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Computer Failure Snarls Flights at O'Hare

RUPA SHENOY
,
AP
posted: 17 HOURS 48 MINUTES AGO
comments: 41
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CHICAGO (July 2) -- A computer problem temporarily disrupted United Airlines flights at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, causing long delays and lines for travelers headed out for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The outage affected all of United's computers at the airport and also caused some flight cancellations, said airline spokeswoman Robin Urbanski.
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M. Spencer Green, AP

At Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, a United gate agent checks in passengers by hand after a computer glitch disrupted the carrier's flights. The problem led to delays and frayed tempers as passengers headed off for the three-day weekend.

The problem started shortly after 5 a.m. and at one point, the airline instituted a "ground stop," keeping United flights bound for O'Hare grounded if they hadn't taken off yet, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
She said the glitch affected the boarding pass system and the computers that tell pilots the number of passengers on board and weight of the plane, which affect how much fuel an aircraft can carry.
"You need that to take off," Isham Cory said.
The ground stop order was lifted shortly before 8 a.m., when the airline began resolving its computer issues, she said.
By 10 a.m., at least some of the computers used to check in passengers were working.
Because the outage involved United's ticketing system, the airline urged customers to monitor their flight status and check in online before they got to O'Hare, Urbanski said. United employees manually processed customers checking in, and self check-in kiosks were closed, she said.
At the peak of the problem, at least 1,000 passengers stood in slow-moving lines in the O'Hare terminal, and planes lined up on the airport's tarmac as new flights arrived and departing flights were held back.
O'Hare is a United hub, and the problems caused delays at other U.S. airports.
United passengers flying into or out of O'Hare on Thursday were being allowed to change their reservations for free, officials said.
Lois Norder told the Chicago Tribune that the pilot on her flight to Dallas announced that they couldn't take off because the computer problems were keeping crews from refueling the plane.
"The employees are really stumped," Norder said. "They're trying to figure out what to do."
Shahzil Amin said the computer problems caused his flight from Dallas to Orlando via Denver to be delayed for three hours, so the airline rerouted him instead through Chicago.
"I've had a lot of problems today," Amin said.
"I pretty much won't fly United (again)," he said.
AP Airlines Writer Joshua Freed in Minneapolis and AP Radio Correspondent Matt Small contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2009-07-02 10:10:16
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SomebodySaidThis

11:23 PMJul 03 2009

For all of you Nit Wits, that say you'll never fly on a certain airliner or say you'll never fly on Air France because of their latest mishaps or never fly again, that'll be more room for us. If ya have to go across the pond (ocean) take a damn submarine, if you're afraid of the water, well then, you're just SOL !!!

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HARRYLWHEELER

09:55 PMJul 03 2009

Long lines, flight delays....how did anybody notice??

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cici911ken

09:38 PMJul 03 2009

I found a great site """""B l a c k W h i t e L o v i n g-c O m """""" It 's where you have the opportunity dreaming about dating a sexy beauties and even hot celebs and make it true!

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INFIDEL 15

09:15 PMJul 03 2009

maninedgeh20 04:49 PMJul 02 2009 i love reading the comment that people type...for instance..the employee of United Express.....like that Airline is so great...and the people that say they will NEVER fly this airline or that airline....do you think they really care...casue I bet eventually when you see a cheap fare on that AIRLINE YOU WILL NEVER FLY....you will....shit happens people....in every business...so get over it and move on...yeah...your day sucks.....but thing could be worse@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Ummm..........we have an agreement with many, many other airlines where we can (space permitting) fly on their airline FOR FREE. It's a "perk" we receive since I only make $17k per year flying YOUR whiny asses around. So NO, I won't be riding on the airline with the cheapest fare. UNITED SUCKS and when I fly around the country I FLY SOUTHWEST if I can.

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Shyguy151

07:38 PMJul 02 2009

See if they had not cut all those jobs and automated everything they could have dealt with it. Pilots are quite capable of hand checking manifests and fuel needs. What do you think they did before computers?

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Fouritiswritten

07:07 PMJul 02 2009

SENEG68gys340 <> not a dangerouis as thought of your mother reproducing again

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Seneg68gts340

07:05 PMJul 02 2009

Oops! Did I call the White House buffoon a baboon? Excuse the snit out of me.

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Seneg68gts340

07:03 PMJul 02 2009

Alas...............if only computer's were as perfect as the White House buffoon. 'Puters and the baboon are equally as dangerous to mankind.

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Reidgator

06:38 PMJul 02 2009

Responding to NFL Saints Chris: There is much truth to your comments. Most of us do not know how complicated it is to get a plane loaded, fueled, and into the air. But, the same can be said about a lot of things. All of us are ignorant about many things. What YOU are ignoring is that the airline industry predates the computer industry. Years ago, people handled all of the tasks that the computers now handle, hence, there is NO excuse for the airlines not having a manual backup for ANYTHING that the computer does. Using your argument, a pilot could not fly without the autopilot engaged!!!

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WmGGibson

06:29 PMJul 02 2009

When you fly, pack an extra suitcase full of patience. Relax and enjoy the experience and try to avoid O'Hare and Atlanta....

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