The Department of Transportation is investigating Delta Air Lines to ensure the company is adequately addressing consumer needs following a series of flight cancellations resulting from a global tech outage last week.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for all airline passengers, pledging to uphold their rights, and mentioned the department had received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s handling of the situation.
Based in Atlanta, Delta has been struggling to fully resume operations after a faulty software update conducted by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike disrupted businesses worldwide. This defective update affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users facing access issues and the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The tech incident impacted nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. Airlines were particularly hard hit, with over 46,000 flights delayed and 5,171 canceled on just one day, according to FlightAware data. Delta was among the hardest affected.
Delta reported it canceled around 3,500 flights over Friday and Saturday, with more than 2,500 cancellations on Sunday and Monday, along with 3,441 delays. On Tuesday alone, 738 flights were either canceled or delayed.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged the challenges presented by the disruptions, stating, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort and something we don’t take lightly. I want to apologize to everyone impacted by these events.” He noted that Delta heavily relies on Microsoft Windows for many applications, including tools essential for crew tracking that were disrupted by the system failure. In response, Delta has implemented a travel waiver allowing customers to change flights for free and is providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation options.