Computer malfunction grounds United Airline travelers

A computer hardware glitch that caused United’s reservation and check-in system to go offline snarled flight operations, forcing many delays, some cancellations and long lines for travelers at several airports across the airline’s network.

United spokesman Charles Hobart stated, "At approximately 7:15 pm CT tonight, United Airlines experienced a computer outage interrupting the airline’s flight departures, airport processing and reservations systems. Our technology team is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”

Outage problem fixed
Five hours after the systems crashed, the outage problem has been fixed and the computers are now running. The Airline is in the process of resuming operations.

United did not say what caused the computer glitch nor did they specify how many passengers or flights have been affected.

Hobart stated, "The airline issued a waiver policy permitting customers on affected flights to cancel or rebook their itineraries without penalty."

"United apologizes for the disruption caused to travelers at affected airports and is re-accommodating travelers where necessary."

A computer hardware glitch that caused United’s reservation and check-in system to go offline snarled flight operations, forcing many delays, some cancellations and long lines for travelers at several airports across the airline’s network.

Air travel disrupted
Air traffic was disrupted for several hours and many flights delayed, canceled or rescheduled.

Travelers were unsure what to do. Many were sitting on the floor in the line leading to the ticketing machines at airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago.

Other frustrated passengers were besieging the ticket and gate personnel but the staff had little information to offer except that the Airline was working to fix the outage and resume normal operations.

At Los Angeles International Airport, the United Airlines’ employees were using a manual process to check customers in.

There were reports of passengers being unable to check in unless they had already printed out their boarding pass before arriving at the airport.

The airline tweeted another message later, saying, "We wanted to give you an update. We are still working to fix the issue. We do apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience."

Meanwhile, the United Airline is urging customers to monitor their flight status before they got to the airport.

Mixed mood among passengers
Technical malfunctions can cripple an airline and throw a wrench into travel plans. Though United gave stranded travelers free accommodations it did little to change the disposition of frustrated passengers.

Landscape designer Stephanie Hochman of Denver flying to Wichita, Kan., stated, "I was rushing, because I was running a little late. I kept checking computers to see if the flight was still on time. I thought it was all good, until I got to the airport and saw the people standing around at the checkout counter."

Kristen Lovullo, 29, waiting to board a flight to Buffalo at the Los Angeles International Airport found a mixed emotions among the fliers. "Some people are complaining," she said. "Some people said they've standing outside since 5 p.m. (PDT) and they have to go to the bathroom and they're hungry."

Chris Hou and his wife, Jennifer, stranded at Los Angeles International Airport while waiting on a connecting flight to Denver stated, "We're pretty easy going people. We travel a lot. We understand that problems happen.

"I just think there would be a little more information. All they say is 'we have a computer problem.' By the time you get to hour three, it gets a little frustrating."