Porter operations returning to normal amid global tech outage

Porter Airlines says its operations are “in the early stages of returning to normal” after a third-party technology outage on Friday (July 19) impacted industries around the world – including aviation.

In a statement posted at around 2:30 p.m. EST, Porter, which was heavily impacted by the IT issue, said its website will be restored when all systems are back online and automated passenger rebooking has begun.

“Once this happens, passengers may check their current flight status on www.flyporter.com or via our mobile app. They may also access their reservations to monitor flight reaccommodation,” the airline wrote on social media. “Please allow time for this information to be updated.”

READ MORE: Global IT outage grounds flights; disruptions hit Toronto Pearson, Porter cancels

Passenger communications are also being processed to advise of updated flight bookings for those who experienced earlier cancellations.

"This will take a period of time, with new flights confirmed over a number of days due to high passenger volume,” Porter wrote. “Once the website is restored, the most immediate source of information regarding passenger reservations is via My Bookings at flyporter.com.”

Passengers will also receive email and text messages if they provided those details at check-in or time of booking. “However, messages may take time to receive,” the airline noted.

Delays & cancellations still possible

Porter is still recommending that all passengers continue monitoring their flight status, as further delays and cancellations are possible while the network recovers.

Self-help tools online are also being recommended while Porter’s call centre experiences high call volumes.

Passengers needing to cancel travel plans as a direct result of the systems issue will be offered full refunds, the airline said.

“You may submit refund requests using our Customer Relations contact on the website. Refunds will be processed at a later date,” the airline said. “It is not necessary to contact Porter prior to your scheduled flight.”

System crash

Friday’s system crash came to light after an alert was sent by global cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike to its clients.

The company's Falcon Sensor software is causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen, known informally as the "blue screen of death."

The tech issue led to multiple disruptions at airports around the world. In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration said United, American, Delta and Allegiant had been grounded, Reuters reported.

At 2:40 p.m. EST on Friday, Toronto Pearson airport took to its X platform to say that the outage has resulted in carriers "adjusting operations for travellers impacted by the outage." 

"Some international arrivals are advising of delays this evening," the airport wrote.

Generally, Canadian airlines operating on-time

Toronto Pearson first revealed early Friday that it was aware of the tech problem, posting on X that “flight delays and cancellations may occur,” advising customers to contact their airline.

Cirium, an aviation analytics company, noted that there are 2,788 scheduled flights by commercial airlines from Canada today, carrying up to 444,000 passengers.

Around 100 flights have been cancelled, 56 of which are Porter Airlines. Air Canada and WestJet, meanwhile, have experienced limited disruptions.

“Generally, the Canadian airlines are operating on-time,” Cirium wrote in a press statement. “The U.S. carriers flying from Canada have had departure delays.”

Globally, there are around 110,000 scheduled commercial flights today, Cirium added.

As of 12:30 p.m. EST, there were 4,497 cancelled flights globally, representing four per cent of flights, the company said.

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