Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as the airline continued to deal with the aftermath of a global software outage that disrupted travel over the weekend.
The Atlanta-based airline canceled 1,300 flights and delayed 1,600 on Sunday, according to FlightAware. This followed more than 3,500 flight cancellations involving Delta and Delta Connection flights between Friday and Saturday.
As of 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, representing around 20% of its planned operations. In comparison, American Airlines saw only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, totaling about 5% of its operations.
The disruptions were caused by a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that occurred late Thursday. This update affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users unable to access their systems, with some encountering the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The outage affected nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, but had a particularly severe impact on airlines and airports. On Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed, and another 5,171 were canceled, with Delta experiencing the most significant disruptions.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the situation, stating that canceling flights is always a difficult decision. He acknowledged the inconvenience caused to travelers and mentioned that Delta is committed to reconnecting the world and addressing travel disruptions.
Bastian noted that Delta relies on various applications running on Microsoft Windows, including a crew-tracking tool that was unable to adapt to the system shutdown. The airline has initiated a travel waiver allowing affected customers to modify their flights at no cost and is providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reported receiving “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the situation. He emphasized that Delta should offer refunds, free rebooking, and timely compensation for food and lodging to those impacted.
“But no one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent,” Buttigieg stated.