CrowdStrike IT outage a month ago is still causing problems for a Chicago traveler
CHICAGO (CBS) — Three weeks ago, the CrowdStrike IT outage brought computers worldwide to a halt, creating chaos for airlines and their passengers, and while 99% of the technical problems are fixed, the mess remains for many.
A woman who did not want her name revealed, she'd be escaping illinois to get some relaxation in Mexico, but she encountered a chaotic scene at O'Hare International Airport the morning of her departure.
It was July 19, the day a failed software update flashed this so-called "blue screen of death" on millions of computers worldwide. At some airports, there were handwritten boarding passes and luggage tags if you could get on a plane.
"I got an email from Priceline saying that the airline updated my flight and that I was rebooked for Tuesday the 23rd," she said.
Her original flight was on a Friday, with plans to stay for a week. The new itinerary didn't seem worth it for just a few days in Mexico, especially since the plane tickets cost $1,500.
When she called Priceline for a refund...
"They proceeded to tell me that it was showing on my reservation that I took the flight back from Guadalajara to O'Hare. It's saying that I boarded. And I just lost it," she said.
Priceline apparently told her to sort that mistake out with the airline, Viva Aerobus. But she said Viva Aerobus told her the refund needs to come from Priceline.
"No one's taking ownership. No one seems to care," she said.
"She can certainly dispute the charge on her credit card bill."
That's just one piece of advice from CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg who said thousands of airline passengers are in similar predicaments, all stemming from the CrowdStrike outage.
"The refund process has not gone smoothly because, first of all, the airlines had to come to grips with, under whose control was the problem, and the U.S. Department of Transportation said it was the airlines' problem because they bought the software and they didn't have a good backup," Greenberg said.
Delta passengers filed this class action lawsuit alleging massive failure by the airline to re-book and refund travelers and it's not the only carrier under fire.
"There is no sense of urgency," she said.
Back to that Viva Aerobus and Priceline debacle.
"This was a nationwide outage. It had nothing to do with me. It wasn't my fault. It was just bad luck. I've already accepted it, but I just want my money back," she said.
Within the past hour, CBS Chicago received an update that the woman had received word from Priceline that a refund was finally being processed. Priceline blamed the delay on the airline for originally marking the ticket as "used."
Still no word from Viva Aerobus.