The Department of Transportation is looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure consumer rights are being observed as the airline faces ongoing flight cancellations following a widespread tech outage last week.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg highlighted on social media that “all airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly,” promising to uphold this right. He noted that his department has received numerous complaints about Delta’s handling of the situation resulting from the outages.
Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, has struggled to return to normal operations after a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike went awry last Thursday, affecting businesses globally. The update malfunctioned, impacting Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, which left many corporate users encountering serious access issues.
The incident influenced nearly all major industries, significantly impacting healthcare providers, delivery companies, retailers, and financial institutions. Airlines, however, faced the brunt of the disruption, with over 46,000 flights delayed and 5,171 canceled on Friday alone, according to FlightAware. Delta experienced the largest impact.
The airline reported canceling around 3,500 flights across its network on Friday and Saturday, with more than 2,500 flights canceled on Sunday and Monday, in addition to 3,441 delays. As of Tuesday, almost 738 flights have faced cancellations or delays.
In an apology to affected travelers, Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly.” He added, “Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
Bastian explained that Delta utilizes a significant number of applications reliant on Microsoft Windows, including a tool for crew tracking that failed to manage changes due to the system shutdown. To assist customers, Delta has introduced a travel waiver allowing free flight changes, along with offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.