Airports nationwide recovering from delays, cancelations due to tech glitch
AUSTIN, Texas - Airports globally, and here in Austin, are recovering from flight delays and cancelations following a glitch at the Austin-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
The software company created to protect data caused a massive global computer outage on Friday.
Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) looked completely different compared to Friday. There were no massive crowds and long lines at the airport after the error at CrowdStrike left thousands of travelers stranded.
Many travelers say they were frustrated by the inconvenience just 24 hours ago.
"I had to rebook a flight and my next flight home will be Sunday sometime. I am not sure when yet. I just feel that the data center world, Microsoft, would be more reliable," says traveler Jake Brown.
The CEO of CrowdStrike announced on X, formerly Twitter, the issue was identified, and a fix was deployed the same day.
"Even though the outage has been contained and airlines are operating, we now have a global network of aircrafts, aircraft crews, flight attendants, and pilots who are not on the schedule that they are supposed to be on," says AUS Deputy Chief of Communications Sam Haynes.
On the airport's website, there is a flight schedule posted for travelers to keep track of their flights and changes made.
"Anytime we see this level of disruption to the flight schedules, it always takes a while for our airline partners to resume normal operations to get back to their intended schedules," says Haynes.
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Airport officials are asking travelers to arrive the standard two and half hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.
CrowdStrike posted an apology on its website to its customers and partners for the outage.
"I know unforeseen things happen. I try not to get too angry about it, but it is just a burden, and it’s a burden on just about everybody here. I'm going to a hotel and renting a car. It is going to cost me about $1,000 extra," said Brown.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it is continuing to work closely with airlines to resume normal operations.