Major Disruptions Hit LAX and Local Ports Amid Microsoft and CrowdStrike Outage

 Major Disruptions Hit LAX and Local Ports Amid Microsoft and CrowdStrike Outage

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) faced significant disruptions as dozens of travelers were forced to wait overnight due to a massive Microsoft and CrowdStrike outage. The incident, which began late Thursday, resulted in widespread delays and cancellations, affecting major airlines and causing chaos throughout the airport.

KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported live from LAX on Friday, describing the scene as "a scene out of a horror movie." The United terminal was particularly impacted, with large crowds of stranded travelers attempting to rebook their canceled flights.

Despite some American Airlines and Delta Airlines flights managing to take off early Friday morning, the situation remained dire for many. By 8:19 a.m., a total of 188 flights were delayed at LAX, and 102 were canceled. Among the canceled flights, Delta accounted for 33, United for 32, and American for 28.

One affected traveler, identified only as Sam, shared his frustration with Herrera. "My flight’s been canceled," said the Washington-bound passenger, who had been at the airport since 10 p.m. Thursday. "I’ve been hoping to get the standby for a new one but we’ll see. Kind of in limbo right now."

The tech outage's impact extended beyond the airport terminals to the streets outside, where massive traffic jams further exacerbated the situation. Vehicles were backed up as travelers and airport staff struggled to navigate the congested area.

The disruption was not limited to air travel. Similar chaos was reported at the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports, where shipments were significantly delayed. Hundreds of trucks were caught in traffic near the ports, waiting for their cargo to be released and loaded. This added another layer of frustration for businesses relying on timely shipments.

CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm involved, clarified that the outage was not due to a security breach. Instead, a faulty update issued to computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system was identified as the root cause. This widespread tech failure underscores the critical dependence on reliable software updates in maintaining the smooth operation of essential services.

As the situation unfolded, efforts to resolve the issues and resume normal operations were underway. However, the ripple effects of the outage were expected to linger, with travelers and businesses alike feeling the impact of the unexpected disruption.

For many, this incident highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to technological failures and the importance of robust contingency plans to manage such crises. As investigations continue, stakeholders across the affected sectors will be looking to ensure that lessons are learned to prevent similar occurrences in the future