Global Computer Outage Causes 3,000 US Flight Cancellations, Disrupts Businesses and Government Agencies
A massive technical failure on Friday grounded thousands of US flights and disrupted operations of government agencies and businesses worldwide, leaving passengers stranded, medical procedures canceled, and emergency services interrupted. Over 3,000 flights within, into, or out of the United States were canceled, and more than 11,000 delayed. Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina advised passengers to stay home unless their flights were confirmed, while travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest, faced significant disruptions.
Ty Kelley, one of the stranded travelers in Atlanta, expressed frustration as she tried to attend a funeral and her sister’s 50th birthday party. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it was monitoring the technical issue affecting US airlines’ IT systems, with several airlines requesting ground stops until the problem was resolved.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, clarified that the issue was not a cyberattack or security incident but a defect in a content update for Windows hosts. CEO George Kurtz assured customers that CrowdStrike was working to resolve the issue and prevent future occurrences. However, recovery efforts were slow, as manual system restarts required time and expertise.
Dave DeWalt, former McAfee CEO, mentioned that a coalition of private and government agencies worked overnight to identify and address the problem. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella acknowledged the issue, stating that Microsoft was collaborating with CrowdStrike and industry partners to support affected customers.
Several airlines provided updates on their operations:
– Delta Air Lines paused its global flight schedule but later resumed some flights, offering a travel waiver to affected customers.
– JetBlue reported normal operations but advised customers to check flight statuses and allow extra time.
– American Airlines resolved its issues by early morning and apologized for the inconvenience.
– Spirit Airlines experienced reservation system issues and asked passengers to check for updates.
– Southwest Airlines reported no impact on its operations.
– Frontier Airlines and competitors resumed operations after a significant Microsoft outage, offering refunds to inconvenienced passengers.
– United Airlines resumed some flights and issued waivers for eligible customers.
– Allegiant Air and **Sun Country Airlines** faced booking and check-in difficulties, with the FAA grounding all Allegiant flights.
International airlines, including Virgin Australia and Qantas, and airports across Europe and Asia-Pacific, also reported technical disruptions.