The Department of Transportation is currently examining Delta Air Lines to ensure the airline is addressing consumer needs amid a series of flight cancellations following a recent global technology outage.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for airline passengers in a social media statement on Tuesday. He noted that his department had received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s handling of the situation during the tech failures.
Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, has been facing challenges in returning to normal operations after a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused widespread issues late last week. This defect affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users without access and dealing with significant errors.
The impact of the incident extended across nearly all major industries, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, with airlines suffering the most. On Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed and an additional 5,171 were canceled, as reported by FlightAware, with Delta experiencing the most significant disruptions.
The airline canceled around 3,500 flights over Friday and Saturday, followed by more than 2,500 cancellations and 3,441 delays on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, Delta reported 738 additional flights either canceled or delayed, according to FlightAware.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged the situation in a statement, underscoring that canceling flights is always a last resort. He expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers and affirmed Delta’s commitment to connecting travelers worldwide.
Bastian explained that a considerable number of Delta’s applications rely on Microsoft Windows, including a tool for crew tracking, which was affected by the system failures. To assist impacted customers, Delta has introduced a travel waiver allowing free flight changes, along with providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.