The United Airlines terminal on July 19, 2024, when a global technology outage occurred at LAX airport in Los Angeles.
Myung J. Chun | Los Angeles Times |
Flight cancellations and delays continued on Saturday as airlines worked to resolve the effects of a global IT outage that caused chaos at airports and other industries a day earlier.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, more than 2,800 flights were canceled on Saturday, including more than 2,100 in the United States. More than 8,600 U.S. flights were delayed.
On Friday, more than 5,000 flights were canceled worldwide, including about 3,400 in the United States. Almost 13,000 US flights were delayed.
The disruptions on F resembled severe weather such as a winter or tropical storm, but airlines had no time to prepare for the disruptions and therefore had to rush to accommodate customers before a summer weekend.
A failed software update from CrowdStrike caused a major outage of Microsoft systems in companies around the world.
Delta Airlines canceled about 36% of its Saturday flights, compared to 32% the day before. The airlines waived fare differences and fees for affected customers.
American Airlines The airline canceled just 44 flights, or 1 percent of its core operations, on Saturday, compared to 11 percent the day before, making it the fastest-recovering major U.S. carrier.
“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and we thank them for their patience as our team worked together around the clock to return to normal operations just one day after the global outage,” American said in a statement.
According to FlightAware data, about 15 percent of United's mainline flights were canceled on Saturday, compared to 22 percent on Friday.
“Most of our technology systems have been restored and our reliability is improving, although outages and delays will continue this weekend,” United said.
How much customers on affected flights will be reimbursed for additional expenses such as meals or hotels depends on the airline's specific policies.
However, customers are entitled to a refund of the flight price if they do not choose a replacement flight or do not accept a voucher.
“I'm hearing reports that some airlines are only offering their passengers flight credits for canceled flights,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a social media post on Saturday. “To be clear, you are entitled to an immediate refund of your money if your flight is canceled and you do not rebook.”
— CNBC's Rebecca Picciotto contributed to this report.
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