Your Flight Was Canceled by the Technology Outage. What Do You Do Next?

A faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide on Friday, grounding flights, knocking down some financial companies and news outlets, and disrupting hospitals, small businesses and government offices.

New York: Air travellers became the face of the widespread technology outage Friday as they posted pictures on social media of crowds of people stranded at airports in Europe and the United States.

In the U.S., American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air had all their flights grounded for varying lengths of time. Airlines said the outage affected many systems, including those used to check in passengers, calculate aircraft weight and communicate with crews in the air. United, American and Delta issued waivers to let customers change travel plans.

By early evening on the East Coast, nearly 2,800 U.S. flights had been cancelled and almost 10,000 others delayed, according to tracking platform FlightAware. Worldwide, about 4,400 flights were cancelled.

Delta and its regional affiliates had cancelled 1,300 flights, or more than one-fourth of their schedule, according to aviation data firm Cirium. United and United Express cancelled more than 550 flights, 13% of their schedule, and American Airlines' network cancelled more than 450 flights, 8% of its schedule.

The outage, which began overnight, was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers, including many airlines. CrowdStrike said it identified the problem and was fixing it, but the damage had been done: Hundreds of thousands of travellers were stranded.

"This is going to have ripple effects for probably a few days at least," said Jesse Neugarten, the founder and CEO of travel-search site Dollar Flight Club.

That's because many flights are sold out or have just a few empty seats during the peak summer vacation season, which leaves airlines with less room to accommodate passengers from cancelled flights.

The Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 2.96 million travellers at U.S. airports on Thursday, the third-biggest day in TSA's history, and Fridays are usually busier than Thursdays.

Here are suggestions for people experiencing flight problems.

Contact your airline

Airlines should rebook passengers automatically, but that could take much longer as carriers recover from the outage, so passengers will have to take more initiative. And be more creative.

"People who are already at the airport usually go up to the help desk, but there's a line of 500 people. It's going to take all day," Neugarten said. He suggested calling the airline and using an international help-desk number if there is one, to reach an agent more quickly.

Another tactic is to post a few words to the airline on the social platform X. Many airlines have staffers who will help rebook passengers who contact the carrier through social media.

Use your airline's app — it may have more current information about flight status than delays and cancellations displayed in the airport terminal.

Check other airlines and airports

In the U.S., Southwest and Alaska Airlines said they were not affected by the outage. However, since it's summer vacation season, those airlines have a limited number of available seats left.

Neugarten suggested checking nearby airports for available flights, which might require changing airlines.

What about weekend flights?

Long delays and some cancellations could drag into Saturday and Sunday. Check the flight status on your airline's app or website frequently.

Some airlines are telling passengers to arrive as much as three hours before their scheduled departure times. Many experienced travellers scoff at such warnings; this might be a good time to take them seriously. The TSA app lets travelers look up the estimated wait time at their airports.

Is air traffic control working?

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Federal Aviation Administration's systems, including air traffic control, were not affected by the outage. TSA said its screening of passengers was not affected either.

Can I get a refund?

Passengers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to a full refund in the form of payment they used to buy the ticket. That's true even if the ticket was sold as non-refundable.

A refund may be acceptable to travellers who no longer want to make the trip, but many people just want another way to reach their destination, and buying a last-minute replacement ticket could cost more than the refund will cover.

Am I eligible for other cost reimbursements?

Airports in Amsterdam, Berlin and Zurich had particularly high numbers of cancelled flights. When airlines in Europe are responsible for a cancellation or delay, travellers are entitled to compensation under a regulation known as EU261, but that rule has an exception for disruptions caused by "extraordinary circumstances" beyond the airline's control.

There is no similar provision for compensation under U.S. law, and airlines set their own policies for reimbursing stranded travellers for things like hotels and meals. However, the Transportation Department appears to be taking the view that the cancellations and delays were within the airlines' control, and it is pressuring carriers to cover passengers' costs.

"We have reminded the airlines of their responsibilities to take care of passengers if they experience major delays," Buttigieg said.

Trade group Airlines for America said carriers hit by the outage were offering rebooking, vouchers, refunds and other help "during this regrettable situation outside of the airlines' control."

The Transportation Department fined Southwest $35 million last year as part of a $140 million settlement to resolve an investigation into nearly 17,000 cancelled flights in December 2022. The department maintains a "dashboard" showing what each airline promises to cover during travel disruptions.