Widespread technology outage impacts Charlotte airport, DMV offices

CHARLOTTE — A faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide on Friday, grounding flights, knocking down some financial companies and news outlets, and disrupting hospitals, small businesses and government offices.

It all started around 3 a.m. Friday. The CEO of the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the issue happened when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows, adding it was not a cyberattack.

But the issue forced American Airlines, Delta, and United — some of the largest airlines in the county — to issue ground stops. It turned airports like the Charlotte Douglas International Airport into travel nightmares.

After announcing around 10 a.m. the outages had been fixed, the airport said passengers should still expect cancellations and delays to continue throughout the day.

“Waited in that line for two hours and 15 minutes to talk to somebody, just to get to there and tell us it was canceled anyway,” said passenger Emily Vogel. “There are no other flights out today.”

Around noon, Channel 9′s Almiya White could see the TSA line was still extremely long.

By 4 p.m., the Charlotte airport had more than 680 delays and 160 canceled flights, according to FlightAware. They encouraged passengers to contact their airlines directly for the latest flight information.

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Global IT outage BANGKOK, THAILAND - JULY 19: Passengers checking their phones at Suvarnabhumi Airport as a global IT disruption caused by a Microsoft outage and a Crowdstrike IT problem combine to affect users"on July 19, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. on July 19, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. A significant Microsoft outage impacted users globally, leading to widespread disruptions, including cancelled flights and disruptions at retailers globally. Airlines like American Airlines and Southwest Airlines reported difficulties with their systems, which rely on Microsoft services for operations. The outage affected check-in processes and other essential functions, causing frustration among travellers and lines to back up at many affected airports worldwide. (Photo by Mailee Osten-Tan/Getty Images) (Mailee Osten-Tan/Getty Images)

By 5 p.m., the lines were much shorter, but passengers said the airport had been chaos all day. Many said they had exciting plans to look forward to.

“I was going to be meeting my husband’s family for the first time,” Vogel said.

“We’re just going to visit her grandparents in New Jersey for a week,” Stephanie Olberding said.

American Airlines runs 6,700 flights every day, 700 of which come through Charlotte.

“Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American,” they said in a statement. “As of 5 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

“A third-party software outage is impacting computer systems worldwide, including at United,” said United Airlines in a statement. “While we work to restore those systems, we are holding all aircraft at their departure airports. Flights already airborne are continuing to their destinations.”

Some passengers decided to wait out the disturbance and opted into handwritten boarding passes.

“We had to stand in a long line to get a handwritten ticket,” said Roy and Shanta Spratlan. “I was overwhelmed. Just look at that crowd. Just to see everyone waiting in line — it was overwhelming.”

The outage also impacted the computer systems of restaurants inside of the airport.

“None of the restaurants were taking credit or debit cards. It was cash only. So it’s been a little chaotic,” Olberding said.

As passengers try to rebook their flights, some aren’t confident they’ll be able to get a flight this weekend.

At one point Friday morning, the airport even told travelers not to even show up unless they had confirmed with their airline that their flight was on schedule.

More local impacts

The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, which includes driver’s license offices and license plate agencies, was also affected. The NCDMV said it will reach out to customers individually to reschedule their appointments.

According to the agency, the outage also affected some myNCDMV.gov online services.

The Charlotte Area Transit System also announced that its website has been impacted by the outage. CATS said while their website is not currently accessible, they are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

By 1:45 p.m., CATS said it was fixed.

The City of Charlotte’s website was also down.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said it could not assist customers due to the outage. They said their website was also affected.

DMV and NCDOT services were back back the evening.

The Charlotte Department of Transportation said their web-based systems are also being impacted, but 311 is not.

This is a developing story; check wsoctv.com for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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