On July 25, 2026, United Airlines experienced nationwide flight delays caused by a technology outage that disrupted its reservation system across the United States.
Major Airports Impacted and Passenger Reports
The technology failure affected contact centers and check-in processes, resulting in operational challenges at prominent airports including Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Passengers began reporting issues before 7:40 a.m. Eastern Time, with site Down Detector recording more than 430 complaints related to check-in, boarding, and baggage handling by 8:23 a.m.
Flights en route or having already departed gates were not disrupted by the outage, which specifically prevented
processing of customer tickets and check-ins.
Official Response and Passenger Guidance
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the outage earlier in the day and said recovery efforts were underway: “Our teams are getting our operations back to normal after a technology outage affected contact centers and check-in processes earlier today.” Customers were advised to use the United Airlines app to verify flight status prior to traveling.
Restoration and Past Disruptions
The issue was resolved the same day, with normal operations resuming shortly after the outage. This incident follows a similar large-scale disruption two years ago, when United Airlines faced extensive cancellations due to technology outages linked to a CrowdStrike software
update.
