The U.S. Department of Transportation has opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines as the airline continues to face cancellations in the aftermath of a global technology outage. The Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, emphasized the importance of fair treatment for all airline passengers, pledging that consumer rights would be upheld. Buttigieg noted that his department has received a significant number of complaints regarding Delta’s handling of the situation.
Delta, based in Atlanta, is working to resume normal operations following a problematic software update by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which occurred late Thursday. This update inadvertently affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leading to widespread accessibility issues for corporate users and causing disruptions across numerous industries.
The airline industry was particularly hard hit, with over 46,000 flight delays and more than 5,171 cancellations reported on just one Friday. Delta experienced the most significant impact, canceling approximately 3,500 flights over Friday and Saturday, followed by more than 2,500 cancellations and 3,441 delays across Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday alone, 738 flights faced cancellations or delays.
In response to the situation, Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian stated that canceling flights is a measure taken only as a last resort and expressed apologies to all affected customers. He explained that many of Delta’s applications rely on Microsoft Windows, which contributed to the disruptions, particularly a crew tracking tool that was unable to manage necessary changes post-outage. Delta has introduced a travel waiver allowing customers to change flights at no additional cost, along with provisions for meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.