A Delta Air Lines passenger joining a Microsoft Teams call during an early morning flight has prompted criticism on Reddit.
The incident was detailed in a post titled, “New absurd behavior: Teams meeting from flight,” shared by Reddit user u/br0princess on August 4 in the r/delta subreddit.
The post described a woman who disrupted the quiet cabin during a flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The poster, who did not share their name or age, told Newsweek: “I was sitting in the main cabin” and the “flight was full.”
“Flying SFO to ATL on the 6:15 a.m., so we all clearly got up early to make the flight,” the user wrote in the post. “I’m prepared to catch some more sleep with my neck pillow, eye mask, and earplugs.”
That plan was upended, the poster explained, when the woman seated next to them began speaking loudly during a video call. “At 8:30 a.m. PT [Pacific Time] this woman next to me wakes me up from TALKING on her Teams meeting, on camera,” the user wrote. “I can tell someone on the meeting was shocked that she joined given that she’s obviously on plane. She goes ‘But it was an important meeting!!!!! I didn’t want to miss it.'”
The poster told Newsweek that the woman wore headphones and only spoke at the start of the call to say she’d keep her camera off. “She didn’t speak again but she did stay on the call to watch her coworkers on the meeting, screen share and take notes/listen…”
The Reddit post quickly gained traction, with 4,400 upvotes and hundreds of comments. It sparked a wide-ranging conversation about in-flight internet etiquette and passenger behavior.
“If it was that important,” the original poster continued. “Maybe don’t fly during your In Person Account Meeting to review your marketing statistics for your client?…I’m FUMING. People have lost their damn minds and basic courtesy.”
A stock image of a woman wearing earphones and using a laptop on a plane. A stock image of a woman wearing earphones and using a laptop on a plane. Getty
According to the Delta website, free Wi-Fi is available for SkyMiles members on most domestic flights and “once you are connected to Wi-Fi, you can message using messaging apps such as iMessage, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp on compatible devices.” However, the airline does not specify any guidelines for taking calls on board.
While the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has permitted the use of portable electronic devices during flights since 2013, the rules around voice calls and video conferencing are unknown.
Back in October 2013, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that “airlines can safely expand passenger use of Portable Electronic Devices during all phases of flight” and “most commercial airplanes can tolerate radio interference from portable electronic devices.”
While it’s safe to read downloaded materials, such as e-books and calendars, and to play games, “in some instances of low visibility—about one percent of flights—some landing systems may not be proven to tolerate the interference,” the FAA said, advising that “in those cases, passengers should be asked to turn-off devices.”
While connectivity may be technically safe, airlines and social norms still frown upon disruptive in-flight behavior—especially during early morning flights when many passengers are trying to rest.
The Reddit user told Newsweek: “I did tell her that the call wasn’t allowed, she claimed she didn’t know, even though it was announced at the start of the flight. I told a flight attendant walking past us and the flight attendant told her to stop. She did not and continued to sit on the call.”
The poster then asked the woman to get up and then went to speak with a flight attendant about her again. “She was told she’d get written up if she stayed on the meeting and she said she was only working, not on a meeting,” the poster noted.
“Nothing really came of it,” the poster said. “The part that upset me the most was that she spoke loudly and woke me up on an early morning flight to do something that was prohibited…”
Several Reddit users expressed sympathy with the original poster.
“FA [flight attendant] here: Please ring your call light. I will shut that nonsense down,” wrote user u/Cassie_Bowden in response.
Another commenter, u/New-Reference-2171, agreed: “I came to say this—ring your call button.”
Others were baffled by the woman’s decision to conduct an audible, on-camera meeting mid-flight. “I truly don’t know how all of you stand the entitled people who do this,” wrote u/vampyire.
User u/rando435697 added: “That’s incredibly bizarre behavior by her…for me, I’ve joined meetings in flight, however, I’ve shared in advance with my team that I was going to be on a flight, I’d be off camera and listening in only. Being active and potentially giving away sensitive information—not to mention disturbing other passengers, is just unhinged and wildly inappropriate.”
Newsweek has contacted Delta Air Lines for comment via email.
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Rate of decline on a year-over-year monthly basis has started to moderate.
New data from multiple sources show that the trend of British Columbians travelling less across the border to the U.S. is continuing–by land and by air.
Data from the Cascade Gateway Border Data Warehouse identifies this trend has been in effect for six consecutive months on a year-over-year basis.
It tracks southbound traffic by vehicles with B.C. licence plates at four land-border crossings and found a 28-per-cent annual decline in crossings in July: from 187,661 to 135,620.
This follows year-over-year monthly declines in that traffic of:
43 per cent in June;
47 per cent in May;
51 per cent in April;
43 per cent in March; and
29 per cent in February.
This is part of a larger trend of Canadians avoiding travel to the U.S.–perhaps in part as a reaction against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies and threats to Canadian sovereignty.
The Vancouver Airport Authority this week released data for June that found a 4.6-per-cent rise in overall passengers year-over-year but a 1.1-per-cent decline in travel on flights between that airport and American destinations.
Other ways of tracking travel similarly show fewer Canadians in the U.S.
According to Airalo, which sells eSIM cards for electronic devices, demand from Canadians for U.S. eSIMs is down 28 per cent since November 2024.
The company this week told BIV that there was a 16.3-per-cent decline in demand for those eSIMs in the last three months of 2024, followed by a steeper 26.1-per-cent drop in the first three months of 2025.
Flair Airlines CEO Maciej Wilk told BIV in late July that he has heard some speculate that visits to the U.S. have fallen off a cliff, but the reality is more nuanced.
“Don’t get me wrong–this is still a very significant drop, and this requires a reaction,” he said. “However, it’s not that the transport market has collapsed entirely.”
He said his airline was one of the first in Canada to react to this market shift, and that in late February and early March it “redeployed a lot of our capacity to mostly the Canadian domestic market.”
One change, for example, was to increase its frequency between Vancouver and Calgary to five times per day, up from three times per day.
Reductions in flights to the U.S. included halting its seasonal flights to Palm Springs before April, instead of in April, Wilk said.
The pivot has not been a complete shutdown.
“We suspended Palm Springs and Phoenix, but we’re still flying to Fort Lauderdale, to Orlando, to Los Angeles and to San Francisco, so all of those destinations are staying.”
Other airlines have done similar things.
Air Canada’s, for example, launched inaugural flights between Vancouver International Airport and Manila on April 1, and its executives spoke about reducing U.S. flights during a call with analysts earlier this year.
The airline’s non-stop Vancouver route to Washington, D.C., for example, no longer exists.
Instead that route has been “modified” so it can be done via a stop in Toronto, Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah told BIV in April.
Air Canada, WestJet, American and More Airlines Face New Travel Disruption as Over Dozens of Flights Cancelled at Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada Impacting Routes Including Vancouver, Copenhagen, San Francisco and more
Home»AIRLINE NEWS» Air Canada, WestJet, American and More Airlines Face New Travel Disruption as Over Dozens of Flights Cancelled at Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada Impacting Routes Including Vancouver, Copenhagen, San Francisco and more
Published on
August 8, 2025 |
By: TTW News Desk
Image Credit Air Canada
At this time, Toronto Pearson International Airport is undergoing considerable operational challenges, with 138 noted flight delays and 12 flight cancellations reported across various airlines. The majority of delays and cancellations are on routes to and from major cities, including Vancouver, San Francisco, Chicago, LaGuardia, New York, and even international cities like Copenhagen and Regina, San Francisco, and Charlottetown. Air Canada appears to be the most affected, with 64 delayed flights and 5 cancellations, alongside other United Airlines, Air Canada Rouge and Jazz which also reported delays and cancellations on their routes. Passengers who are traveling to and from the impacted cities are advised to confirm their flight status before arriving at the airport.
Flight Disruption at Toronto Pearson International Airport
Today at Toronto Pearson International Airport, several airlines have reported significant delays and cancellations. Air Canada has been the most affected, with 64 delayed flights, making up 18% of its departures, and 5 cancellations, representing 1%. Air Canada Rouge experienced 4 cancellations (4% of its flights) and 11 delays (12%). United Airlines reported 2 cancellations (11% of its total flights) and 5 delayed flights (27%).
Jazz had 1 cancellation (0%) and 16 delays (12%). Other carriers with cancellations include British Airways (1 cancellation), Cathay Pacific (2 cancellations), and China Southern Airlines (1 cancellation), with 25-50% of their flights impacted. Lufthansa, Endeavor Air, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, Flair Airlines, PSA Airlines, Korean Air, KLM, and Egypt Air also had delayed flights, ranging from 1 to 2 delays each. Airlines like Porter Airlines, Republic, Air Transat, and WestJet saw fewer delays, with Air Transat and American Airlines having 7 delays each (18% and 6% respectively).
The most affected routes from Toronto Pearson International Airport today include flights to Vancouver, Copenhagen, Chicago, Regina, San Francisco, LaGuardia, New York, and Charlottetown, with numerous delays and cancellations reported across these destinations.
A Closer Look at the Disruptions
Airlines and the Extent of Delays The delays and cancellations have impacted a variety of airlines operating at Toronto Pearson. The delays are primarily due to a combination of factors, including weather conditions, air traffic control constraints, and operational challenges. Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, has seen the highest number of delays, with 64 delayed flights, accounting for 18% of their total departures. Additionally, the airline had 5 cancellations today, contributing to 1% of their total flights. Other carriers with significant delays include Air Canada Rouge, United Airlines, and Jazz, which have also experienced notable disruptions.
A Breakdown of the Cancellations Among the 12 cancellations, Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge saw the most, with the former having 5 cancellations and the latter contributing 4. This is followed by United Airlines, which had 2 cancelled flights. Other carriers affected by cancellations include British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Ethiopian Airlines, with fewer cancellations reported across the board. While the situation at Toronto Pearson remains dynamic, travelers should expect potential ripple effects throughout the day.
How Major Airlines Are Handling the Disruptions
Air Canada’s Efforts to Manage Delays and Cancellations Air Canada, as the largest airline at Toronto Pearson, has been at the forefront of handling the disruptions. Despite the significant number of delays and cancellations, the airline is working to accommodate affected passengers by providing alternative flights and compensation where applicable. According to a statement from the airline, they are committed to minimizing inconvenience and ensuring that passengers reach their destinations as quickly and comfortably as possible.
United Airlines and Other International Carriers United Airlines has also seen substantial delays, with 27% of their flights delayed today. The airline, along with other international carriers such as British Airways and Lufthansa, has been actively communicating with passengers, advising them of any changes to their flight schedules. Passengers traveling on these airlines are advised to stay updated via the airline’s mobile app or website, as real-time updates on delays and cancellations are being provided.
Impact on Travelers and Tips for Navigating the Disruptions
Passenger Advice for Today’s Travel With such a high number of delays and cancellations, it is crucial for passengers traveling through Toronto Pearson to stay informed. Checking the status of your flight regularly is the best way to ensure you are prepared for any changes. Airlines are increasingly offering mobile alerts to notify passengers about gate changes, delays, and cancellations in real time, which can help reduce stress during the travel process. Passengers experiencing significant delays need to reach out to their airline representatives for assistance with rebooking or compensation.
Potential Long-Term Effects on Toronto Pearson’s Operations The ongoing delays and cancellations at Toronto Pearson could have a longer-lasting effect on travel operations, especially for flights departing in the next few days. The airport, which serves as a critical hub for both domestic and international flights, could continue to experience backlogs as airlines work to catch up on delayed schedules. Travelers are advised to allow extra time for check-in and security screening, as the volume of affected passengers may lead to longer wait times.
What’s Next for Toronto Pearson Airport?
Looking Ahead to a Busy Summer Season As summer approaches, Toronto Pearson International Airport is expected to see even more traffic, which may put further strain on airport operations. Airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet, and others, are working to increase their preparedness to handle the expected surge in passengers. However, today’s disruptions highlight the need for airlines and airport authorities to enhance operational efficiency, particularly during peak travel periods. Travelers should expect continued updates regarding airport operations as Toronto Pearson adapts to these challenges.
Preparing for Ongoing Disruptions
Traveling through Toronto Pearson International Airport today can be stressful due to a high number of delays and cancellations. With 138 delays and 12 cancellations, passengers are advised to keep up with real-time updates from their respective airlines and to remain flexible in case of further changes. Air Canada, United Airlines, and other carriers are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, but passengers should anticipate potential delays through the day. For those traveling internationally or domestically, staying informed is key to navigating this disruption successfully.
United Airlines Cancel and Delay Over 650 Flights in US as Travel Disruption Continues in the Wake of a IT Outage, Including Denver, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and More
Home»Airline News In America» United Airlines Cancel and Delay Over 650 Flights in US as Travel Disruption Continues in the Wake of a IT Outage, Including Denver, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and More
Published on
August 8, 2025 |
By: TTW News Desk
A crippling IT outage sent United Airlines and its passengers into a two-day spiral of travel chaos this week, with the fallout from the resolved glitch continuing to disrupt operations across the US through Thursday. The failure of the airline’s critical “Unimatic” flight information system on Wednesday triggered a logistical meltdown that ultimately impacted over 1,700 flights. While the system was restored Wednesday night, the airline continued to struggle with displaced aircraft and crews, resulting in 164 cancellations and 489 delays on Thursday alone. This compounded the turmoil from the initial outage on Wednesday, which saw 218 flights cancelled and approximately 1,100 delayed, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at major hubs including Chicago, Denver, Houston, and Los Angeles.
As of Today, departure boards in United’s major hubs were still a sea of red, with 164 flights cancelled and another 489 delayed. This operational paralysis was the direct result of a far more intense breakdown on Yesterday, when the system failure first occurred, leading to 218 cancellations and a staggering 1,100 delays.
A massive two-day travel meltdown engulfed United Airlines this week after the failure of its critical “Unimatic” IT system, ultimately disrupting over 1,700 flights. The chaos peaked on Wednesday when 218 flights (7%) were cancelled and approximately 1,100 flights (35%) were delayed. The logistical fallout continued to plague the airline through Thursday, where another 164 flights (5%) were cancelled and 489 flights (15%) were delayed as the carrier struggled to reposition aircraft and crews. This widespread disruption was felt across the entire network, impacting routes of all types, from major international services like UAL146 between Newark and London, to key cross-country connections such as UAL796 from San Francisco to Boston and UAL2276 from Los Angeles to Chicago, and even shorter regional hops like UAL1476 from Denver to Kansas City, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at its major hubs.
The Anatomy of a Meltdown: A Legacy System Fails
At the heart of the crisis was a failure in United’s “Unimatic” system. This is a “legacy system”—older but essential software that acts as the digital backbone for the airline’s flight operations. It houses the foundational data for nearly every flight, including routing information, flight times, and critical weight and balance calculations needed for safe takeoff.
When Unimatic went down for several hours Wednesday night, it was like a nerve center being severed. Though IT teams managed to resolve the outage by late evening, the damage was already done. The incident, which United confirmed was not a cybersecurity breach, triggered a logistical domino effect that would take days to untangle.
The key problem is that a resolved IT issue doesn’t instantly put aircraft and flight crews back where they need to be. A plane that was scheduled to fly from Chicago to Los Angeles on Thursday morning might have been the same aircraft that was stuck on the tarmac in Denver the night before. Similarly, a flight crew’s legally mandated duty hours may have expired while they waited for a resolution, making them ineligible to pilot their next scheduled flight. This cascading failure of positioning and scheduling is why the disruptions continued long after the servers were back online.
Response and Nationwide Impact
As the crisis unfolded, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stepped in, issuing a ground stop that halted United flights destined for its Chicago hub to prevent the airport from being completely overwhelmed. The impact was felt across the entire network, affecting flights of all types. Major cross-country services like UAL796 from San Francisco to Boston and key hub connections such as UAL2276 from Los Angeles to Chicago faced significant delays. The problems extended to international gateways, with flights like UAL146 from Newark to London Heathrow caught in the snarl. Even shorter regional routes, including UAL2074 from Denver to Rapid City, were not immune, illustrating how the failure of a single system could paralyze an entire network.
United’s public relations team worked to manage the fallout, issuing statements apologizing for the disruption and reaffirming that safety was its top priority. The airline assured customers it was working to rebook them and would cover expenses like hotels and meals in accordance with its policies.
Now, as the airline works to clear the backlog and restore a normal schedule, its larger challenge will be to restore the confidence of the thousands of passengers who were caught in the crossfire of a brief but catastrophic system failure.
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