The Department of Transportation is looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure consumer rights are protected as the airline continues to face flight cancellations following a global technology outage last week.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for airline passengers in a statement on social media, mentioning that his department received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the tech failures.
Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, has struggled to restore its operations several days after a failed software update by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike on Thursday that affected businesses globally. This flawed update impacted Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, preventing corporate users from accessing their systems and leading to issues like the “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident affected nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. Airlines, however, were particularly hard hit; on Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed, and 5,171 were canceled, according to FlightAware data, with Delta being the most affected.
Delta reported canceling around 3,500 flights on Friday and Saturday. According to FlightAware, the airline canceled more than 2,500 flights on Sunday and Monday while delaying an additional 3,441 flights. As of Tuesday, another 738 flights had been canceled or delayed.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian issued an apology on Sunday for the disruptions, stating, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly. Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
Bastian acknowledged that Delta relies on many applications that utilize Microsoft Windows, including one for crew tracking that failed to handle the disruptions caused by the system shutdown. In response to the situation, Delta has provided a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights at no cost, along with meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.