Airlines' travel waivers for Phoenix flyers disrupted by global tech outage

Michael Salerno, Arizona Republic
·3 min read
Travelers wait in a Delta Airlines line for information on their delayed or canceled flights on July 19, 2024, at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix.

Technical outages with Microsoft and CrowdStrike impeded airline operations on Thursday night and into Friday, disrupting thousands of flights in Phoenix and nationwide.

Numerous airlines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport reported flight delays and cancellations.

Several airlines — including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — issued travel advisories that allow passengers to get refunds or change their flights without additional fees or fare differences.

As of 10 a.m. Arizona time, flight tracking website FlightAware reported 149 delayed flights and 62 canceled flights out of Sky Harbor; 30 American, 12 Delta and nine United flights were among the cancellations.

Allegiant Air canceled flights on Friday

Allegiant posted on X that it canceled all flights scheduled before 11 a.m. Arizona time Friday because of the outage. That included a total of eight flights, four arrivals and four departures, out of Mesa Gateway, according to the airport's website. More cancellations may follow, Allegiant stated.

What to do if you're flying during the Microsoft outage

American, Delta, United, Frontier Airlines and Allegiant all had flights delayed or canceled because of the Microsoft tech outage. Frontier and Sun Country Airlines experienced delays and cancellations on Thursday evening.

"We could continue to see delays and cancellations throughout the day due to airline issues elsewhere in their networks," Sky Harbor spokeswoman Heather Shelbrack said.

"Staff mobilized and worked the issue throughout the night to minimize disruption to the traveling public and we continue to work with the airlines and business partners to support their recovery."

Anyone flying out of Sky Harbor on Friday should check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport, she said. Sky Harbor also has staff available in Terminals 3 and 4 who can provide directions or answer travelers' questions.

American Airlines travel waiver

American Airlines is waiving change fees for passengers who were scheduled to travel on Friday and can travel by July 25. Fare differences will not apply as long as passengers keep the same origin and destination cities and rebook in the same cabin of service.

Changes must be booked by Friday.

Details: www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp.

Delta Air Lines travel waiver

Delta is waiving change fees and fare differences for passengers scheduled to travel on Friday and can travel by July 24, as long as passengers maintain the same cabin of service as originally booked.

Anyone who rebooks their flight after July 24 must pay a fare difference between the original ticket and the new ticket.

Passengers also have the option to cancel their reservation and receive a credit for a new flight valid for one year from the date it's issued.

Details: www.delta.com/us/en/advisories/other-alerts/global-it-outage.

United Airlines travel waiver

United is waiving change fees and fare differences for passengers scheduled to travel on Friday who can travel by July 25, as long as passengers maintain the same origin and destination cities and the same cabin of service as originally booked.

Details: www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/trip-planning/travel-alerts.html.

Allegiant Air travel waiver

At the time of publication, Allegiant's website is out of service because of the Microsoft outage. Allegiant posted on X that customers should not go to the airport and will receive an email with options on receiving a refund or rebooking when its systems are restored.

Frontier Airlines travel waiver

Anyone whose flight was delayed for more than 180 minutes is eligible to rebook on the next available Frontier flight at no extra charge, cancel their flight and receive a credit for a future flight, or cancel and request a refund.

Travel must be completed before July 25, and the origin and destination cities cannot be changed.

Details: www.flyfrontier.com/alert.

Southwest Airlines travel waiver

Southwest Airlines has not addressed the outage or issued a travel alert. Its operations have been largely unaffected because of its use of outdated computer systems.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to do if your flight was disrupted by Microsoft IT outage