The Department of Transportation is conducting an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure the company is adequately addressing consumer complaints amid ongoing flight cancellations following last week’s global tech outage. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for all airline passengers, stating on social media that his department has received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s response to the outages.
Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, has faced challenges in returning to normal operations after a problematic software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which occurred late Thursday. This update adversely affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users facing significant access issues, including the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The impact of the incident reached numerous sectors, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. However, airlines and airports were particularly hard hit. On Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed, and more than 5,171 were canceled, according to data from FlightAware, with Delta being the most affected airline.
Delta reported approximately 3,500 flight cancellations over Friday and Saturday, and by Sunday and Monday, it had canceled an additional 2,500 flights while experiencing 3,441 delays. As of Tuesday, the airline had already canceled or delayed 738 flights.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the cancellations, calling it a last resort and acknowledging the hardships faced by affected travelers. He noted that Delta relies on a considerable number of applications that utilize Microsoft Windows, including tools for crew tracking that were unable to adapt to the shutdown. To assist impacted customers, Delta has implemented a travel waiver policy allowing free flight changes, along with offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.