Airline customers were hit hard by Friday’s widespread global technology outage, including effects that lingered even after the early-morning software problems were fixed.
According to FlightAware, as of 4 p.m. Friday 626 arrivals and departures were delayed at DFW International Airport and 140 flights had been canceled, while at Dallas Love Field, 113 arrivals and departures were delayed and seven Delta Air Lines flights were canceled.
Many of the disruptions were caused by the outage involving Austin-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. The company said the issue believed to be behind the outage, which affected Microsoft 365 apps and services, was not a security incident or cyberattack.
Three of the nation’s largest carriers — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — were grounded early Friday.
Greg Staley, spokesperson for the U.S. Travel Association, said the travel disruptions were frustrating and led to a “cascading effect that impacts people’s lives and the economy.”
“U.S. airlines affected by the global technology outage are working diligently to fully restore operations and help customers reach their destinations as quickly as possible,” Staley said.
Fort Worth-based American said it reestablished operations by 4 p.m. American had 6,026 flights scheduled Friday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, and 315 in the U.S. were canceled. American issued a travel waiver to let passengers rebook their travel during the upcoming week to and from the same destinations and origins.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines said it wasn’t impacted by Friday’s technology outage.
Jungho Suh, a teaching assistant professor of management at George Washington University’s School of Business, said the incident “underscores the vulnerability of airline systems.”
“As it reminds many travelers of the 2022 Southwest Airlines meltdown, this incident highlights the imperative for the Department of Transportation and FAA to collaborate with private-sector stakeholders to alleviate traveler inconvenience and anxiety,” Suh said.
InsureMyTrip, a travel insurance comparison website, said it anticipates an increase in travel insurance claims, with the most common reasons being delays and missed connections. Over 1,600 of its customers were impacted.
Including international departures, over 27,000 flights carrying up to 3.7 million passengers were scheduled in the U.S. on Friday, according to Cirium.
