Here is how that massive global IT outage is actually impacting New Yorkers
By now, you must have heard about the global IT outage that has got governments and individual businesses scrambling.
Not to get too much into technical details but, to put it simply, the blackout has affected all of Microsoft 365’s apps and services, which are used by a variety of different companies. As a result, transit agencies and local businesses can’t seem to operate properly this morning.
The good news: in an official statement, Microsoft 365 assured all that the company is working on fixing the issue.
“Multiple services are continuing to see improvements in availability as our mitigation actions progress,” the company said on X.
The bad news: New Yorkers are currently dealing with service disruptions across the board. To try and mitigate the disaster, we break down how, exactly, the outage may be affecting you:
Local transit
Although all subways, trains and buses are running, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that the information systems that usually blast out information about bus and train timing are not currently working. Basically, you won’t be able to know when your train is coming… but rest assured that it will, eventually, come.
“Some MTA customer information systems are temporarily offline due to a worldwide technical outage,” the MTA announced in an official statement. “Train and bus service is unaffected. Please listen for station and crew announcements.”
Airports
Travel hubs seem to be greatly affected by the outage: over a thousand flights have been cancelled all around the U.S. as a result of the issue.
In terms of New York specifically, the Port Authority is currently advising not to even head to the airport unless your flight is confirmed.
You can check your flight status online. Click here for JFK Airport-related news, here for LaGuardia and here for Newark’s flight tracker.
911
Although all 911 services are available, some counties have had to switch to backup systems for the time being.
Also to keep in mind: a lot of city services are controlled by Microsoft 365 so, although police officers are able to use their radios, many don’t have access to their computers or work phones.
UPS and FedEx
Waiting on a package? You might want to get comfortable: both UPS and FedEx warned of potential delays in deliveries as a result of the outage. The tracking tool on the FedEx website seems to be down at the moment, although Bloomberg reports that “the company is implementing contingency plans.”
Although UPS drivers are still on the road, the company’s computer system is affected so your parcel might not get there until tonight or, perhaps, later this weekend. Clearly, that Amazon Prime Day order you’ve been patiently waiting for isn’t going to be there for quite some time.