Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as the airline sought to recover from a global software outage that disrupted travel for three days.
The Atlanta-based airline had already canceled 1,300 flights and delayed 1,600 on Sunday, as per FlightAware. The total number of grounded flights rose above 3,500 Delta and Delta Connection flights between Friday and Saturday.
As of 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, representing around 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, which is approximately 5% of its planned flights.
The problems stemmed from a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday night, which impacted Microsoft’s Windows operating systems. This left corporate users unable to access their systems and caused issues like the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident affected nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. Airlines were particularly hard hit, with more than 46,000 flights delayed and 5,171 canceled on Friday alone, according to FlightAware. Delta faced the most significant impact.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the cancellations, stating, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly. I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events.” He emphasized that Delta is committed to connecting the world and understands the frustration of travel disruptions.
Bastian noted that Delta relies on numerous applications using Microsoft Windows, including a crew tracking tool that was hindered by the outage. To assist affected travelers, Delta has provided a travel waiver allowing free flight changes and offered meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg addressed the situation via social media on Sunday, mentioning that his department received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s management of the disruptions. He stated that Delta needs to provide refunds, complimentary rebooking, and prompt reimbursements for food and hotel expenses for those affected.
“No one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent,” Buttigieg emphasized.