**News Summary:** A global IT outage led to widespread delays and cancellations for air passengers worldwide. Several U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, issued ground stops for all their flights early Friday due to communication problems. The aviation sector, highly sensitive to timing, was particularly hard hit by the disruption.
William Sikora III was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia to Detroit on Friday morning.
“We are stuck at this airport,” he shared in a video on X at 6 a.m., zooming in on blue airport screens displaying system errors. “United, Delta, American, all their systems are down. People are just sitting here. The apps still say our flight’s on time because they can’t update the information.”
Air passengers worldwide experienced delays, cancellations, and check-in problems as airports and airlines were hit by a massive IT outage that also affected industries from banking to media.
Several U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, issued ground stops for all flights early Friday due to communication problems, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
As of 5 p.m. ET, there were over 2,600 flight cancellations and nearly 9,200 delays, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Most airlines resumed operations as the morning progressed, but many anticipated continued disruptions throughout the day.
Megan Brown observed that Washington Dulles Airport was surprisingly calm despite the airline industry’s turmoil. She noted the airport was less crowded than usual, resulting in a quicker-than-expected security screening, and passengers seemed understanding about the disruptions.
“We just took the gamble and came here, and hopefully we’ll leave today,” Brown told USA TODAY by phone from Dulles. “There’s nothing you can do.”
Although her family’s 8:25 a.m. ET flight to San Francisco was delayed, they managed to take off within a couple of hours. “A cheer erupted as the gate agent announced we were going to start boarding,” she said.
Airports and airlines worldwide advised customers to arrive earlier than usual for their flights.
Around 9 a.m., Sikora posted another video showing fellow travelers sitting on the floor and standing in a crowded Philadelphia International Airport terminal.
“Everyone is in the same boat. Just wandering and sitting,” he told USA TODAY. The cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike attributed the global tech outage to a defect in an update for Microsoft Windows hosts.
“Today was not a security or cyber incident. Our customers remain fully protected,” Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz posted on X. “We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all impacted customers to ensure that systems are back up and they can deliver the services their customers are counting on. As noted earlier, the issue has been identified and a fix has been deployed. There was an issue with a Falcon content update for Windows Hosts.”
The aviation sector was particularly hard hit due to its sensitivity to timings. Airlines rely on a closely coordinated schedule often managed by air traffic control. Even a few minutes of delay can disrupt the flight schedule for take-offs and landings for an entire day.
“The issue affected many separate systems, such as those used for calculating aircraft weight, checking in customers, and phone systems in our call centers,” United Airlines said in a statement. “After pausing all departures overnight, flights resumed on Friday morning and we are working diligently to get our customers to their destinations.”
**Are Flights Still Grounded? How Long Will Delays Last?**
“Ground stops and delays will be intermittent at various airports as airlines address ongoing technology issues,” the FAA stated, noting that it is working closely with airlines to restore normal operations. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines and monitor the FAA’s website for the latest updates.
**How to Find Out Why Your Flight is Delayed**
Customers can inquire with airlines about the reasons for flight cancellations or delays. However, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has indicated that delays and cancellations due to Friday’s IT outage are considered “controllable” by the airlines. This means that while airlines may not have caused the computer issues, the DOT expects them to uphold their commitments regarding rebooking, as well as providing hotel and meal vouchers while the situation is resolved. Each airline’s policy is detailed on the DOT customer service dashboard.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics also monitors the causes of delays and cancellations.
**Airline Waivers**
To assist those affected by the outage, airlines are offering additional flexibility:
– American Airlines has issued a waiver for affected travelers across all its U.S. hubs.
– Delta Airlines has granted a waiver allowing all passengers traveling on Friday to rebook their flights.
– Frontier Airlines has provided a waiver for travelers whose flights were delayed by more than 3 hours, offering rebooking options or a refund/credit for canceled flights.
– United Airlines has issued a waiver for select airports, allowing passengers to make changes if their flights are affected. A United spokesperson confirmed that most of the airline’s flights operate from airports covered by this waiver.
– Spirit Airlines has offered a waiver for customers booked to fly on Friday or Saturday through any of its network airports, permitting flight changes at no extra charge.
**What to Do If Your Flight is Canceled**
According to Department of Transportation rules, airlines must offer refunds for canceled flights, but passengers may be entitled to additional compensation if the cancellation is within the airline’s control.
**What to Do If Your Flight is Delayed**
For significant delays, the DOT recommends asking airline staff if they will cover the cost of meals or a hotel room. While the DOT dashboard shows official policies, airlines often handle compensation for delays on a case-by-case basis and may offer vouchers or other benefits in situations not formally covered.
**What Constitutes a Significant Flight Delay?**
Airlines define significant delays differently, but the DOT’s dashboard highlights which airlines provide compensation for controllable delays of 3 hours or more. Major U.S. carriers are generally required to offer a meal voucher for controllable delays of at least 3 hours. Additionally, Alaska, JetBlue, and Southwest offer credit or travel vouchers for controllable delays causing passengers to wait 3 hours or more from the scheduled departure time.
**How to File for Compensation for a Delayed Flight**
Travelers seeking monetary compensation for delayed flights should file a claim with their respective airlines. For other types of compensation, such as frequent flyer miles, requests can typically be made through the airline’s customer service.
