The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other internal tech outage United Airlines had to make a ground stop on major US airports in August, causing hundreds of flights to be delayed.
United stated in a shared statement that the outage was resolved quickly and wasn’t related to cybersecurity. Condé Nast Traveler. The failure of the tech was due to a system called Unimatic. This system houses flight data that is fed into other systems such as those which calculate aircraft weight, balance, and flight times.
United has a policy of treating disruptions as a controllable delay, If you are late by 3 hours, or more, you will be reimbursed of the cost of your hotel, food, and transportation.
These airline technology disruptions can leave passengers trapped on planes, or in terminals, for hours. Multiple US airlinesSeveral airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines as well as United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, have experienced IT system failures over the past few years. The worst was caused by an CrowdStrike issue in 2024The result was thousands of cancelled flights all over the world. Other carriers are not affected by this one, but it was a major IT failure that caused a ground stop for all flights on Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.
Here’s what to know if you get caught in the middle of an airline tech meltdown—and how to receive compensation for flight delays and cancellations.
This article has been updated since its initial publication with new information.
Do airline tech disruptions happen more frequently?
There are more IT system outages for airlines. “As airline operations, pricing and systems become increasingly complex,” IT failures are occurring more frequently and with greater technical complexity. Travelers United“, a consumer advocate group. “The complex airlines systems [are] As mergers have reduced airline competition in recent years, airlines have been thrown together as a result of pieces and parts from different airlines.”
Often these types of failures are caused by systems such as crew management software. This is an important component in flight operations. This type of system has “so much to consider, including time, flight crews with work rules, routes, aircraft and the current location of everyone and their planes,” says Mike Arnot, airline expert and founder at the aviation communications company Juliett Alpha. “However, when planes and personnel are so far out of place, it is necessary to cancel a large number of flights to reset. It’s not difficult to reset everything and put planes and crews back in their proper positions.
Get help fast from the customer service department
No surprise, airline IT representatives become overwhelmed in a meltdown. Gary Leff explains that when you need assistance during an airline crisis, it’s the hardest thing to do is reach someone. a travel advisor The author of an aviation blog View From the Wing. “The phone lines are too busy.” The website or mobile app may crash due to too many users seeking help.
