Several airlines are having problems with email support and communication services due to a global Microsoft outage and have warned customers on social media, CNN Portugal reports.

Indian low-cost airline IndiGo said its email support services are currently affected and that it may not be able to receive customer messages. The airline advised passengers to get in touch through its website or mobile app instead.

Another Indian low-cost airline, Akasa Air, also announced that its “email support services are experiencing delays.”

Meanwhile, South African airline CemAir said it is “experiencing some disruptions to its systems due to the global Microsoft outage.”

None of the airlines reported any flight disruptions or changes to their schedules.

Air India, the country’s flag carrier, said it is “closely monitoring the current Microsoft outage” and has redirected its emails. The airline confirmed that flight operations “have not been affected” and that “there is currently no impact on our communication channels.”

“The emails can wait,” the airline wrote in another post. “Consider this a sign to start planning that getaway.”

Rail services also affected

The disruption is not limited to air travel, as several railway companies are also reporting problems with their communication services, CNN reports.

VIA Rail Canada said passengers “may not be able to receive email communications about their trip” due to problems with Microsoft services. The railway advised passengers to use its online train tracker or sign up for SMS notifications to stay updated on their journeys.

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn also reported problems with Microsoft Outlook, saying the service is experiencing “severe sluggishness,” leading to major delays in sending and receiving emails.

“As a result, the distribution of rerouting schedules is severely restricted. All relevant teams are involved in resolving the issue; current indications point to a server-side problem on Microsoft’s end,” the company said in a statement.

In the UK, National Rail warned that the outage could affect passengers trying to access train tickets by email.

Passengers were advised to check the website or app where they bought their tickets or contact the ticket seller directly.

“If you are still unable to access your ticket, please contact a member of onboard staff or station staff for advice,” National Rail said on its website.

Rail Delivery Group, which manages National Rail, confirmed that the outage had not caused any disruptions to train operations or services.

Disruptions reported worldwide

According to CNN, the Microsoft outage began over 12 hours ago and has left millions around the world without access to Outlook email, Teams, and “other staples of modern office life,” and banks, governments, courts and schools in multiple countries are affected.

Microsoft is reportedly struggling to fix the problem, which the tech giant has ensured is not caused by a cybersecurity breach.

According to Downdetector, the outage “reached 74 countries and territories in about an hour.” In the US, city governments reported widespread email disruptions, and in the UK, the disruption is affecting the National Health Service and is expected to prevent some patients from getting their medicine prescriptions.

Microsoft reports signs of stabilisation

Microsoft said it would extend its email timeout window to 48 hours “to help protect delayed messages while service recovery continues,” according to an update posted at around 4:15 a.m. ET on Friday.

The email timeout window determines how long an email server or service such as Outlook will wait for a message to be delivered before reporting an error.

Microsoft said it is continuing to work on restoring services and is seeing “early signs of stabilisation,” although systems have not yet returned to normal.

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