Global computer outage forces mass flight cancellations across the US and wreaks havoc on other businesses
(CNN) — Hundreds of US flights were grounded Friday morning due to a technical disaster impacting businesses worldwide – leading to cancellations, delays and confusion at airports across the country.
A cybersecurity company said the debacle is “not a security incident or cyberattack.” But the technical fiasco has paralyzed airlines, banks, businesses and even emergency services around the world.
As of Friday morning, more than 1,400 flights into, out of or within the United States had been canceled, according to FlightAware.com. Charlotte Douglas International Airport told passengers to not even come to the airport unless they had confirmed their flights. Bewildered travelers at the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta were stranded as they tried to get to urgent events.
“So tomorrow, I have a funeral in the afternoon. And then on Sunday, I have my sister’s 50th birthday party,” said Ty Kelley, who was stuck at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday. “It’s really chaotic. It’s frustrating. And I’ve never experienced anything like this before at this airport.”
Live updates: Global tech outages hit airlines, banks and businesses
“The FAA is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines,” the Federal Aviation Administration posted on social media. “Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved.”
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that has Microsoft among its clients, “is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” CEO George Kurtz posted on X. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack.”
Kurtz later told NBC, “We’re resolving and have resolved the issue.”
“As systems come back online, as they’re rebooted, they’re coming up and they’re working,” Kurtz said on the “Today” show Friday morning. However, Kurtz said, it could be “some time” for certain systems that won’t just automatically recover.
What US airlines are saying
– Delta Air Lines “paused its global flight schedule this morning due to a vendor technology issue that is impacting several airlines and businesses around the world,” it said in a statement Friday morning. Delta later said it was resuming some flights. The airline apologized to impacted customers and said a travel waiver would be issued.
– American Airlines said it has resolved the issue affecting its operations Friday. “Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American. As of 5 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation,” American said in a statement to CNN. “We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
– Spirit Airlines said in a travel advisory Friday morning its reservation system was impacted by the outage. The airline asked passengers to check back for updates and apologized “for any inconvenience this may cause.”
– Southwest Airlines told CNN the outage hasn’t impacted its operations.
– Frontier Airlines and some competitors were brought to a standstill for hours after a significant Microsoft outage Thursday. The ground stop for those airlines has been lifted, and Frontier offered refunds to inconvenienced passengers.
– United Airlines said it was resuming “some flights” early Friday morning. United cautioned travelers they might experience delays Friday and issued waivers for eligible customers to change their travel plans.
– Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines said they were having difficulties involving booking, check-in and trip-managing functions online. The FAA announced Friday morning that all Allegiant flights would be grounded.
– Numerous international airlines also reported technical disruptions on Friday, including Virgin Australia and Qantas, along with airports across Europe and Asia-Pacific.
911 and banks are also impacted
In addition to flights, the technical disaster has affected some 911 operations in the United States; mass transit in New York and Washington, DC; banking in Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom; Hong Kong’s Disneyland; and the Israeli health service.
In Alaska, many 911 and non-emergency call centers are not working correctly across the state, Alaska State Troopers said in a Facebook post.
Phoenix police said the technical problems impacted the department’s computerized 911 dispatch center. “Our 911 center remains operational. If you need to call 911, stay on the line if you are put on a brief hold,” Phoenix police posted on X Friday morning. Later in the morning, the department said its “systems have been restored.”
In New York City, 911 services are operational, the mayor’s press secretary told CNN.
“FDNY IT and Communication teams implemented our redundancy procedures upon notification of the CrowdStrike outage,” New York fire department spokesperson Jim Long told CNN Friday.
In New Hampshire, some 911 services were down across the state overnight but have since been restored, New Hampshire 911 said in a post.
CNN has reached out to the Federal Communications Commission for more information on nationwide 911 outages.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Keith Allen, Kaila Nichols, Rebekah Riess, Amanda Musa, Kristina Sgueglia, Samantha Waldenberg and Robert North contributed to this report.
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