Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next? (2024)

Highlights: Recap AP’s coverage of the global outage.

Air travelers 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 canceled and almost 10,000 others delayed, according to tracking platform FlightAware. Worldwide, about 4,400 flights were canceled.

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

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CrowdStrike said it identified the problem and was fixing it, but the damage had been done: Hundreds of thousands of travelers 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 canceled flights.

The Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 2.96 million travelers 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.

Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next? (4)

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.

Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next? (5)

Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next? (6)

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 travelers 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 airport.

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.

Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next? (7)

Can I get a refund?

Passengers whose flights are canceled 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 travelers 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 canceled flights. When airlines in Europe are responsible for a cancellation or delay, travelers 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 travelers 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 canceled flights in December 2022.

The department maintains a “dashboard” showing what each airline promises to cover during travel disruptions.

Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next? (2024)

FAQs

Your flight was canceled by the technology outage. What do you do next? ›

Contact your airline

What is the procedure if flight is Cancelled? ›

If your flight gets cancelled by the airline, you are entitled to receive either a full ticket refund or a new flight. If the flight is cancelled after you have already arrived at the airport, you are also entitled to care.

Can I get anything if my flight is canceled? ›

Ask for a refund or replacement at the airport if you can. If not, you can claim from the airline later. You also have a legal right to: help with costs - if the cancellation delays you 2 or more hours.

What airlines are not affected by Microsoft outage? ›

While other airlines, like Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest, were not directly affected by the global outage, issues at affected airports still resulted in delays for some of those carriers' flights.

Is Southwest Airlines affected by the outage? ›

Some airlines, including Southwest and Alaska, do not use CrowdStrike, the provider of cybersecurity software whose faulty upgrade to Microsoft Windows triggered the outages. Those carriers saw relatively few cancellations.

What are you entitled to when your flight is cancelled? ›

Currently, when it comes to a canceled flight, you are entitled to a refund if you choose not to take the rebooking offered by the airline or if it does not meet your travel needs.

Can you claim flight compensation for technical issues? ›

EU Regulation 261/2004

Air travellers are able to claim flight delay compensation and are protected when flying due to a European regulation called EC261/2004 or commonly abbreviated to EU261.

How many hours delay before compensation? ›

Crucially, it's about when you arrive, not when you leave. You'll start being eligible for compensation if your flight arrives three hours (or more) later than scheduled. So if you're on a flight that takes off four hours late but lands two hours 55 minutes late, you won't be eligible.

How much does a flight have to be delayed to get compensation? ›

Claiming Compensation for Flight Delays and Cancellations

Delayed flights: you may be able to claim compensation if your flight arrived 3 hours or more late. Canceled flights: you may be eligible for compensation if your flight was canceled less than 14 days before it was due to depart.

Do you get money back for Cancelling a flight? ›

For the most part, if you book a nonrefundable fare — the most common fare type — you'll receive a credit or voucher for a future flight. However, you'll find that some airlines charge a fee to cancel, and they might base the fee on how far in advance you cancel.

What is a technology outage? ›

The failure of one component of the system, including hardware or software failure.

What banks were affected by the Microsoft outage? ›

LIST: Banks affected by Crowdstrike, Microsoft outage
  • Arvest Bank.
  • Bank of America.
  • Capital One.
  • Charles Schwab.
  • Chase.
  • TD Bank.
  • US Bank.
  • Wells Fargo.
4 days ago

Is Southwest impacted by Microsoft outage? ›

A story on the website govtech.com on Friday asked the question, “Why isn't Southwest affected by the CrowdStrike/Microsoft outage? “That's because major portions of the airline's computer systems are still using Windows 3.1, a 32-year-old version of Microsoft's computer operating software,” the website said.

Who is affected by Microsoft's outage? ›

Banks, airlines, television networks and health systems around the world that rely on Microsoft 365 apps were hit by widespread outages early Friday linked to the company CrowdStrike.

Is Southwest experiencing technical difficulties? ›

User reports indicate no current problems at Southwest Airlines.

How do I know if my Southwest flight will be canceled? ›

To know the status of your flight, go to Southwest's flight status page and enter your departure and arrival airports and travel dates. You'll be able to see any flight updates instantly.

Do airlines have to provide a hotel if a flight is cancelled? ›

The airline should arrange overnight accommodations for you, as well as transportation there and back to the airport, as necessary. This applies whether or not you have already been offered refreshments or compensation.

Do I get a refund on a cancelled flight? ›

Passengers can receive both a refund of an airline ticket and compensation for the cancellation, provided that their flight qualifies for compensation. To qualify, the airline must have let you know about the flight cancellation less than 14 days before it was due to depart.

What will happen if you cancel a flight? ›

Canceling a nonrefundable fare will result in an e-credit for the full amount paid (minus any cancellation fees, depending on fare type and route). However, if you cancel a refundable ticket, you'll get the amount paid refunded back to your original form of payment.

What happens to the crew when flights are cancelled? ›

What happens when the flights are cancelled? Air crews are paid a base salary. Then they're paid based on their duty hours. That duty hour starts when the plane is pushed back, even though the pilot & crews started working much earlier than that (the pilots need to be briefed on the flight & weather conditions etc).

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