(NEWSnet/AP) – Social media was flooded Friday with photos and video of passengers stranded at airports in Europe and the United States.

The long lines were among the most visible impacts of a technology outage related to a software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. The problem affected the ability of Microsoft computers to simply function. CrowdStrike said Friday it had identified the problem and was fixing it.

But the impacts cascaded into airport connections during an already record-breaking summer travel season.

Hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded across the country.

By midafternoon on the East Coast, about 2,500 U.S. flights had been canceled and more than 7,600 others delayed, according to tracking platform FlightAware. Worldwide, about 4,000 flights were canceled. The numbers were certain to rise throughout the day.

In the U.S., American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air had all their flights grounded for varying lengths of time Friday morning. Airlines said the outage hit many systems, including those used to check in passengers and calculate aircraft weight — necessary information for planes to take off.

“This is going to have ripple effects for probably a few days at least,” said Jesse Neugarten, the founder and CEO of travel-search site Dollar Flight Club.

The Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 2.96 million travelers at U.S. airports on Thursday, the third-biggest day in TSA’s history, and Fridays are usually busier than Thursdays.

Here’s what to do:

Contact your airline

 

Airlines should rebook passengers automatically, but that could take much longer as carriers recover from the outage, so passengers might have to take initiative and be more creative.

“People who are already at the airport usually go up to the help desk, but there’s a line of 500 people. It’s going to take all day,” Neugarten said. He suggested calling the airline and using an international help-desk number, if there is one, to reach an agent more quickly.

Another tactic is to post a few words to the airline on the social platform X. Many airlines have staffers who will help rebook passengers who contact the carrier through social media.

Use your airline’s app — it may have more-current information about flight status than delays and cancellations displayed in the airport terminal.

 

Check other airlines and airports

 

In the U.S., Southwest and Alaska Airlines said they were not affected by the outage. However, since it’s summer vacation season, those airlines have a limited number of available seats left.

Neugarten suggested checking nearby airports for available flights, which might require changing airlines.

What about weekend flights?

 

The delays and some cancellations could drag into Saturday and Sunday. Check the flight status on your airline’s app or website frequently.

Some airlines are telling passengers to arrive as much as three hours before their scheduled departure times. Many experienced travelers scoff at such warnings; this might be a good time to take them seriously.

Is air traffic control working?

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Federal Aviation Administration’s systems, including air traffic control, were not affected by the outage. TSA said its screening of passengers was not affected either.

Can I get a refund?

 

Passengers whose flights are canceled are entitled to a full refund in the form of payment they used to buy the ticket. That’s true even if the ticket was sold as non-refundable.

A refund may be acceptable to travelers who no longer want to make the trip, but many people just want another way to reach their destination, and buying a last-minute replacement ticket could cost more than the refund will cover.

Other cost reimbursements?

 

Airlines set their own policies for reimbursing stranded travelers for things like hotels and meals.

However, the Transportation Department appears to be taking the view that the cancellations and delays were within the airlines’ control, and it is pressuring carriers to cover passengers’ costs.

 

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