Global tech outage: Houston flights, Harris Health, Port Houston impacted

HOUSTON - A global technology outage affected flights and businesses on Friday morning, including in Houston.

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said that the issue believed to be behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack — and that a fix was on the way. The company said the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows.

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Microsoft 365 posted on social media platform X that the company was "working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact" and that they were "observing a positive trend in service availability."

Global IT outage impacts Houston flights

The global outage prompted some airlines – including United, American and Delta – to ground flights on Friday morning.

Later Friday morning, Delta and United said some flights were resuming, and American Airlines said they were able to re-establish their operations. The airlines are offering travel waivers and are asking customers to check their flight status.

At Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport, crowds formed early Friday morning as travelers waited to be checked in.

"A global IT outage is affecting several airlines, resulting in delays and longer wait times this morning. Please check directly with your airline for the most current updates on your flight status," Bush Airport wrote on X.

Bush Airport and Hobby Airport said some airlines were impacted by the outage, but the airports remain fully operational.

Around 6 a.m., some airlines at Bush Airport reported that their computer systems were starting to come back online, and they were able to check in passengers.

Click here to see flight status at Bush Airport.

Click here to see flight status at Hobby Airport.

Texas Health and Human Services (HHS)

Several HHS systems were impacted overnight by the global CrowdStrike outage. You are asked to not contact the HHS help desk support services to report the outage.

Vendor Drug Program systems affected by the outage include:

• Fee for service claim adjudication system1Pharmacies may not be able to submit claims via the point-of-sale system.
• 1Pharmacies may not be able to submit claims via the point-of-sale system.
• Switch vendors reporting impactSwitch vendors may hold claims.
• Switch vendors may hold claims.
• VDP Provider Portal Pharmacies cannot access weekly electronic remittance advice and 835 payment files or check client eligibility. Prescribers may be unable to log into the portal but can still contact the call center to request prior authorization.
• Pharmacies cannot access weekly electronic remittance advice and 835 payment files or check client eligibility.
• Prescribers may be unable to log into the portal but can still contact the call center to request prior authorization.
• Electronic Certificate of Information (eCOI) PortalDrug manufacturers cannot access the portal to submit or check the status of eCOIs.
• Drug manufacturers cannot access the portal to submit or check the status of eCOIs.
• Rebate portals
• Drug manufacturers cannot access the portal to submit or download invoices.

Harris Health impacted by outage

Harris Health reported impacts to some of their systems due to their outage. Dialysis services remained open at Harris Health Quentin Mease Health Center, but Harris Health said outpatient clinic appointments and elective hospital procedures were being canceled.

Around 9:15 a.m., Harris Health said their health centers were open for clinic appointments, but some services may be unavailable.

Harris County operations

In a joint statement, the Harris County Judge's Office and the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said some offices were impacted by the outage, but county operations were not experiencing significant disruptions.

Read their full statement below:

"This morning Harris County was impacted by a global technology outage affecting critical IT systems across the globe. Crowdstrike, a global provider of cybersecurity software, said the outage was caused by a system error on their end and was not the result of a cyberattack or security breach. They are actively working to fix the issue, and systems are beginning to come back online.

At this time, county operations are not experiencing significant disruptions. Harris Health System, Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, Harris County Clerk’s Office and the Harris County Tax Office were affected by the outages, but they are working with our Universal Services Department (the county's information technology department) to ensure there are minimal impacts to residents by implementing alternative processes to continue operations. Harris Health System is still able to see patients and the Harris Center is still open, although in-person patients may experience some delays until all systems are fully back online. Employees at the County Clerk’s Office and Tax Office are still able to provide services to residents. We are continuing to evaluate if there are any other impacts. 

The Port of Houston was temporarily closed this morning but has now reopened. George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports are fully operational, though some flights have been delayed or canceled. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office and 9-1-1 operations were not affected by the outage and are fully operational. 

Our teams are monitoring the situation. We expect that systems will be fully back online by the end of today but will continue to provide updates as needed."

Port Houston terminals reopen

Port Houston said Barbours Cut and Bayport Container Terminals were closed Friday morning as they worked to address the issue.

At 9:25 a.m., Port Houston said the terminals had opened.

Global impacts of outage: Banks, media outlets and companies

Long lines formed at airports in the U.S., Europe and Asia as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services during peak summer travel.

Banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages impacting payments and online services.

And hospitals had problems with their appointment systems, leading to delays and sometimes cancelations for critical care, while officials in some U.S. states warned of 911 problems in their areas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.