United Flights Disrupted By Computer Breakdown

United Airlines has become the latest carrier to be affected by widespread computer disruption, with at least several dozen flights around the world delayed due to a “systems issue”.

“We are aware of an issue with our systems that is resulting in flight delays,” United said in a statement on Friday. “We are working to resolve the issue and get customers to their destinations as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

Disruption

The glitch occurred in the early hours of Friday, and while United said the issue had been resolved by 8 a.m. BST, disruption continued throughout the day, with passengers reporting delays in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Bombay and elsewhere.

One person wrote on Twitter that passengers were made to wait on a plane for more than an hour after landing in Los Angeles before they could disembark, and others reported similar incidents. A 7:30 a.m. flight from Heathrow to Washington DC was reportedly delayed by about an hour.

System-wide glitch

Passengers said United’s website, mobile application and phone lines were all disabled by the issue.

United said the issue originated with a weight reporting system, but didn’t give further details.

In August Delta Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, was affected by a computer systems failure that led it to cancel hundreds of flights and delay thousands more. The airline said the issue was caused by a power failure near its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

British Airways passengers were hit by long delays in September due to what the airline said was a problem with its check-in system.

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