Chaos Ensues at Airports Worldwide Due to Massive IT Outage

Airports across the globe descended into chaos on Friday as a massive IT outage caused delays, cancellations, and confusion for thousands of travelers. Ground stops were issued at major airports, leading to long lines, crowded gates, and frustrated passengers.

In the United States alone, over 7,300 flights were delayed and more than 2,400 were canceled by early afternoon. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and New York’s LaGuardia Airport were among the airports with the most cancellations and delays.

The outage, caused by an issue with the Microsoft cloud, also affected major businesses, police forces, and banks globally. Despite Microsoft fixing the underlying cause, residual impacts continued to affect some services.

Passengers at airports like JFK and Newark Liberty International Airport faced hours-long delays, malfunctioning monitors, and lack of information. Some passengers were seen fighting with desk agents or giving up and leaving altogether.

As airlines worked to resume operations, patience was tested for passengers worldwide. With airports struggling to provide updates and services, travelers like Samantha C. and Colby Black found themselves dealing with unexpected delays and cancellations.

The situation also had international repercussions, with airports in Paris, Canada, the Netherlands, and Spain reporting delays and cancellations. In Paris, the upcoming Olympics added to concerns about the impact of the IT outage on travel.

As airports and airlines continue to recover from the IT outage, travelers are left to navigate the aftermath of the chaos that disrupted air travel on a global scale.