Global outage taking a toll on incoming, outgoing Gulfport-Biloxi International flights
A global tech outage has grounded flights and affected the business operations of companies around the world.
Social media is filled with videos of long lines and confused passengers as U.S. air traffic virtually comes to a standstill.
Operations at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport have been affected, airport management said. As of 1:15 p.m., two arriving flights and two departing flights had been canceled and many of the rest had been delayed. Those travelers, with Delta, United, Sun Country, Breeze and American, are being rerouted and rescheduled to other flights, management said.
“We’re encouraging anyone traveling today to continue checking in with their airline for the most up to date information on flight schedules,” Chaille Munn, director of marketing with Gulfport-Biloxi International said. Travelers were advised earlier on Friday to proceed as normal.
The airport was trying to proceed with scheduled flights as normally as possible, she added.
National media outlets are reporting that the issue is predominantly because of updates in Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity software, and Microsoft’s Windows operating system. As of about 9:30 a.m., there aren’t any long lines at the airline check-in counters, but a steady number of passengers are forming at the post-TSA waiting area.
“It could be a lot worse,” traveler Jeremey Dehart said.
He caught the delay before arriving at the airport and tried rebooking from his phone. He’s optimistic. He was originally scheduled to depart with Delta around 6:30 a.m., he said.
Another traveler, Lori Nadeua, had been waiting in the airport three hours for the same 6:30 a.m. Delta flight that was delayed. She said she was figuring things out as she went along.
“It’s a good thing,” she said. “It could’ve been longer.”
Most passengers aren’t presently worried about flights out of Gulfport-Biloxi, they’re fearful the layover flights, in places like Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth will be the real stoppages.
For the latest updates on flights Munn recommeds travelers check displays in the airport. Otherwise, information will be updated on airline apps and with the airport’s website.
Flights out of the nearby Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans are also shows extreme delays, reporting from the Times-Picayune show.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published July 19, 2024 at 10:39 AM.
