Flight delays, cancellations continue Sunday at Atlanta airport after global IT outage

ATLANTA - Flight delays and cancellations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continued into Sunday after a global IT outage on Friday.

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, there were more than 700 cancelations and 500 delays impacting passengers in the United States. That included many delays and cancellations at the world's busiest airport in Atlanta.

Many people contacted FOX 5 Atlanta overnight, sharing photos and video of people sleeping in the airport.

At this time, it is unknown when things will return to normal.

On Sunday afternoon, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport issued the following statement about the outage:

"ATL is working with its airline partners as their systems return to normal. Although airport-operated systems were not impacted, we are providing support to passengers and employees throughout the facility.

"ATL has implemented its concessions crisis plan, ensuring concessions availability while all flights are operating. We’ve provided assistance and guidance to passengers spending the night in the airport, and we’re collaborating with our airlines to create space for luggage reunification areas. We suggest passengers follow their airline social media and messaging apps for updates, they monitor ATL.com for parking, security, and concessions options, and they seek out green-coated ATL guest services representatives for airport-related information.

"Specific airline operational questions should be directed to the airlines."

ORIGINAL STORY

Thousands of passengers remain stranded at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest airport, following a massive software outage that has disrupted global travel. As of Saturday morning, over 200 flight cancelations have already been reported by FlightAware.

Good Day Atlanta's Lindsay Tuman was live at Hartsfield-Jackson, reporting on the ongoing chaos.

Unfortunately, the situation hasn't improved much over the past few hours. The lines are still snaking around, with some even extending to the doors where passengers wait to speak to ticketing agents. This is a nightmare for many, and it seems likely to continue through today and possibly into tomorrow.

Long lines and frustrated passengers have been a constant sight over the last 24 hours. One passenger, Pat O'Brien, who has been at the airport since Thursday, described the experience: "We've faced delay after delay. The flight was canceled multiple times. It's been a really tough situation."

FlightAware reported that hundreds of flights in and out of Atlanta were canceled, with more than 1,000 delayed since Friday afternoon. Passengers are feeling the ripple effects as airlines scramble to reschedule flights. "I'm still in this queue, and I don't know what's going to happen. It's ridiculous. I'm exhausted from being here so long," one passenger lamented.

The situation appears to be worsening. 

"I just checked FlightAware again, and there are now 66 delayed flights and 253 canceled flights today. It's a nightmare," Tuman reported.

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In addition to the airport chaos, the software outage has impacted other areas. DeKalb County reported computer issues affecting utility bill payments, permitting systems, and court services on Friday. The Breeze mobile app and state tax centers experienced downtime, and Emory Healthcare saw delays in surgeries, while Grady reported minor interruptions.

On Sunday evening, American Airlines told FOX 5 Atlanta their systems had been recovered at 11 a.m. CT.

"We’ve only canceled 43 total flights systemwide — less than 1% of our total operation — and worked to reaccommodate customers. We’ve completed more than 99% of our scheduled departures so far today," the spokesperson said. "At ATL, we have cancelled only one flight."

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines said over 1,200 flights were canceled. The company extended waivers to allow customers to make the necessary changes to their travel plans.