Microsoft software outage causes travel delays at BWI airport

A travel nightmare unfolded at BWI Marshall Airport on a busy summer Friday after a technical outage impacted airlines across the globe.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren reported a message across the speaker system urged travelers to "be patient."

Timelapse video showed the long lines for some airlines. Many passengers have been here for hours with no end in sight as the delays mounted.

The issue was caused by a technical problem that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said it had identified in its software and was working to resolve. CrowdStrike provides antivirus software to Microsoft for its Windows devices.

"Right now, we just have a delay of about a half hour," said Linda Swain who was on her way to a family reunion in Myrtle Beach. "That's why we came out early because we didn't know what we were going to be facing if it was going to be a lot of people out here or what."

Others were not as lucky.

Cesar Vasquez was trying to fly to Cancun on Spirit but was unable to get there so he rebooked a flight home on Southwest.

"Spirit Airlines will not let us book anything right now," Vasquez told WJZ it "ruined our entire vacation."

But he said his luggage ended up making it to the destination.

"We're trying to figure out if they're going to reimburse us. They did lose our luggage. Apparently, our luggage is in Cancun," Vasquez told Hellgren.

Southwest, BWI Marshall's dominant carrier, was not affected like most other airlines. Their terminal was still running smoothly Friday.

"I feel sorry for them because I was thinking, 'Oh, my! That could have been us," said thankful Southwest passenger Ellen Kunert who was on her way to a girls' trip in Florida.

WJZ was at the airport before 5 a.m. Friday and saw large crowds gathered near the Delta and Spirit check-in counters and frustrated passengers trying to get some sleep after their flights were delayed.

Just after noon near the Delta check -in, there was still a mass of people.

Among them, Remi, who was on his way to Nigeria for his son's 19th birthday but unsure if he would make it.

"You get the alert saying the flight was cancelled. It's just traumatic," he told Hellgren. "It's a whole mess."

Airport workers handed out water and some passengers like Bobby Toe, who was rerouted from a vacation in Italy to one in Mexico, were staying optimistic and not blaming airline staff.

"These folks didn't cause it, and I'm quite sure they had to do their jobs. At the end of the day, I'm quite sure we'll be on the beach somewhere soon," Toe said.

Passenger Linda Swain said it showed how fragile the system is.

"Technology! That's all I've got to say is technology," she said.