Please move if this is in the wrong thread.

I booked reward flights (via Avios) from TYS to ORD for flight 3047 on December 24th for family members. They went to check in this afternoon (3pm EDT) only to see the flight was cancelled.

It seems odd that a flight is cancelled 15 hours prior to departure. A call with the AA representative indicated it was an FAA issue, potentially with the tarmac?

Are they up the creek without a paddle or are some options available beyond simply taking the next flight tomorrow? Unfortunately they already rented a car (priceline) and boarded the dog anticipating the early flight tomorrow morning.

Thanks!