On July 25, 2026, United Airlines experienced a technology outage that caused widespread flight delays across the United States. The disruption was reported by passengers before 7:40 a.m. and led to more than 430 incident reports by 8:23 a.m., according to Down Detector.
The outage stemmed from a failure in United’s reservation system, which impacted contact centers and check-in procedures. This failure prevented processing of passenger check-ins and ticketing. Flights already in the air or that had departed from the gate were not affected by the outage.
Passenger Reports and Affected Airports
Passengers reported delays and operational issues particularly at Washington Dulles International Airport in
Virginia and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Complaints included difficulties with checking in, boarding, and baggage handling at these major hubs. The disruptions extended across routes from New York to San Francisco.
Official Statement and Recovery Efforts
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the technology outage and said operations are now returning to normal. The spokesperson told Business Insider, “Our teams are getting our operations back to normal after a technology outage affected contact centers and check-in processes earlier today.” They advised customers to monitor flight status through the United app as they prepare for travel on July 25.
Background on Previous Technology Disruptions
United Airlines has faced similar
major technology-related interruptions in the past. Two years ago, the airline experienced widespread disruptions linked to a CrowdStrike update that forced thousands of flight cancellations and affected pilot communications with ground services.
