Air travelers posted images on social media of long lines at ticket counters, and “blue screens of death” — the Microsoft error page when its programs aren’t working — at screens at various airports. The issue was caused by a software update sent from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike to Microsoft, and which it said it had identified in its systems and was working to resolve. Air travel is experiencing disruptions across the globe on Friday morning due to a Microsoft outage for customers of its 365 apps, including many major airlines.
In the U.S., more than 3,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. had been canceled as of 9 p.m. Eastern Time, while more than 11,400 flights had been delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service.
Airlines said the outage impacted the back-end systems they use to send key data, such as weight and balance information, required for planes to depart.Delta will have more cancelations Monday morning as it works through the continued fallout of the outage. The biggest continuing issue is with the carrier’s crew tracking systems, but the airline is “pulling for a smooth start” tomorrow morning, a source told CBS News.
The crew tracking system is working but it “needs to get working at a better clip,” the source said, adding, “Teams are working around the clock” to fix it.
“I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said Sunday in a message to customers. “Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
United Airlines
United said it has been able to resume some flights, but warned customers to “expect schedule disruptions to continue throughout Friday.” More than 500 United flights had been canceled as of 9 p.m. ET Friday, although some flights left from Newark airport this morning.
The airline added, “We have issued a waiver to make it easier for customers to change their travel plans via United.com or the United app.”American Airlines
American said it has restarted its operations at about 5 a.m. Eastern Time. FlightAware data shows that more than 380 American flights had been canceled as of roughly 9 p.mAlaska Airlines, Southwest, Frontier
Alaska Airlines told CBS News that is functioning normally. Southwest and Frontier also appear to be operating normally.