FILE - In this July 13, 2011 file photo, United Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. Thousands of United Airlines passengers around the globe were delayed for hours Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 after another massive computer outage hit the world s largest carrier. This is at least the third major computer outage for the Chicago-based airline since June. (AP | Eric Risberg)

A computer outage at United Airlines delayed thousands of travelers Thursday and embarrassed the airline at a time when it's trying to win back customers after glitches earlier this year.

The two-hour outage held up 250 of the 5,679 United flights scheduled for Thursday, the airline said.

It was at least the third major outage for the Chicago-based airline since June.

"There were no backups or long lines at United's ticket counters," said Laura Coale, spokeswoman at Denver International Airport. "The problem was resolved at around 9 a.m."

Major delays across the world, especially those early in the morning, can easily ripple throughout an airline's network. United runs about 5,500 flights a day worldwide.

During the system failure, some furious passengers vented their anger on social media sites.

"Does anyone have a RadioShack computer or abacus to help United get their system fixed?" tweeted Lewis Franck, a motorsports writer who was flying from Newark, N.J., to Miami Thursday to cover the last race of the NASCAR season.

United is offering a refund for customers delayed more than two hours due to the outage, or will waive the re-booking fee for passengers in all cities.


Advertisement