Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as the airline struggles to recover from a global software outage that began three days ago, grounding and delaying trips worldwide.
The Atlanta-based airline canceled 1,300 flights on Sunday and delayed 1,600, according to FlightAware. More than 3,500 Delta and Delta Connection flights were canceled between Friday and Saturday. As of 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144 for the day—about 20% of its planned operations. In comparison, American Airlines canceled 38 flights and delayed 155—about 5% of its planned flights.
The issues for Delta stemmed from a botched software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Thursday night. A defect in the update affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users without access to their systems and causing some to experience the “Blue Screen of Death.”
Almost all major industries were affected, including healthcare service providers, delivery companies, retailers, and financial institutions. Airlines and airports were hit especially hard: On Friday alone, more than 46,000 flights were delayed and 5,171 were canceled, according to FlightAware, with Delta being the hardest hit.
“Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement on Sunday. “I want to apologize to everyone impacted by these events. Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
Bastian mentioned that Delta has many applications using Microsoft Windows, including a crew tracking tool that couldn’t process changes due to the system shutdown. Delta has offered a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights for free, along with meal vouchers, hotel rooms, and transportation.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on social media late Sunday that his department received “hundreds of complaints” about Delta’s handling of the disruptions. Buttigieg stated that Delta must provide refunds, free rebooking, and timely reimbursements for food and hotel stays to affected customers.
“No one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent,” Buttigieg added.