Impacts from global IT outage minimal at SeaTac, airport says

Flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and around the globe were canceled or delayed Friday morning due to a major technology outage affecting Microsoft systems.

The big picture: There were reports of massive online outages disrupting travel, banking, hospitals and news outlets worldwide as CrowdStrike , a cybersecurity company that services multiple industries, went down worldwide.

• The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it is "closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines" and that several airlines had requested "assistance with ground stops for their fleets."
• George Kurtz, president and CEO of CrowdStrike, said in a post to X the company was "actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts."

Driving the news: American, Delta, United and Allegiant Airlines grounded flights early Friday morning due to communications issues, per an FAA alert.

Zoom in: Nearly 100 flights into and out of SeaTac had been delayed and 47 had been cancelled as of 9am, according to FlightAware .

• But Perry Cooper, a spokesperson for the airport, told Axios the airport and Alaska Airlines, its largest carrier, do not use CrowdStrike so the impact has been minimal overall.
• Delta, American Airlines and United had been affected but were back up mid-morning, he said, but other than that, "it's been pretty normal most of the day," he said with no major congestion in the terminal and very low wait times at checkpoints.
• The airport is recommending travelers check with their airline for the latest flight information and give themselves extra time arriving to the airport.

Seattle Children's reported its IT systems were down due to the outage and that outpatient clinics would be closed for the day though urgent care would remain open.

• E-book check outs at Seattle Public Libraries were down due to the outage but were expected to be resolved by the end of day.

What we're watching: The repercussions of an outage this widespread could be felt for weeks, if not months, Axios' Sam Sabin reported .