The Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure the airline is adequately addressing consumer needs following a series of flight cancellations stemming from a global tech outage last week.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for airline passengers, stating on social media, “All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld.” This statement follows reports of “hundreds of complaints” received by the department regarding Delta’s handling of the situation.
Delta, based in Atlanta, has been struggling to restore full operations after a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Thursday. This update created issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users unable to access their systems and causing significant disruptions.
The incident impacted numerous sectors, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. Airlines were particularly hard hit, with over 46,000 flight delays and approximately 5,171 cancellations reported on Friday alone, according to FlightAware. Delta faced the brunt of the issues.
The airline canceled about 3,500 flights on Friday and Saturday, followed by more than 2,500 cancellations on Sunday and Monday, along with 3,441 delays. As of Tuesday, FlightAware reported 738 additional cancellations or delays.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret in a statement, saying, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly. I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events. Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
Bastian noted that Delta relies heavily on applications using Microsoft Windows, including critical tools for crew tracking, which were unable to adapt to the changes caused by the outage. In response, Delta has provided a travel waiver, allowing customers to amend their flights without penalty, as well as offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation assistance.