A significant outage in Microsoft’s cloud services led to widespread flight cancellations and delays across several airlines on Thursday, causing major disruptions for travellers and raising concerns about the reliability of cloud-based operations.
The Outage
Microsoft reported that an issue affecting various Microsoft 365 apps and services began around 6 PM ET on Thursday. The outage primarily impacted the Central US region, causing significant operational disruptions for airlines relying on Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, particularly Azure.
Airlines Affected
Frontier Airlines was among the most affected, reporting a “major Microsoft technical outage” that temporarily crippled its operations. The airline canceled 147 flights and delayed 212 others, according to data from FlightAware. In a statement, Frontier expressed frustration and worked to rebook affected passengers.
Sun Country Airlines also faced disruptions, although it attributed the issues to a third-party vendor without directly naming Microsoft. The airline experienced delays for 23% of its flights, significantly impacting its schedule.
Allegiant Airlines reported that its website was unavailable due to the Microsoft Azure issue. Approximately 45% of Allegiant’s flights were delayed, creating chaos for passengers trying to check in and make reservations. Allegiant did not immediately respond to requests for comments from Reuters.
Impact on Passengers
The outage caused widespread confusion and inconvenience for thousands of passengers. Many were left stranded at airports, struggling to find alternative flights or accommodations. The disruptions also highlighted the growing dependence of the aviation industry on cloud-based services and the potential vulnerabilities associated with it.
Microsoft’s Response
Microsoft acknowledged the issue and stated that a subset of its customers experienced problems with multiple Azure services. The company assured that it was actively investigating the cause of the outage and working on a resolution. “We understand the gravity of this issue and are committed to restoring services as quickly as possible,” Microsoft said in a statement.
Industry’s Implications
This incident underscores the critical nature of reliable cloud services for industries like aviation. As airlines increasingly adopt cloud-based solutions for operations, booking, and customer service, the need for robust and dependable cloud infrastructure becomes paramount.
Experts suggest that companies should have contingency plans and backups to mitigate the risks associated with cloud service outages. This event serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of technical failures and the importance of having resilient systems in place.
Conclusion
The Microsoft cloud outage has had a significant ripple effect on the airline industry, causing major disruptions and highlighting the dependence on cloud technology. As Microsoft works to resolve the issues, airlines and passengers alike are left to navigate the challenges posed by this unforeseen technical failure.
