INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Holiday travel got off to a grinch of a start on Tuesday morning after an hourlong nationwide ground-stop order was issued for all American Airlines flights.

It caused more than 40 flight delays and one cancellation in and out of Indianapolis International Airport, according to FlightAware.

Travel disruptions on Tuesday afternoon had returned to normal since the brief ground stop. While flights are delayed at Indianapolis International Airport, passengers are still making their way home for Christmas.

One holiday passenger, Zee Royal, said, “They said it’s been a pretty good flight. They said it was nice in Las Vegas when they flew through.”

Another holiday passenger, Kirrsten Todd, said, “Their flight was 30 or 20 minutes early or something like that. So, pretty good travel day.”

Transportation Security Administration officials have projected low volumes on Tuesday and Wednesday, with 15,000 passengers expected on Tuesday and 12,000 on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, News 8 spoke with a family who was spending their layover with relatives and staying comfortable in their Christmas pajamas. Royal said, “It’s just like a big thing running in our family. We meet at our house every year. Everyone comes and gets matching pajamas; all boys get a matching color, and the girls get a matching set. So, everybody loves it! It’s a huge hit!”

Holiday travel delays are common, but glitches and outages can worsen situations. News 8 caught up with a family traveling to Rome who, to their surprise, have experienced a smooth travel so far. Julie Nahvi, of Carmel, said, “I wish we could have left sooner, but the best flights were today. So, we will be in the air when it turns to Christmas. We have one in Indiana (University) and one in Purdue (University), so we had to work with their schedules. We are getting away from Indiana? Instead of traveling in the summer when everyone else is traveling, we like to travel over Christmas.”

Another family from California maintained their festive cheer, expressing excitement about continuing their cherished Christmas traditions rather than focusing on travel hiccups. Holiday passenger Brantley Miller said, “I’m just going out to see family I haven’t seen for maybe a while. I just saw them last summer. We’re probably just going to go Christmas shopping and stuff.”

Despite any challenges, travelers showcased their determination to embrace this holiday season.