Airlines were still recovering on Saturday, nearly two days after a CrowdStrike software bug paralyzed a number of industries, major airlines and airports including O'Hare International Airport.
United Airlines customers waited all afternoon in line, hoping to speak with a live agent after even more flights were cancelled during the weekend.
"I'm very tired, very, very tired, ready to get home," one traveler said.
The global IT outage still served up blue screens and an error message all over the airport.
Airlines cancelled 2,500 flights on Saturday morning and around 1,000 more in the afternoon, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware.
"And the app popped up a notification saying the flight was cancelled halfway through our first leg," stranded newlywed Nekeia Rome said.
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The Rome family was among those stuck in Chicago on a layover, fresh off their wedding and honeymoon in the Caribbean. The couple decided not to wait and drive to Columbus, Ohio, instead.
"I'm not waiting for another two days and they say that flight is cancelled as well, not doing that," said Kevin Rome.
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The level of disruption varied depending on the airline, with United and Delta continuing to see significant cancellations. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines was mainly unaffected, which meant Midway, a Southwest hub, had fewer troubles than O'Hare.
The reason? Southwest may have older technology that's not dependent on CrowdStrike software.
Airlines said they are waiving change fees, but some stranded families feel stuck paying the hotel bill.
"What about us six people struggling here and who is going to take responsibility," one traveler said.
While many travelers are hoping for a flight out tomorrow, the ripple effect could last into next week.
