Passenger receives handwritten boarding pass during Microsoft outage

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Louise Thomas

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A flight passenger has shown off one effect of the current Microsoft computer outage.

On Friday, July 19, it was reported that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike issued a faulty software update on Microsoft’s Windows operating system, crashing and infecting computers with the “blue screen of death” that left users unable to restart.

Because companies have computer systems run via Microsoft, this has resulted in flights being canceled, television stations being taken offline, and some banks being unable to make payments.

According to FlightAware, the number of flights canceled, into or outside the US has surpassed 2,500. The number of US delays was more than 8,000 as of 3.45pm ET. Delta has canceled at least 840 flights, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport currently has the most cancellations in the US with 304. FlightAware said that more than 36,000 flights had been delayed globally, and the total cancellations numbered around 4,000.

Although not all flights were canceled, one person did point out a modification with his boarding pass. Akshay Kothari turned to X, formerly known as Twitter, to show off his boarding pass, which was filled in using a blue pen.

“The Microsoft / CrowdStrike outage has taken down most airports in India. I got my first hand-written boarding pass today,” he captioned his post alongside a photo of the boarding pass.

After posting, many people turned to the comments to joke about how maybe some actions should maybe stay tech-free to avoid being in this situation again.

“Sometimes, the old-school way is still the best way when technology lets us down,” one comment read.

Another commenter agreed, writing: “A handwritten boarding pass sounds like a dream. Hopefully, you don’t get a handwritten flight…”

“Today’s the perfect day to celebrate the power of technology! It simplifies our lives and connects us worldwide. Let’s declare it Tech Appreciation Day!” a third commenter pointed out.

A fourth comment read: “It’s fascinating to see how reliant we’ve become on technology. This outage highlights the importance of backup systems and the resilience of human ingenuity.”

Other commenters thought the boarding pass should be treated like a historical document because of how rare it likely was.

“Congratulations. You must be the first of this generation to receive one of this kind,” one person commented under the post.

Another person pointed out in the comments section: “Save this, things like these become sellable memorabilia after decades….”

On X, CrowdStrike addressed the outage, posting an announcement that they had found a fix for the problem and specifically said that it was not the result of a cyberattack.

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted,” wrote George Kurtz, the company’s president and chief executive. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels.”

“Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

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