Flights delayed, canceled due to Microsoft outage

WASHINGTON — While some airlines have lifted ground stops put into place overnight because of a massive technology outage linked to Microsoft systems, as travelers arrive at D.C. airports Friday morning, much uncertainty remains. 

As of 6:30 a.m. Friday, Delta Airlines posted a statement on X, saying, "Delta has paused its global flight schedule this morning due to a vendor technology issue that is impacting several airlines and businesses around the world. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible to resume operations. Customers with flights scheduled for Friday should continue checking their flight status via the Fly Delta app and http://Delta.com. We are also working to issue a travel waiver this morning that will allow customers scheduled to travel Friday, July 19, to manage changes to their itinerary." 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also said several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved. The FAA said customers can monitor ground stops here.

Several airlines made statements on X saying they were following manual check-in protocols and warned of delays due to the technical problems. 

At Reagan National Airport, at least two American Airlines flights were canceled Friday morning. An Air Canada flight was also canceled Friday. Large crowds were seen at the airport as the ripple effect from the early-morning Microsoft outage continues to make itself felt.

American Airlines shared on X at 5:45 a.m. that their systems were back online, saying, "Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American. As of 5:00 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

At Reagan National Airport, however, delays on most major airlines continued to pile up between 6 and 7 a.m., including American, United, Delta and Southwest. As of 7 a.m., at least 20 delays were posted.

Travelers waiting at security checkpoints said it was a rude awakening learning about the outages Friday, but they continued to check their airline apps hoping for the best.

"We pulled up, and these TV screens had frowny faces on them, so we got nervous because we were like oh my gosh, I hope our flight's not delayed," traveler Kaitlyn said as she made her way through the TSA line.

She and her travel partner Dalton were heading to Atlanta on an American Airlines flight.

"We're flying to Atlanta for a wedding this weekend, so we're really hoping we can make it on time for the rehearsal dinner," she said.

When our team checked the status of their flight at 7:30 a.m., it was delayed by about 45 minutes.

One TSA employee said throughout the morning that it seemed like airline employees were checking passengers in and sending them through security, and then the gate agents would have to deal with delays, which have continued to pile up throughout the morning.