Over the weekend, Expedia Group experienced widespread outages, affecting many of their properties including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Travelocity, WotIf, and eBookers. The company initially attributed the outages to maintenance, but later revealed that it was caused by an expired root certificate in the tech stack. Expedia Group stated that they perform regular updates and changes to their systems, and have measures in place to minimize the risk of future outages. Despite the internal disruption caused by the outage, sister brand Hotwire, which operates on a different tech platform, remained up and running.
In February, Expedia Group announced layoffs affecting 1,500 employees, or about 9% of its workforce. Many of the affected employees had been working on the multiyear tech platform migration that consolidated Expedia Group brands onto a common backend tech platform. However, Expedia Group disputed claims that the layoffs or the technology platform migration contributed to the outages. The company stated that the outages were caused by a backend software issue, and that maintenance work was being conducted over the weekend. Expedia Group responded quickly to the outage, despite it occurring on a weekend.
Following a tip from a source, Skift reported that an expired root certificate in the tech stack was the cause of the outages. Expedia Group confirmed this explanation and also stated that the problem extended beyond just consumer-facing websites, affecting some internal operations as well. The company disputed claims that the layoffs were a contributing factor to the outages, and maintained that the technology platform migration did not play a role in the disruptions. Expedia Group remains committed to ensuring the reliability of its systems and stated that they have measures in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The outages at Expedia Group properties over the weekend raised questions about the company’s technology infrastructure and its ability to handle updates and changes. The widespread nature of the outages, affecting multiple popular websites, highlighted the critical need for companies like Expedia Group to have robust backend systems in place to prevent disruptions. Skift’s reporting on the outages emphasized the importance of media companies in holding companies accountable and providing transparency to the public about the causes of such incidents.
While Expedia Group faced challenges with the outages, the company’s response to the situation demonstrated its commitment to addressing issues promptly and transparently. Expedia Group’s acknowledgment of the expired root certificate as the cause of the outages, along with its efforts to quickly bring the systems back online and minimize the risk of future incidents, showed a dedication to resolving technical issues effectively. Despite the disruptions caused by the outages, Expedia Group remains focused on maintaining the stability and reliability of its services for customers and internal operations.
Overall, the outages at Expedia Group properties highlighted the importance of having strong technology infrastructure and contingency plans in place to prevent widespread disruptions. The company’s handling of the situation, including clarifying the cause of the outages and responding quickly to address the issues, showcased a commitment to transparency and accountability. Moving forward, Expedia Group will likely continue to prioritize system reliability and implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, ensuring that customers and internal operations are not significantly impacted by technical disruptions.
