For the third consecutive day, over 1,500 flights in the United States have been canceled as airlines grapple with the aftermath of a global tech outage that has stranded thousands of passengers at airports. By Sunday evening, around 1,600 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were canceled, and more than 8,500 were delayed, according to FlightAware.com.
Delta Air Lines was struggling to get back to normal after last week’s massive IT outage. On Sunday, it canceled around 1,000 more flights – on top of the 3,500 it had already halted https://t.co/js3IXvYOG7 pic.twitter.com/NiD3c60mFk
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 22, 2024
Delta Air Lines bore the brunt of these disruptions, with more than 1,000 cancellations. The airline attributed the chaos to an external vendor’s technology issue and is working hard to recover, offering travel vouchers, waivers, and SkyMiles to affected customers. Delta CEO Ed Bastian reassured passengers that the airline’s teams are diligently working to restore normal operations. “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly,” Bastian emphasized in a message to customers.
The previous day saw an even larger scale of disruption, with 2,136 flights canceled and over 21,300 delayed across multiple carriers. This issue extended far beyond airports, affecting businesses, government agencies, health services, banks, and educational institutions worldwide. The culprit? A flawed software update for Microsoft Windows operating systems issued by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which impacted an estimated 8.5 million Windows devices globally. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz apologized and said a fix has been deployed, but experts warned that returning to normal would be a lengthy process.
Airlines like United and American have started to recover, though not without continued delays and cancellations. United Airlines reported that most of their systems had recovered, but some disruptions persisted, with over 400 flights canceled on Saturday and more than 200 on Sunday. Delta has also paused unaccompanied minor travel until Wednesday, asking that no new bookings be made for such trips.
American Airlines claimed they had safely reestablished their operations and issued a travel waiver for affected customers. Similarly, Allegiant Air resumed normal operations but is still dealing with a backlog of customer issues.
Only a few years ago, travel seemed much easier. Today, there are far more delays and cancellations, making the experience increasingly frustrating.
For the third consecutive day, more than 1,500 US flights have been canceled as airlines struggle to recover from a global tech… pic.twitter.com/jPaV9EUYMU
— Christopher Levinson (@ChrisLevinson) July 21, 2024
The complexity of rebooting thousands of computers manually at countless gates makes the resolution process slow, as explained by David Kennedy, co-founder of cybersecurity company Binary Defense. “It’s not just as simple as rebooting. There are a lot more steps and complexities involved,” Kennedy said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation declared that the flight delays and cancellations caused by the system outage were “controllable,” meaning the airlines are responsible and must adhere to their customer service commitments. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed that passengers are entitled to a refund if their flights are canceled and they choose not to rebook.
The chaos was particularly evident at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, where officials activated a “concessions crisis plan” to support stranded passengers. The airport provided assistance and guidance to those spending the night and collaborated with airlines to create spaces for luggage reunification.
Passengers expressed frustration and exhaustion. Anthony Augugliaro, stranded in Atlanta, told CNN affiliate WSB, “It just seems like nobody cares about us. We’re sleeping on the floor. There’s kids sleeping on the floor and no one’s done anything about it.” Delta passenger Catalina Villareal described the scene as “Mayhem. Chaos. Frustration. Hunger.”
Thousands of flights canceled or delayed again as global IT outage continues to wreck havoc across the US – here are the airlines impacted https://t.co/fGAHyXiS4i pic.twitter.com/oSPFZen9r1
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) July 22, 2024
Richard Whitfield and his partner, Jonathan Shade, shared their ordeal of missed connections, extended delays, and nights spent in airport hotels without vouchers. Despite the challenges, they tried to stay hopeful and resilient. “For now, there is nothing we can do but wait and get a good stiff drink,” they said.
Major Points:
- Over 1,500 U.S. flights canceled for the third day due to a global tech outage.
- Delta Air Lines heavily affected, with more than 1,000 cancellations.
- The tech issue stemmed from a flawed Microsoft Windows update by CrowdStrike.
- Airlines like United and American are slowly recovering but still face delays.
- The Department of Transportation insists airlines must refund canceled flights if passengers don’t rebook.
- Atlanta’s airport activated a crisis plan to support stranded passengers amid widespread frustration and chaos.
TL Holcomb – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
