The Department of Transportation is looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure consumer rights are being protected following a series of flight cancellations linked to a recent global technology outage.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stated on social media that all airline passengers deserve fair treatment and pledged to uphold that right, noting that his department has received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the outage.
Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, has faced significant operational challenges after a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affected numerous businesses worldwide. This update caused disruptions in Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, resulting in widespread accessibility issues and the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” for corporate users.
The ripple effects of this incident led to widespread delays and cancellations across multiple industries, with airlines experiencing particularly severe impacts. On Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed and more than 5,171 were canceled, as reported by FlightAware, with Delta suffering the worst of the disruptions.
Over the weekend, Delta canceled approximately 3,500 flights and continued to face challenges with over 2,500 flight cancellations on Sunday and Monday, along with 3,441 delays. The situation remained problematic on Tuesday, with 738 flights already reported as canceled or delayed.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, expressed regret for the inconvenience caused, emphasizing that cancelling a flight is always a last resort. He apologized to all customers affected by the disruptions, acknowledging the difficulty of unexpected changes to travel plans.
Bastian mentioned that Delta relies on a significant number of applications utilizing Microsoft Windows, including one for crew tracking that could not adapt to the sudden system failure. To assist affected customers, Delta has implemented a travel waiver allowing free flight changes along with providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation options.