Computer Glitch Triggers Full Ground Stop of United Flights Around the Globe

Thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled Wednesday morning after United suffers its second computer outage in two months.

United Airlines customers around the globe were left stranded Wednesday morning after a computer glitch caused a full ground stop. NBC News reports the outage, which lasted over an hour, affected about 3,500 flights at as many as 235 airports in the U.S. alone.

The situation began around 8:30 a.m. ET. The system-wide computer outage forced the airline to stop all of their flights. The ground stop was lifted for United regional flights around 9:20 a.m. and for mainline flights shortly thereafter. United acknowledged the disruption in a message on its website and on Twitter, apologizing to customers and encouraging them to check their flight status before going to the airport.

According to FlightAware.com, the airports most heavily impacted by the disruption include the United hubs of O’Hare International Airport (ORD), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

In a message on Twitter, the airline said it world offer waivers to travelers who wish to change their itineraries as a result of Wednesday’s system outage. In response to the tweet, many travelers vented their frustrations with United.

@united Sick and tired of this! Every few weeks, the same problem — and everyone at #UnitedAirlines knows it! Disastrous management! Shame!

— Nicholas Kralev (@NicholasKralev) July 8, 2015

@united, you must have the worst IT crisis mgmt EVER. System down TWICE in 6 weeks?!? Plus your Customer Service is abominable. Buh-bye.

— Cheryl Stack (@stacker44022) July 8, 2015

@united @llipgh Hackers? Industrial sabotage? Or straight up bs…?

— Mistress Milena (@The_ZenMistress) July 8, 2015

Wednesday’s incident marks the second time in two months United has grounded flights due to a computer glitch. On June 2, United grounded flights for 40 minutes while dealing with a “corrupted” dispatch system, which pilots and passengers suspect was hacked.

[Photo: Al Seib via Twitter]