A massive global tech outage on Friday wreaked havoc across various industries, leaving travelers stranded and surgeries canceled. The disruption, caused by a faulty software update from US cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, paralyzed systems relied upon by airlines, hospitals, and other sectors.
Frustrated air travelers faced flight cancellations and delays. At JFK Airport in New York, Gary Robertson, a Queens resident, expressed his anger after his family's flight to Orlando was canceled. The family had planned a cruise vacation but found themselves stuck at the airport with no immediate resolution.
LaGuardia Airport reported 85 canceled flights and 185 delays, while JFK saw dozens of lengthy delays and 47 cancellations by the afternoon. Passengers like Robertson were left scrambling to make alternative arrangements.
Bronx couple Mitch and Hope Mitchell also faced disruption when their flight to Minneapolis was canceled, causing them to miss the first day of a work conference. Hope, who is five months pregnant, described the situation as "very frustrating" and detailed the financial and physical toll of the ordeal.
Baltimore’s airport saw massive lines as Spirit Airlines personnel manually issued paper tickets, causing significant wait times. Rose Geffrard, a nurse traveling to a cousin's wedding in Boston, described the cumbersome process of manually checking in passengers and assigning seats.
The tech outage extended beyond travel. The outage's effects were also felt in the healthcare sector. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City paused procedures requiring anesthesia. However, patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals continued normally, with outpatient services at Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia being assessed for impact.
Mass General Brigham in Massachusetts canceled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits due to the severity of the outage. The healthcare system assured that urgent care and ongoing treatments in their hospitals remained unaffected.
