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A global Windows operating system flaw has caused significant disruptions to various industries around the world, including travel.

A major IT outage has grounded flights, disrupted banking operations and temporarily taken out Sky News in the UK.

Here’s a breakdown of what happened, the cause of the problem, who was affected and what you should do if your travel plans are affected.

what happened

In an unexpected turn of events, a global Windows flaw has wreaked havoc on IT infrastructure worldwide.

The unexpected technical issue has grounded flights and caused widespread delays and operational disruptions across various travel sectors, including airlines and trains.

In a statement to TPG, an FAA spokesperson said:

“The FAA is closely monitoring a technical issue affecting IT systems at US airlines. Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops for their fleets until the issue is resolved.”

Notably, the IT outage came during the busiest day of the year so far for UK airlines. According to an aviation analytics firm CeriumMore than 3,214 UK flights were expected to depart today (July 19), from Oct. This is the highest number since 2019.

So far, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled globally, and the number is expected to rise throughout the day. There is also the possibility of a rolling effect throughout the weekend. More than 9,000 flights are currently due to depart from UK airports alone over the next two days.

What causes IT outages?

The outage was caused by a problematic update released by Crowdstrike, an Australian cyber security firm.

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers affected by a flaw found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not affected,” a CrowdStike spokesperson told TPG in a statement. “The problem has been identified, isolated and fixed.”

The cyber security company confirmed that the technical issues were not the result of a security incident or cyber attack, adding that “the team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

American Airlines confirmed with TPG this morning that the technical issue is affecting multiple carriers and that the airline is “working with CrowdStrike to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

The update released by Crowdstrike reportedly left Windows PCs displaying the infamous “blue screen of death,” rendering them unusable.

Who is affected?

The outage affected a number of large companies and services globally, with reports of outages affecting organizations such as Delta Airlines, Visa, MasterCard, Lloyds Bank, Santander, Amazon, Ryanair, Sky News and Microsoft Teams.

In the US, major airlines Delta, United and American Airlines were forced to place ground stops on departing flights while they investigated the issue.

As of 5 a.m. EST, the initial outage appears to be slowly reaching a resolution, and American Airlines has since resumed its outbound operations.

An American Airlines spokesperson said: “Early this morning, a technical issue with a vendor affected multiple carriers, including American. As of 5 a.m., we have managed to safely restore our operations. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

Meanwhile, a United spokesperson told TPG: “A third-party software outage is affecting computer systems around the world, including at United. While we work to restore those systems, we are holding all aircraft at their departure airports. Flights already airborne On to their destination.”

Across the pond, British Airways has said it expects flight disruptions today.

““Due to the widely reported global Microsoft IT outage, some of our flights are likely to be disrupted today,” a British Airways spokesperson said. on our customers as long as we can.”

Virgin Atlantic, meanwhile, is looking slightly better in terms of the direct effects of the outage, although it could potentially be affected by residual effects.

“This is not currently impacting our flight schedule, however, flights may be subject to some delays,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said, “We are monitoring the situation closely and our airports are taking measures to minimize any disruption.” Working with teams and partners.”

At UK airports, there are reports that this flaw has affected barcode ticket scanners at London Gatwick Airport (LGW), slowing down security screening processes when manually checked.

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport (LHR) told TPG that flights are currently operating and the airport is “implementing contingency plans to minimize any impact on travel.” Heathrow advises all passengers traveling today to check with their airline for the latest flight information.

London Stansted Airport (STN) currently appears to be unaffected by flights operating normally.

Within Europe, Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) is currently experiencing delays of around 20% of its departing flights. Flight aware.

Berlin-Brandenburg (BER) has currently canceled 12% of its flights set to depart today.

Apart from airports and airlines, the outage is also affecting the operations of train services, hotels and theme parks.

TPG’s Summer Hull reported that the Park Hyatt Paris is resorting to pen and paper for bills and receipts due to its computer system being down. Meanwhile, Disneyland Paris was also using paper printouts to show ride wait times.

Govia Thameslink Railway, the UK’s busiest train operator, has reported widespread IT issues, which could lead to potential train cancellations and disruption to real-time information. Sky News was also forced to go temporarily offline in the UK this morning, displaying an error message to viewers.

What should I do if I am affected?

You must be both proactive and realistic if your flight is delayed or canceled.

Download your airlines app

Start by regularly monitoring your flight status on the airline’s website or app. If you haven’t downloaded your airline’s app, Now is a good time to do it because it often has more up-to-date flight departure information than what is on the departure and arrival board at the airport.

Sign up for notifications, whether app notifications, text messages or emails, so you’re alerted as quickly as possible of any changes to your travel plans. Here are the details on that process American Airlines And United Airlines.

Monitor your flight ahead of time

We also recommend checking where your plane is coming from, which can help you understand the likelihood of your flight departing and when it might be. Your airline’s app may show this, otherwise we like Flightradar24, which shows the location of every aircraft in the world at the current time. By searching for your flight number on Flightradar24, you can find the specific aircraft that will operate it (following the aircraft’s serial number/registration). If the plane operating your flight will operate another sector before yours and has not yet left that airport even though your flight is scheduled to board soon, your flight is likely to be delayed because the inbound aircraft will be late.

Expect to be put on hold

Calling the operating airline is not advisable as you can expect long wait times and overwhelmed agents who may be unable to provide any additional information about your flight beyond what you already know. This is an ongoing situation that is affecting almost all travelers now.

Keep calm and know your rights

If your flight is cancelled, you should be automatically rebooked on another service by your airline, note that depending on the severity of the outage on your airline, that new flight may be several hours, if not days, after your original departure time. May be.

If you are not yet booked for the new service or the new flight is unsuitable you can actively explore other flight options. This can usually be rebooked through the airline’s app. It is best to do this as quickly as possible, as other affected passengers rush to book these alternative services.

If you are flying to or from Europe, delays and cancellations will not be eligible for EU261 compensation as the issue is beyond the airline’s control.

Get to the airport on time and be smart

If your flight is still listed as “on time” when you check the app, leave for the airport as originally scheduled. If possible, allow a little extra time for check-in and to get through security, just in case. So, if you usually arrive at the airport two hours before departure, try to arrive three hours before departure today.

Finally, be realistic about the situation and be kind to frontline airline and airport staff. Even if these outages are fixed quickly, the flow-on effect can last for days during such busy travel periods. Thousands of other passengers are caught up in the situation, which is beyond the airline’s control, and many will have their journeys delayed or cancelled. Airline staff will be dealing with many unhappy passengers today and over the weekend, so please be patient with them and help get you on your way as quickly as possible.

Related: Flight Canceled or Delayed? Here’s what to do next

Bottom line

An IT outage caused by a software update issued by cyber security company Crowdstrike has caused widespread delays and cancellations around the world this morning. The situation is currently evolving, although the root cause appears to have been addressed by the crowdstrike, and flights are once again starting to depart. However, due to the scale of the outage, we expect to see some ongoing impacts throughout the weekend as airlines seek to resolve this morning’s delays and cancellations.