Nationwide Microsoft shutdown cancels and delays flights, creating mass chaos for flyers at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on July 19th of this year.
The reason for these shutdowns across the nation stem from the use of Microsoft. Microsoft’s
shutdown was due to a glitch in the CrowdStrike software.
According to CBS News sources, BWI experienced 11 flight cancellations and 89 delays due to the outage. This disruption led to massive chaos within the airport, with lines extending up to 1,000 feet in length at the height of the incident. Reports indicate that airport staff were actively involved in managing the situation, distributing water bottles to passengers waiting in the extensive queues.
Spirit Airlines was notably affected by the outage. During this time, Reports from WBAL TV state that Spirit stopped all flight bookings.“Cesar Vasquez was trying to fly to Cancun on Spirit but was unable to get there so he rebooked a flight home on Southwest. ‘Spirit Airlines will not let us book anything right now,’ Vasquez told WJZ It, ‘ruined our entire vacation.”
They then required passengers with electronic boarding passes to go to the check-in counter to obtain paper passes. This additional step contributed to further delays and frustration among travelers. The reports from WBAL TV confirmed that Spirit’s response was part of an effort to manage the chaotic situation and help manage customer dissatisfaction.
In contrast, Southwest Airlines emerged largely unaffected by the shutdown. The airline managed to maintain normal operations throughout the day, effectively navigating the disruptions and minimizing the impact on their passengers.
Following the incident, Microsoft and CrowdStrike have been working to address the root cause of the software glitch and prevent future occurrences. Both companies have promised to enhance their systems and provide additional support to affected organizations to avoid similar disruptions.
In conclusion, this incident highlights the increasing reliance on modern technology and the significant impact that even brief disruptions can have on our lives. While the situation at BWI was eventually brought under control, the event underscored the critical need for contingency plans and backup systems to handle similar crises in the future.
Picture from CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/microsoft-software-outage-causes-travel-delays-at-bwi-airport/
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/nationwide-it-outage-causing-major-delays-bwi-airport/61645547
