- A global computer outage has caused delays and cancellations for air passengers around the world.
- Several U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, ordered all flights to be grounded early Friday due to communications issues.
- The aviation sector is particularly affected due to its sensitivity to deadlines.
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William Sikora III was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia to Detroit Friday morning.
“We are stuck in this airport,” he posted in a video on X At 6 a.m., I zoom in on the airport’s blue screens showing system errors. “United, Delta, America, all of these are down. People are just sitting here. The apps keep saying our flight is on time because they can’t update the information in the apps.”
Air passengers around the world have faced delays, cancellations and check-in issues as airports and airlines have been caught in a difficult situation. massive computer failure It has also affected sectors ranging from banks to media companies.
Several U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, grounded all flights early Friday due to communications issues, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to the flight tracking website, more than 2,600 flights have been canceled and nearly 9,200 delays have been recorded as of 5 p.m. ET. FlightAwareMost airlines were able to resume operations throughout the morning, but many said they expected disruptions to continue throughout the day.
More information about the breakdown:Global tech outage halts flights, hits banks, media companies
Megan Brown said Washington Dulles Airport was surprisingly quiet, even though the airline industry was in turmoil. She said the airport was less busy than usual, allowing for faster-than-expected security screening, and passengers seemed understanding of the disruption.
“We took a risk coming here and we hope we can leave today,” Brown told USA TODAY by phone from Dulles. “There's nothing we can do.”
Her family's 8:25 a.m. ET flight to San Francisco was delayed, but they were able to take off a few hours later. “There was a cheer when the gate agent announced that we were about to start boarding,” she said.
Airports and airlines around the world have advised customers to arrive earlier than usual for their flights.
Around 9am, Sikora posted another video showing other travelers sitting on the floor and standing in the middle of a crowded terminal at Philadelphia International Airport.
“Everybody's in the same boat. We walk around and we sit down,” he told USA TODAY.
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Cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike blamed the global technology outage on a flaw in a Microsoft Windows host update.
“Today is not a security incident or cyber incident. Our customers remain fully protected,” said George Kurtz, CEO of Crowdstrike. posted on X“We understand the seriousness of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all affected customers to ensure that systems are back up and running and can provide the services their customers rely on. noted earlierThe issue has been identified and a fix has been deployed. There was an issue with a Falcon content update for Windows hosts.
The airline industry has been particularly hard hit because of its schedule sensitivity. Airlines rely on a tightly coordinated schedule, often managed by air traffic control. A delay of just a few minutes can disrupt an airport’s and an airline’s takeoff and landing schedule for the rest of the day.
“The issue affected many different systems, such as those used to calculate aircraft weights, check in customers and our call center phone systems,” United Airlines said in a statement. “After suspending all departures overnight, flights resumed Friday morning and we are working diligently to get our customers to their destinations.”
The story continues below.
Are flights still grounded? How long will flight delays last?
“Ground stops and delays will be intermittent at various airports as airlines resolve remaining technology issues,” the FAA said, adding that it is working closely with airlines to resume normal operations.
Travelers are advised to contact their airlines and monitor the situation as it develops. FAA Website for the latest information.
How to find the reason for a flight delay
Customers can ask airlines why their flights are canceled or delayed, but the Department of Transportation confirmed that it considers the delays and cancellations caused by Friday's computer outage to be “controllable” by the airlines. Even if airlines can claim they did not cause the computer glitch, that means the DOT will hold them accountable for honoring commitments they made to customers on policies like rebooking or hotel and meal vouchers once the problem is resolved. Each airline's policy is outlined on the DOT customer service dashboard.
THE Bureau of Transportation Statistics also tracks the causes of delays and cancellations.
Airline exemptions
Airlines are doing what they can to offer additional flexibility to those affected by the outage.
- American issued a give up for affected travelers covering all of its US hubs.
- Delta issued a give up allowing all passengers travelling on Friday to change their flight reservations.
- Border issued a give up offers rebooking for travelers whose flights were delayed by more than 3 hours. Customers whose flights were canceled can opt for a refund or credit for a future trip.
- United issued a give up for some airports so passengers can make changes if their flights are affected, though a United spokesperson told USA TODAY that nearly all of the airline's flights depart from or arrive at one of the airports covered by the waiver.
- Spirit issued a waiver allowing customers who have booked a flight on Friday or Saturday via any airport in its network to change their flight without additional costs.
What happens if my flight is cancelled?
Ministry of Transportation Rules require all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are cancelled for any reason, but customers may be entitled to additional compensation if a cancellation is within the airline's control.
What should I do if my flight is delayed?
If your flight is significantly delayed, the Department of Transportation suggests you ask airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room.
The DOT dashboard reflects official airline policies, but many carriers handle delay compensation on a case-by-case basis and may provide vouchers or other benefits in certain situations that are not officially covered.
What is considered a significant flight delay?
Each airline defines significant delays differently, but the DOT dashboard identifies airlines that offer compensation for controllable delays of 3 hours or more.
For example, all major U.S. carriers are required to provide a meal voucher for flights delayed by at least 3 hours for reasons beyond their control. Additionally, Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest offer a travel credit or voucher when a controllable delay “results in a passenger waiting 3 hours or more from the scheduled departure time,” according to the dashboard.
How to claim compensation for a delayed flight
Travelers seeking financial compensation for a delayed flight should file a claim with their respective airline. Passengers seeking other types of compensation, such as frequent flyer miles, can request them from the airline's customer service department.
Contributions: Andrew Mills, Joanna Plucinska and Lisa Barrington; Reuters
