The Department of Transportation is looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure it is meeting consumer needs as the airline continues to cancel numerous flights following a global tech outage last week.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for airline passengers, stating on social media that his department has received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the tech disruptions.
Delta, based in Atlanta, has faced challenges in fully restoring operations after a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike last Thursday impacted businesses worldwide. This update caused issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, resulting in corporate users dealing with significant system access problems.
The incident affected nearly all major industries, particularly airlines, which experienced severe disruptions. On one day alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed and an additional 5,171 were canceled, according to FlightAware, with Delta being the most significantly impacted airline.
Delta announced that it canceled approximately 3,500 flights over the weekend. Following this, the carrier canceled more than 2,500 flights and delayed another 3,441 from Sunday to Monday, with 738 flights also canceled or delayed on Tuesday, according to FlightAware.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly,” and expressed apologies to those affected by the disruptions. He acknowledged the difficulties that travel disruptions can cause and highlighted that Delta relies on many Microsoft Windows applications, including one crucial for crew tracking, which was hindered by the system failure. To assist customers, Delta has provided a travel waiver allowing free flight changes, as well as meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation options.