2,000+ US flights canceled: United, American Airlines resume service after global outage

Get more news like this delivered to your inbox by signing up for our Travel newsletter here .

William Sikora III was supposed to fly from Philadelphia to Detroit on Friday morning.

“We are stuck at this airport,” he posted in a video on X at 6 a.m., zooming in on blue airport screens showing system errors. “United, Delta, America, all this stuff is down. People are just sitting here. The apps still say our flight’s on time because they can’t update information in the apps.”

Air passengers around the world faced delays, cancellations and problems checking in as airports and airlines were caught up in a massive IT outage that also affected industries ranging from banks to media companies.

Several U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, issued ground stops for all their flights early on Friday due to communication problems, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

There were over 2,000 flights canceled and more than 5,300 delays as of 12 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware . Most airlines were able to resume operations as the morning progressed, but many said they expected disruptions to continue throughout the day.

More on the outage: Global tech outage grounds flights, hits banks and media businesses

Megan Brown said Washington Dulles Airport was surprisingly calm, even as the airline industry was in turmoil. She said the airport was less crowded than usual, making for a quicker-than-expected security screening, and passengers seemed understanding about the disruptions.

"We just took the gamble and came here, and hopefully we’ll leave today,” Brown told USA TODAY by phone from Dulles. “There’s nothing you can do.”

Her family's 8:25 a.m. ET flight to San Francisco was delayed, but they were able to take off within a couple of hours. "A cheer just erupted as the gate agent said we are going to start boarding," she said.

Around the world, airports and airlines advised customers to arrive earlier than normal for flights.

Around 9 a.m. Sikora posted another video showing fellow travelers sitting on the floor and standing in the middle of a crowded Philadelphia International Airport terminal.

“Everyone is in the same boat. Just wandering and sitting,” he told USA TODAY, hoping his flight, originally scheduled for 6 a.m., would now take off at 12:20 p.m.

Issues online: Instagram may be the best social app to get your flight issues fixed. Here's why.

The cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike blamed the global tech outage on a defect in an update for Microsoft Windows hosts.

The aviation sector is hit particularly hard due to its sensitivity to timings. Airlines rely on a closely coordinated schedule often run by air traffic control. Just one delay of a few minutes can throw off a flight schedule for take-offs and landings for an airport and airline for the rest of the day.

"This is not a security incident or cyberattack," Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz posted on X . "The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed."

Airline waivers and DOT requirements

The Department of Transportation confirmed that it considers the delays and cancellations caused by Friday's IT outage to be "controllable" by the airlines. While airlines may say they didn't cause the computer error, it means that the DOT will hold them responsible for upholding the commitments they've made to customers when it comes to policies like rebooking or hotel and meal vouchers as the mess gets sorted out. Every airline's policy is outlined on the DOT customer service dashboard.

Travelers are in for a rough day, but airlines are doing what they can to provide extra flexibility to those affected by the outage.

• American issued a waiver for affected travelers covering all of its U.S. hubs.
• Delta : Delta resumed operations just before 8 a.m. ET, but said it expects disruptions to continue throughout the day. The airline issued a waiver allowing all passengers traveling Friday to rebook their flights.
• United : In a statement, United said it was resuming flight operations as of 6:20 a.m. ET, but expects delays and cancellations throughout the day. The airline issued a travel waiver for select airports so passengers can make changes if their flights are affected, though a United spokesperson told USA TODAY that nearly all of the airline's flights depart or arrive in one of the airports covered by the waiver.
• Spirit : The airline issued a waiver allowing customers who are booked to fly Friday or Saturday through any airport in its network to change their flights at no additional charge.

What happens if my flight is canceled?

Department of Transportation rules require all airlines to offer customers a refund if their flights are canceled for any reason, but customers may be entitled to additional compensation if a cancellation is within the airline's control.

It is unclear whether an IT outage affecting all airlines would qualify within their control.

What should I do if my flight is delayed?

If your flight is experiencing a long delay, the Transportation Department suggests asking airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room.

The DOT dashboard reflects airlines' official policies, but many carriers handle compensation for delays on a case-by-case basis and may provide vouchers or other benefits in some situations that are not formally covered.

Contributing: Andrew Mills, Joanna Plucinska and Lisa Barrington ; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2,000+ US flights canceled: United, American Airlines resume service after global outage