The Department of Transportation is currently investigating Delta Air Lines to ensure that the airline is adequately addressing consumer needs following a series of flight cancellations stemming from a global tech outage experienced last week.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg emphasized on social media that all airline passengers deserve fair treatment, stating his commitment to uphold those rights. He noted that his department had received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s response to the disruptions caused by the outages.
Delta, based in Atlanta, has faced significant challenges in resuming full operations after a flawed software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike last Thursday. This update led to issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, impacting a wide range of businesses globally, including airline operations.
The incident had widespread repercussions across multiple industries, including healthcare, retail, delivery services, and finance. Airlines were particularly affected; on one day alone, over 46,000 flights experienced delays, and more than 5,171 were canceled, with Delta being among the hardest hit.
Over the course of Friday and Saturday, Delta canceled approximately 3,500 flights. The cancellation tally rose, with more than 2,500 flights canceled on Sunday and Monday, along with over 3,400 delays. On Tuesday alone, 738 flights were either canceled or delayed.
In response, Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret towards affected customers, stressing that flight cancellations are never taken lightly and are always a last option. He acknowledged the importance of connecting people worldwide and the challenges that arise when travel plans are disrupted.
Bastian further mentioned that Delta relies heavily on a variety of applications that use Windows, which includes tools critical for tracking crew schedules that were impacted by the system failures. To assist affected travelers, Delta has introduced a travel waiver allowing customers to modify their flights at no charge, along with offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation services.