Global software outage cancels Chicago flights, delays Metra trains
CHICAGO - A worldwide software outage prompted flight cancelations and stalled Metra trains Friday morning at Chicago airports.
The technology glitch caused chaos on Friday morning with Delta Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines issuing statements saying that their flight operations had been impacted.
As of 10 a.m., O'Hare Airport reported 168 flights had been canceled and they are experiencing average delays of 44 minutes. Seven flights were canceled at Midway Airport with average delays of 15 minutes.
The baggage system also went offline at O'Hare, causing airlines to have to manually handle traveler's luggage.
It took several hours but the flight information boards eventually came back to life, with the words, "technology issue" and there were new departure times. Many passengers did not learn about the delays until they were at the airport, learning they might be stuck longer than expected.
Some left the airport. Some arranged for a rental car to drive to their destination.
At least two Metra lines were impacted by the outage. The transit agency announced the Metra UP-NW line was experiencing delays due to the "worldwide Microsoft outage." The Metra Union Pacific West Line has also reported delays. For real-time updates and other travel impacts, check out the Metra website.
The technology glitch was caused by a faulty update from CrowdStrike, a U.S. cybersecurity technology company based in Texas, in a single content update for Windows hosts.
It resulted in Windows computers and tablets crashing and displaying a blue screen, known informally as the "Blue Screen of Death." Over half of Fortune 500 companies use CrowdStrike software, the firm said in a promotional video this year.
"The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed," George Kurtz, the president and CEO of CrowdStrike posted on X. "We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website."
Flight disruptions
United says it is now resuming some flights but customers can expect schedule disruptions to continue throughout Friday. The airline has issued a waiver to make it easier for customers to change their travel plans via United.com or the United app, a spokesperson said.
American Airlines says it has been able to "safely re-establish our operation."
Delta says it has resumed some flight departures but additional delays and cancelations are expected Friday. A travel waiver has been issued for all customers who booked flights departing Friday.
"The fare difference for customers will be waived when rebooked travel occurs on or before July 24, in the same cabin of service as originally booked. If travel is rebooked after July 24, any difference in fare between the original ticket and the new ticket will be collected at the time of booking," the airline said.
The FAA said all flights, regardless of destination, have been affected.
FOX News contributed to this report.