A global IT outage wreaked havoc on US airlines on the morning of July 19th, with several major carriers being impacted by a ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Southwest

The communication issue is part of a technical error that is affecting business worldwide.

According to CNN, the cybersecurity company responsible for the disaster, CrowdStrike, said this was “not a security incident or cyberattack.” Delta, United, and American Airlines were all impacted by the problem.

Where are you flying next?

The Federal Aviation Administration shared an update and said, “The FAA is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines. Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved.”

CEO of CrowdStrike George Kurtz posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts.” It appears the issue is primarily concerned with Microsoft platforms, but a fix has been deployed.

Airplane

International airlines were also impacted, and so was mass transit in Washington D.C., and New York, along with banking in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and even Hong Kong Disneyland.

Some services have resumed, with American Airlines being able to “safely re-establish” operations, per the Washington Post.

In a post on X Friday morning, Microsoft reported that “the underlying cause has been fixed, however, residual impact is continuing to affect some Microsoft 365 apps and services.” The company later noted “this issue may be impacting any user attempting to use various Microsoft 365 apps and services” and said it would continue “to treat this event with the highest possible priority.”

Flights were grounded.

At Orlando International Airport (MCO), flight delays and cancelations were abundant, with Frontier Airlines being one of several airlines impacted.

Several carriers are currently experiencing a worldwide technology issue affecting their operations. Flight delays and cancellations may occur. For specific flight information, please contact your airline directly. Thank you.

— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) July 19, 2024

Tony Atkins with WESH shared a video on X:

A MESS: Frontier airlines is one of several at @MCO dealing with long lines and frustrated customers. I’m live on WESH (amid our own technical issues) with updates from the airlines. pic.twitter.com/PWjlgo9kXD

— Tony Atkins (@TonyAtkinsTV) July 19, 2024

WESH has reported that Delta has also resumed operations at MCO, but customers may still be experiencing delays and may have to deal with long lines at various airline desks to get things back on track.

Luckily, everything seems to be okay with Brightline train operations, per the post they shared on X.

Brightline is operating as usual. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

— Brightline (@GoBrightline) July 19, 2024

So far, it doesn’t appear that Disney World operations have been impacted, but we will let you know if we hear of any updates.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on this situation as it develops and let you know if there are any major updates. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest travel updates and news.

2 Reasons WE HAVE BEEF With the Orlando Airport

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

---

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

GET YOUR GUIDE NOW

Were you impacted by this outage? Tell us in the comments.