Photo: Delta
A software bug in Google’s platforms powering the booking systems operated by American, Delta, and United airlines took down their online services earlier this week.
Customers who attempted to book a flight with one of the three airlines encountered page loading errors, and the only way to get around this problem was actually to turn to the phone booking system of each company.
All three airlines acknowledged the issues on Twitter, confirming they were working on addressing them but without sharing any specifics on what exactly happened.
While some netizens believed they got hacked, the problem was actually encountered by Google’s flight services powering the three companies' systems. Delta itself confirmed in a statement that it was working with a “third party” to resolve the whole thing, but the name of this company hasn’t been disclosed.
“Delta is engaged with a third-party vendor that is currently troubleshooting a technical issue that is impacting the ability for customers to search for and book flights on Delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Delta's Customers can still check in for flights and use the platforms to search for other flight planning information. We apologize for the inconvenience,” Delta told The Hill in a statement.
On the other hand, Google itself confirmed it was working on fixing a “known issue” in its platform, but without sharing any other specifics on what exactly.
The problem has already been corrected, and all systems are back up and running normally. Delta has confirmed that booking a flight on its website is working properly, and customers can also rely on the other systems too, including the Fly Delta app (whose booking system is based on the same platform).
“The issue was caused by the failure of technology provided to Delta and multiple airlines by Google. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused,” Delta eventually confirmed.
All three airlines acknowledged the issues on Twitter, confirming they were working on addressing them but without sharing any specifics on what exactly happened.
While some netizens believed they got hacked, the problem was actually encountered by Google’s flight services powering the three companies' systems. Delta itself confirmed in a statement that it was working with a “third party” to resolve the whole thing, but the name of this company hasn’t been disclosed.
“Delta is engaged with a third-party vendor that is currently troubleshooting a technical issue that is impacting the ability for customers to search for and book flights on Delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Delta's Customers can still check in for flights and use the platforms to search for other flight planning information. We apologize for the inconvenience,” Delta told The Hill in a statement.
On the other hand, Google itself confirmed it was working on fixing a “known issue” in its platform, but without sharing any other specifics on what exactly.
The problem has already been corrected, and all systems are back up and running normally. Delta has confirmed that booking a flight on its website is working properly, and customers can also rely on the other systems too, including the Fly Delta app (whose booking system is based on the same platform).
“The issue was caused by the failure of technology provided to Delta and multiple airlines by Google. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused,” Delta eventually confirmed.
Yes, we're aware that the website is down. We're working hard to resolve those issues. Meet us in DMs, and we will assist you.
— americanair (@AmericanAir) April 5, 2021
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