Delta Air Lines faced significant disruptions on Monday, canceling hundreds of flights as it struggled to recover from a global software outage that occurred three days prior, which grounded and delayed flights worldwide.
On Sunday, the airline canceled approximately 1,300 flights and delayed around 1,600, as reported by FlightAware. This followed a more severe impact over the weekend, with Delta and its regional partner Delta Connection canceling over 3,500 flights between Friday and Saturday.
By 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta announced the cancellation of 626 flights and 144 delays, representing nearly 20% of its scheduled operations for the day. In contrast, American Airlines experienced minimal disruption with only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, about 5% of its planned flights.
The chaos originated from a flawed software update initiated by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday, which affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems. This led to widespread access issues for corporate users, alongside instances of the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident impacted numerous sectors, including healthcare, deliveries, retail, and finance, but airlines and airports suffered the most severe consequences. On that Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed and more than 5,171 canceled across the industry, with Delta sustaining the greatest damage.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, expressed regret over the cancellations, stating that they are always a last resort. He issued apologies to those affected, emphasizing the airline’s commitment to connecting people globally and acknowledging the challenges posed by travel disruptions.
Bastian pointed out that numerous applications used by Delta depend on Microsoft Windows, including a key program for tracking crew schedules, which struggled to adapt to the system failures. As a response, Delta has implemented a travel waiver allowing customers to change flights without a fee and is offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg noted that his department received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s disruption response. He stated that Delta should ensure prompt refunds, free rebooking, and reimbursements for food and hotel expenses for affected passengers.
“But no one should be stranded at an airport overnight or waiting for hours on hold to reach customer service,” Buttigieg added.