The Department of Transportation is conducting an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure that consumer rights are being upheld, as the airline continues to face flight cancellations following a significant global tech outage last week.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for all airline passengers in a social media statement on Tuesday. He noted that his department had received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s handling of the disruptions caused by the tech failures.
Delta Air Lines, headquartered in Atlanta, has been struggling to restore operations after a problematic software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike impacted systems worldwide. A flaw in this update affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving numerous corporate users unable to access their systems.
The tech incident caused widespread disruptions across various sectors, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and financial institutions. The airline industry felt the impacts the most, with over 46,000 flight delays and more than 5,171 cancellations reported by FlightAware just on Friday. Delta experienced the toughest consequences.
The airline announced that it canceled approximately 3,500 flights on Friday and Saturday, followed by more than 2,500 cancellations and an additional 3,441 delays over Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday, another 738 flights had been either canceled or delayed, according to FlightAware.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly.” He expressed his regrets to those affected by the disruptions. Bastian mentioned that many of Delta’s applications rely on Microsoft Windows, including tools for crew tracking that were impeded by the system failures. To assist affected travelers, Delta has rolled out a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights without fees, along with providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation options.