Transport providers, businesses, and governments are scrambling to recover from a widespread technology outage that has caused chaos in the travel industry. The biggest impact has been on air travel, with thousands of flights canceled and delays continuing to mount. Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported around 21,000 flight delays on Saturday.
The root of the problem lies with CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that inadvertently deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows. This caused a global outage affecting various industries, including airlines, banks, healthcare providers, and retailers. The infamous “blue screen of death” made a return for many Windows users, signaling system failures.
In response to the crisis, Microsoft and CrowdStrike are working together to resolve the issue and assist affected customers. Despite efforts to restore services, the disruption has had far-reaching consequences, impacting travelers worldwide.
In Britain, the transport system is struggling to return to normalcy, with airports experiencing cancellations and delays. The National Cyber Security Center has issued warnings about potential phishing attempts following the outage. Meanwhile, in Germany, Eurowings expects to resume mostly scheduled flight operations after disruptions on Friday.
Delta Air Lines and other carriers have canceled hundreds of flights, while in Portland, Oregon, the mayor declared an emergency as the city’s computer systems were affected. Border crossings into the U.S. have also been delayed, causing gridlock at ports of entry.
As the situation unfolds, businesses and travelers are left grappling with the aftermath of the technology outage, highlighting the vulnerabilities of our interconnected world.