Some United Airlines Flights Are Canceled Or Delayed As Tech Outage Recovery Continues

United Airlines resumes flights after tech outage delays thousands

United Airlines flights are back in the air after a system outage disrupted travel nationwide.

• A technology outage grounded all United Airlines flights Wednesday evening.
• United Airlines is classifying the disruption as "controllable," meaning affected passengers are entitled to compensation.
• The airline confirmed it is covering expenses such as hotels for impacted travelers.

United Airlines is still recovering from a technology outage that temporarily grounded all of its flights Wednesday night, though the airline said it largely expects to run a normal schedule Thursday.

A United spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement that the airline was working to get customers to their destination amid residual delays and cancelations, but that the underlying technology issue had been resolved.

According to FlightAware, which tracks airline delays and cancellations, United had canceled 154 flights as of 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, about 4% of its total schedule, with an additional 179 flights delayed.

The airline said it is treating the service disruptions as "controllable," which in regulatory terms, means affected passengers are entitled to some protections and compensation from the airline.

"We paid customer expenses such as hotels when applicable," a statement from the airline said.

If your flight is canceled for any reason you're entitled to a refund if you choose not to fly on alternative options offered by the airline, even if you originally purchased a nonrefundable ticket.

When it comes to delays, the "controllable" versus "non-controllable" distinction that United made for the Wednesday outage is important. Airlines are on the hook for more accommodations if a disruption is considered to be within their control, as opposed to being caused by an external factor like weather.

The Department of Transportation has a dashboard outlining its regulations and each airline's policies.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.