- Microsoft cloud service issue led to flight delays and cancellations, notably at Frontier Airlines and Sun Country Airlines on July 18.
- The disruption was linked to Microsoft’s Azure platform, affecting key airline operations and prompting responses from affected carriers.
OUR TAKE
Microsoft cloud service Azure platform outage led to multiple flight cancellations or delays on Thursday, rippling through the operations of several U.S. airlines. It resulted in massive delays and cancellations at Frontier Airlines and multiple locations across the country. This not only exposed the airline industry’s deep reliance on cloud computing services, but also had a serious impact on travellers’ travel plans.
–Elodie Qian, BTW reporter
What happened
Microsoft’s cloud services encountered problems in the Central U.S. region, leading to the cancellation and delay of several flights on Thursday. The low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines, Allegiant, and SunCountry have all been affected, with operational disruptions being reported.
Frontier Airlines and Sun Country Airlines announced on social media that they were affected by the outage. FlightAware reported that by 8:15 p.m. Arizona time, 23 flights were cancelled and 341 were delayed at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
Frontier Airlines posted that a major Microsoft outage was affecting its booking, check-in, and boarding pass access. The airline’s spokesperson told The Arizona Republic a temporary ground stop. Now Frontier has lifted the stop and is working with vendors to restore operations.
Allegiant, a Nevada-based airline, stated to CNN that its website was unavailable due to the Azure issue.
The Arizona Republic contacted Microsoft for a comment.
The Azure platform, a cloud computing service that facilitates the building, deployment, and management of applications and services, began experiencing issues around 6 pm ET on Thursday. Microsoft has acknowledged the downtime and is actively investigating the matter, which has also impacted various Microsoft 365 apps and services.
Also read: Edge computing vs. cloud computing: What’s the difference?
Also read: Microsoft settles cloud computing complaint for $22M
Why it’s important
Frontier Airlines, with the highest number of cancelled flights in Phoenix, counted 17 cancellations and 12 delays at Sky Harbor.
Sun Country Airlines and Allegiant Air’s websites were offline, citing the Azure outage. By 8 p.m. Thursday, Allegiant’s website was back online, but Sun Country’s remained down. Both airlines reported delays out of Sky Harbor.
Frontier’s website, though operational, displayed a message: “Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage, which is also affecting other companies. We appreciate your patience.”
The outage prevented customers from booking new flights and checking in for upcoming ones, significantly disrupting the airlines’ operations. Southwest Airlines reported the most delays out of Sky Harbor on Thursday, with 165, attributing the delays to extreme weather and air traffic control directives.
The incident underscores the critical reliance of modern businesses on cloud infrastructure for seamless operations.
