American Airlines delay strands GOP lawmaker, causes 3 House members to miss votes

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, blasted American Airlines on Monday after a lengthy delay left him and two other members of Congress unable to return to the Capitol in time for House votes.

Miller said the delay caused him and two other lawmakers to miss votes Monday evening, including final passage of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, which cleared the House by a 267-117 vote. The legislation would require major online platforms to adopt new safeguards for minors, including expanded parental controls, limits on certain messaging features and disclosures by artificial intelligence chatbots.

In a post on X, Miller accused the carrier of repeated operational failures, writing that "three members of Congress will miss votes tonight because of your incompetent airline."

The Ohio Republican said the aircraft remained on the tarmac for more than two hours before returning to the gate, where passengers deplaned and returned to the terminal.

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"We have been on the tarmac for over two hours and are now going back to the gate. Pathetic," Miller wrote.

Miller added that he has resorted to driving from his Ohio district to Washington for the past seven months because of recurring air travel problems.

American Airlines responded publicly to Miller on X, apologizing for the disruption.

"We know how important it is to get where you're going on time, and we're truly sorry for the delay," the airline wrote. "Our ground team is working hard to get you moving soon."

According to FlightAware, American Airlines canceled nine flights Monday and delayed 706 flights — about 19% of its scheduled operations. Airlines worldwide logged nearly 25,000 delays throughout the day.

The incident came as airlines prepared for one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen nearly 18.7 million passengers between June 30 and July 6, with more than 3 million travelers projected to pass through airport security checkpoints on Thursday alone.

TSA said it has fully staffed security checkpoints for the Independence Day travel period and deployed additional personnel and resources to support heightened travel demand tied to both the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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FOX Business has reached out to American Airlines for comment.