Airlines React as Cyber Outage Cancels Thousands of Flights

It was the content update nobody needed. When cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike issued an update to systems throughout the world running Microsoft Windows, scheduled to take place overnight from Thursday to Friday, those systems crashed. The result has been a tangled web of canceled and delayed flights, among numerous other business disruptions.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” CrowdStrike said in a statement, adding that the issue has been identified and that a fix is being deployed.

But as of press time, nearly 32,000 flights and rising have been delayed globally and more than 3,600 flights have been canceled—a number that continues to rise by the minute—as airline operations briefly ground to a halt, creating chaos.

“Our flight from Istanbul to Paris [CDG] landed just before 10 a.m. [Friday]. We were worried about making a tight connection to Salt Lake, when until I spotted the headlines. We’ve since spent the entire day in the Air France lounge watching Delta add an hour every hour to our delay before canceling,” Afar contributor Jeri Clausing wrote in an email with the subject line: “Cyber outage hell.”

She noted that Delta partner airline Air France “is doing its best to help but [representatives] said their computers simply aren’t talking to each other. Air France says we have been rebooked, but who knows? It’s a nightmare.”

She said that airport hotels are pretty much sold out and sent a screenshot of a rate at the Hyatt Place at Charles de Gaulle priced at $15,061 per night. “I can only hope that rate is a mistake,” she said, adding, “We’re off to the fifth arrondissement. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. “

What the airlines are offering travelers

Clausing isn’t alone in being stranded today. Delta Air Lines has been the hardest hit with 745 canceled flights on Friday as of press time, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. American Airlines has 354 canceled flights and United has 342 canceled flights thus far.

Delta issued a fare and change fee waiver on all flights purchased on or before July 19 that are rebooked by July 24.

“A disruption caused by a global IT outage is resulting in a ground stop affecting our operation systemwide,” Delta said in a statement, adding that travelers should check their flight status “frequently” for up-to-the-minute updates.

“When rebooked travel occurs on or before July 24, 2024, in the same cabin of service as originally booked, the fare difference will be waived,” Delta stated, noting that a fare difference may apply if the fare class changes for the new booking.

United Airlines has issued a fare waiver due to the CrowdStrike outage, too, for flights purchased on or before July 19, to or from the following airports: Cleveland (CLE); Denver (DEN); Newark (EWR); Frankfurt (FRA); Guam (GUM); Honolulu (HNL); Washington, D.C. (IAD); Houston (IAH); Los Angeles (LAX); London (LHR); Orlando (MCO); Chicago (ORD); and San Francisco (SFO).

United stated that “if your flight is affected, here are your options: You can reschedule your trip and we’ll waive change fees and fare differences. But, your new flight must be a United flight departing between July 18, 2024 and July 25, 2024. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked.”

American Airlines informed customers that “earlier this morning, a widespread technology issue with a vendor impacted multiple airlines, including American.” American said that it was able to “safely reestablish operations” as of 5 a.m. ET.

American said it will message affected customers either through the American Airlines app or by text message and that customers facing disruptions can rebook or cancel without a fee or opt for a refund.

Most major U.S. airlines are waiving change fees through July 25, noted Adam Morvitz, travel expert and CEO of Point.me, a search engine for points and rewards. “If you’re traveling on reward tickets, you’re in the same boat as cash ticket holders. While airlines will rebook you automatically, calling customer service might yield better options. Note that airlines won’t cover extra costs like hotels or meals, so plan accordingly,” said Morvitz.

Clausing added that given that the problem is technology-related, “as you might have guessed, the Delta app and website were useless error messages.” So getting on the phone or getting in line could be your best bet if technology is failing you for rebookings.

Airports that are hardest hit

As for airports, thus far Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the busiest airport in the world, has seen the largest number of canceled flights, with 266 cancellations and growing, according to FlightAware data. Other airports facing big numbers of cancellations are Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MPS), LaGuardia (LGA), Detroit Metro Wayne (DTW), Newark (EWR), Zurich (ZRH), Houston (IAH), and Berlin-Brandenburg (BER).

In a statement, Amsterdam Schiphol said that the disruption had a “major impact on flights to and from Schiphol” but that systems have been restarted and together with the airlines it is working hard “to get all passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible.”

There are approximately 110,000 commercial flights scheduled for Friday July 19, aviation analytics company Cirium reported. Of those, 27,000 are flights scheduled for to, within, and from the USA, carrying up to 3.7 million passengers, including international departures.

According to Cirium, there’s a bit of hope for some travelers—about 62 percent of flights are still departing on-time thus far today.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is closely monitoring the situation with several airlines having requested FAA assistance with the ground stops.

What about travelers struggling to use ATMs or facing banking issues?

In Paris, Clausing noted that a lot of the shops “were taking cash only,” as they dealt with the computer issues. She said she managed to withdraw the maximum allowable at an ATM “just in case,” but others might not be as lucky.

“Travelers across the world are currently affected by the outage and awaiting word on when they might be able to reach their final destination,” said Theresa Payton, founder of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity firm, and the former chief information officer for the White House.

“For those travelers experiencing banking issues, try all available options, such as bank withdrawals, credit cards, [and] checks, and if this doesn’t work, the best thing to do is call your bank. Closely monitor your statements to ensure any activity is legitimate and there are no duplicate payments posted once the outage is over,” advised Payton.

How long will the problems last?

Flight delays and cancellations resulting from the cyber outage could last well into the weekend, noted Morvitz.

“Airlines are working hard to get operations back to normal,” and the issues could last a few days, he said, adding, “probably until Sunday, so expect delays and cancellations throughout the weekend.”

What travelers should do

Morvitz provided a list of handy tips for travelers with upcoming flights.

1. Stay ahead of the game: The points pro advises travelers not to wait for updates from the airline. “Keep an eye on your flight status … if there’s a problem, make changes ASAP.”
2. Use the airlines’ travel waivers: All major airlines are offering fee waivers right now, including for reward tickets. Go ahead and take advantage to change your flight.
3. Explore back-up options: Research alternative flights and have a back-up at the ready.
4. Double-check your rebooked flight: If you changed your flight, double-check the status of the new flight before heading to the airport—the cascade of delays and cancellations could also impact the new flight.
5. Manage expenses: Be prepared for added expenses for hotels or meals that may or may not be covered by the airlines. Check your credit card and travel insurance (if you have it) policies for coverage and benefits.