Microsoft Windows IT outage: nearly 1,800 flights canceled across US; Fedex and UPS report service delays – live | Microsoft IT outage

All of Maryland’s judiciary systems are closed to the public except for emergency matters due to the global IT outage.

In a statement on X, Maryland’s judiciary wrote:

Notice: Due to the worldwide Microsoft outage, all Maryland courts, offices, and facilities will be closed to the public today but will remain open for emergency matters. All clerks’ offices are closed. This message will be updated as additional information is available.

Flight cancellations within, into and out of the US have reached 1,773 as of 11am on Friday morning due to the global IT outage.

Additionally, according to FlightAware, the total number of delays within, into and out of the US is currently at 4,763.

Some 25% of United’s flights, 22% of Delta’s flights and 15% of American’s flights are delayed.

A widespread outage linked to Windows workstations caused by a CrowdStrike software update has affected major companies such as Sky News UK, the Melbourne airport, and Thameslink and infrastructure, including health services around the world.

Have you been affected by the global IT outage? Let us know how it has had an impact on you in the link below:

Fedex and UPS have both reported service delays amid the global IT outage.

In a statement on Friday, Fedex said:

FedEx has activated contingency plans to mitigate impacts from a global IT outage experienced by a third party software vendor. However, potential delays are possible for package deliveries with a commitment of July 19, 2024. FedEx is committed to providing the best service possible.

Similarly, UPS said:

While the UPS network is operating and delivering in all areas, there is a potential for delivery delays due to a global technology outage. Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as possible.

A White House spokesperson has released the following statement on the outage, per pool reports:

The president has been briefed on the CrowdStrike outage and his team is in touch with CrowdStrike and impacted entities.

His team is engaged across the interagency to get sector by sector updates throughout the day and is standing by to provide assistance as needed.

Julia Kollewe

Today’s global Microsoft IT outage could affect company payrolls and the ability for businesses across the US to pay their employees.

Melanie Pizzey, CEO and founder of the Global Payroll Association, said:

We’ve been contacted by numerous clients already today who have been unable to access their payroll software due to the Microsoft outage and others who have been urged to log out with immediate effect.

Depending on the length of this outage, it could have very serious implications for businesses across the nation, particularly those who process payroll on a weekly basis. Furthermore, we could see a backlog with regard to processing payrolls for the coming month end which may delay employees from receiving their monthly wage.

At best, it will require those managing payroll to work overtime to rectify the issue, but the good news is that it doesn’t seem to be a cyber-attack. This means that the sensitive employee details held within payroll should be safe, although we’re seeing many companies understandably take action to minimise such a threat as a precaution.

A few hospitals across the US have had to cancel non-urgent surgeries as a result of the global IT outage.

In a post on X on Friday, the Boston hospital Mass General Brigham said:

A major worldwide software outage has affected many of our systems at Mass General Brigham, as well as many major businesses across the country. Due to the severity of this issue, all previously scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits are cancelled today.

Mount Nittany Health in Pennsylvania issued a similar statement, saying that it has had to cancel all non-emergency appointments including surgeries for Friday.

It added that it currently has limited access to patient contact information and apologized for the convenience.

The dollar rose and stock markets fell in jittery trading today, as the global IT outage unnerved investors.

The group that runs the London Stock Exchange suffered an outage that affected user access to some of its products, and Refinitiv was down earlier. By around midday in Europe, the company said its services had been restored.

The pound, which earlier this week hit a one-year high above $1.30, fell by 0.2% today to $1.2921.

The FTSE 100 index in London lost 0.5% or 43 points to 8,161, while the German Dax and the French CAC traded down by a similar amount, and the FTSE MiB in Milan slid by 0.7%.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six other major currencies, rose by 0.2% to a high of 104.4, and is set for a modest weekly gain after two weeks of losses.