To review this article, select My Profile and then View Saved Stories.
Early Friday morning, a faulty software update from security firm CrowdStrike destroyed Windows computers around the world. For the aviation industry, the disruption created the kind of chaos normally reserved for sudden, catastrophic weather conditions, unless they are global and at the same time.
The disruption highlighted an intentional but hard-to-understand fact about the aviation industry: the formulas that allow entry and exit from airports are complex and optimized for their power and profits. For passengers, the merit of this formula is the reduction in the price of tickets. But the problem is that if one component of the formula goes bad, the industry can grind to a halt.
It unfolded in real time on Friday. In the United States, the three main airlines (Delta, American and United) suspended flights for several hours. A handful of global airports, including Hong Kong International Airport, Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in India and Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, have turned to the manual. as of Friday afternoon, more than 4,000 flights had been canceled and 35,500 delayed worldwide, according to flight tracking company FlightAware.
“Earlier today, an update to CrowdStrike caused several computer systems around the world to fail,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re active customers to help them get back on their feet. “
Delta, American and United likely would have experienced more cancellations than other airlines (including easyJet, Allegiant Air and Southwest) due to their hub-and-spoke model. This strategy concentrates flights and crews at a few giant airports – the hubs – and increases the likelihood that passengers traveling outside the hubs will be forced to make connections through those hubs. This centralization allows airlines to offer passengers more flight options, but through connections, and concentrate their maintenance and floor management in fewer locations, saving them money.
Because the hub-and-spoke formula relies heavily on how flights temporarily leave busy major airports, airlines have come to rely on a series of automated formulas to check passengers, notify them of boarding or delays, and unload baggage handlers. in the right position at the right time, etc. , explains Michael McCormick, professor and coordinator of the air traffic control program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “Automation also affects airline operations,” he says.
But automation requires computers. When those computers fail at a given airport, the effects can multiply and delays accumulate. But when they fail in the centers, the entire aviation formula is strangled. This occurs even if the technologies used to pilot and steer aircraft in flight are not affected. For example: the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)The U. S. Department of Homeland Security published on Friday morning that it was “not affected by the global IT problem. “
The complexity of the aviation industry also goes far beyond computers. Airports are rare compared to small cities, and for good reason: airlines are the “brands” that travelers interact with most frequently, there are plenty of other corporations that help get planes off the ground. the ground. And it turns out that some of them depend on CrowdStrike.
Unifi Aviation is one of the largest floor handling corporations in the United States and has contracts with airlines to supply all types of airport operations, such as gate agents, cabin cleaners, and baggage handlers on the runways. Its systems also failed on Friday morning, Chief Executive Officer Gautam Thakkar said. he said, leaving the company to take charge, for example, of telling cabin cleaners where to pass or preparing wheelchairs for passengers boarding and disembarking flights. Fortunately for the company, there wasn’t much I could do, as the airlines it works with were not flying. ” As soon as flights resumed, we were in a position to pass,” Thakkar says.
The repercussions of the blackout could last for days, long after the aviation industry has upgraded its computers, says Michael McCormick, a professor and air traffic control program coordinator at Embry-Riddle. The affected airlines “have flight crews, cabin crew, suitcases, and planes scattered throughout the United States,” it says. The time it takes to get them back to the right place and send passengers to their intended destination can simply be measured in days, not hours, he says.
On Friday afternoon, on the East Coast of the United States, even after most global airlines resumed flights, flight tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that more than a third of scheduled departures from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the hub of Delta Airlines, had been cancelled. , and 60% were delayed with an average of 116 minutes.
J. D. Vance made his Venmo public. Here’s what it shows
If you have been affected by the Crowdstrike outage, do not fall for those scams.
Navigate the election season with our WIRED Podcast and Politics Lab
He earned $10,000 a month defrauding apps like Uber and Instacart. Meet the queen of the rideshare mafia
Give your back a break: These are the most productive chairs we’ve tested
Save $7 to $23 on Turbo Tax Online
20% Off All H Tax Software
Enjoy $15 Off Your Orders With Instacart Coupon
Extra 20% Off Dyson Technologies With Owner Rewards
Get Up To Extra 45% Off July Sale
Vista Print Coupon Code: 20% Off Select Posters
More from CABLING
Reviews & Guides
© 2024 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices