HONG KONG – A global Microsoft computer system outage heavily disrupted the self-check-in system and other online services provided by various Hong Kong airline companies on Friday.
Affected airlines resorted to manual check-in procedures, leading to long queues forming at counters at the Hong Kong International Airport. The Airport Authority Hong Kong activated an emergency response mechanism to manage the situation, and assured passengers that flight operations remained normal.
On Friday afternoon, the widespread Microsoft outage caused disruptions to flights, banking services, media outlets and companies around the world. At 3:00 pm Hong Kong time, Microsoft announced that the majority of its services had been restored.
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Cathay Pacific urged its passengers to check in online through its website or mobile app to obtain their mobile boarding pass before traveling to the airport, as self-service check-in facilities at HKIA were unavailable.
It also advised passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to their departure time to allow sufficient time to complete check-in formalities.
Cathay Pacific announced at about 4:30 pm that its self-service check-in facilities had returned to normal.
Hong Kong Express said that its global e-commerce system has been affected due to the Microsoft glitch. The company’s website, mobile app and WeChat mini-app were impacted.
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Flights and services provided by Greater Bay Airlines remained as normal, as it doesn’t use the same system for its flights as the other airlines.
Japanese supermarket Donki was also affected by the system failure and was only accepting cash and Octopus payments at some of its outlets.
Several airlines, banks and media organizations around the world have been affected by the Microsoft outage. Among them, the UK’s Sky News was unable to make normal broadcasts, and in the US, a number of flights were temporarily suspended due to communications problems. Take-off and landing services were also suspended at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
