Global tech outage hits Columbus travelers

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A global Microsoft outage brought the travel world to a halt on July 19 as an information technology glitch crashed systems everywhere.

CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity company behind the glitch, said this is not a cyber attack and that it has a solution.

Airlines felt the heat, but so did businesses and city governments. It was no different here in Columbus.

According to a flight tracking site, around 4 p.m. on Friday, 90 flights had been delayed and 41 canceled at CMH.

While people waited hours in lines, people down at Columbus City Hall were also struggling with the outage. Columbus city websites frequently displayed an error message. It was like that for sites such as 311, Columbus' customer service center.

City website outages may not have effected too many citizens, but for others -- especially those hoping to get on a plane -- this outage had a larger impact.

"When I walked in this line was almost to the door. And since I've been here, it has been out the door," Kyra Haddad, who was flying out of CMH, said.

United and Delta Airlines had the longest lines outside security. 

"I didn't even know about it until this morning when I saw that my plane was, like, canceled. It was delayed for 6 hours originally," Tara Shopp, who was trying to fly to Atlanta, said.

Both of those airlines and others, like American Airlines, have issued travel waivers to help people rebook. However, they said they still expect issues to continue as everyone works to get back on track.

"There's a lot of questions -- will the planes actually be taking off tomorrow?" Shopp said.

For some, the delays were hours; others saw their flights canceled.

"My sister and her husband just had to pay $1,600 to get on a flight tonight," Maureen Rohkamm, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, said. 

One group, traveling internationally for a service trip, has three flights to worry about, but are still keeping things positive.

"We're just trying to be patient. Folks are doing their best. We'll get there," David Cady with Living Water International said.

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority said that its team is ready to help get the airlines and passengers moving once the issue is resolved.