Delta Air Lines faced significant challenges on Monday as the airline canceled hundreds of flights, continuing its struggle to recover from a global software outage that disrupted travel worldwide for three consecutive days.
On Sunday alone, Delta canceled 1,300 flights and delayed another 1,600, as reported by FlightAware. This added to the more than 3,500 cancellations and delays of Delta and Delta Connection flights that occurred between Friday and Saturday.
By 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, which accounted for roughly 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, representing about 5% of its planned flights.
The disruptions were traced back to a faulty software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which accidentally impacted Microsoft’s Windows systems late Thursday. This issue left numerous corporate users unable to access their systems, with some experiencing the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident affected a wide range of industries, from healthcare providers to retailers and financial institutions, but the airline sector bore the brunt of the fallout. On Friday, over 46,000 flights were delayed, and 5,171 were canceled, with Delta being the most hard-hit airline.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the situation in a statement, emphasizing that canceling flights is a last resort. He apologized to those affected, acknowledging the difficulties that travel disruptions can cause. Bastian pointed out that Delta relies heavily on applications using Microsoft Windows, including a tool for crew tracking, which was unable to function due to the system shutdown. In response, Delta enacted a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights without charge, along with providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transport.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted on Sunday that his department had received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s management of the disruptions. He insisted that Delta must ensure refunds, free rebooking, and prompt reimbursements for customers’ food and lodging expenses.
Buttigieg added that no traveler should have to endure being stranded overnight at an airport or face lengthy waits on the phone for customer service.