Computer outage grounds hundreds of flights at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

A global IT outage caused the cancellation and delays of hundreds of flights Friday at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport.

The cancellations ruined vacation plans for many travelers.

“We were going to Orlando, Florida for a Caribbean cruise which we missed. It’s disappointing,” air traveler Kire Joyner told Channel 2′s Tom Regan.

The flight tracking service called FlightAware reported 648 canceled flights and 931 delay flights on Friday afternoon.

Would-be travelers had to stand in long lines to reclaim their luggage from canceled flights.

“It was an hour and a half to get up there and request by bags,” Walter Bell said.

Cyber security firm CrowdStrike, which provides software to thousands of companies worldwide, said the outrage was triggered by a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows.

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It not only affected airlines, businesses, and government services, it also impacted hospitals in the metro Atlanta area.

Emory Health Care said it had to postpone elective surgeries and other procedures and reschedule appointments.

A family with a loved one who had scheduled knee surgery Friday at Emory Midtown Hospital told Regan the surgery was canceled after they arrived at the hospital.

“We got our family from out of town for this surgery, for the weekend. And now we don’t know when it’s going to be rescheduled. What’s going to happen,” Michelle Bigle said.

Other air travelers said they were missing important milestones due to flight cancellations.

“We have flown so many times, we never had a problem. Now when we’re going to a wedding, we have a problem,” traveler Summer Trickey said.

The FAA said it is working closely with the airlines to resume normal operation but fixing technical issues could take several days.

Officials advise those with air travel plans to check with their airline to make sure their flight has not been canceled or rescheduled.

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