outage this morning that affected flights across the country. The airline attributed the disruption to a "vendor technology issue," which caused a temporary halt to operations. At the Richmond International Airport, the delays were not insignificant, with seven American Airlines flights affected by the issue, resulting in delays of more than an hour. The problem has since been resolved, and flights are now operating as scheduled. However, for passengers like Khushi Gurjar, the uncertainty of the situation added to the stress. "I was sitting at the terminal, talking to a few people. They were panicking because everyone was trying to get home in time for Christmas," Gurjar shared. "So, they were figuring out if they should cancel their flights, fly tomorrow." Gurjar’s flight was delayed by nearly two hours, and the lack of a clear timeframe from American Airlines only added to the frustration. The situation was part of a broader trend of delays across the nation. According to FlightAware, a flight tracking service, 26 flights were canceled and over 1,000 others were delayed, causing ripple effects for travelers. With more than 3,300 flights scheduled for today, one of the busiest days for holiday travel, many passengers were left waiting and anxious about whether they would make it to their destinations on time. "I just don't want to be sitting at the airport for all these hours, or sit on the plane and be stuck for all these hours," Gurjar said. Jay Coe, who was waiting for his sister’s flight at the Richmond airport, shared his concerns. "It seemed like it might have interrupted our plans. We thought we might have to do something different, maybe get an Uber. It could interfere with our church plans," Coe said. He also expressed frustration over receiving conflicting information from the airline and his sister, who was on the plane, adding to the confusion. Despite the earlier issues, American Airlines assured travelers that the situation has been resolved. However, with the holiday travel rush in full swing, experts advise passengers to plan ahead and prepare for potential delays. As the holiday season continues, travelers are reminded to stay informed and flexible, as air travel can be unpredictable during this busy time of year.