The Department of Transportation is currently investigating Delta Air Lines to ensure that consumer rights are upheld, following a series of flight cancellations resulting from a global tech outage last week.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg emphasized the importance of fair treatment for airline passengers in a statement shared on social media. He mentioned that his department has received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s handling of the situation related to the tech failures.
Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, has faced challenges in fully restoring operations following a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which occurred late Thursday. This issue had widespread effects, particularly impacting Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users struggling, some even encountering the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.”
The outage disrupted almost every major industry, affecting healthcare providers, delivery services, retailers, and financial institutions. Airlines, especially Delta, were particularly hard hit. On Friday alone, the outage led to over 46,000 flight delays and more than 5,171 cancellations, according to data from FlightAware, with Delta experiencing the most significant impact.
On Friday and Saturday, Delta canceled approximately 3,500 flights. The company reported further cancellations of over 2,500 flights on Sunday and Monday, along with 3,441 delays. Already on Tuesday, 738 flights faced cancellations or delays, according to FlightAware.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret for the disruption caused, stating that canceling a flight is always a last resort. He apologized to all affected travelers, noting that Delta is committed to connecting people and understands the difficulties caused by travel disruptions.
Bastian also mentioned that Delta utilizes a number of applications reliant on Microsoft Windows, including a crew tracking tool that struggled to adapt to the system shutdown. In response to the crisis, Delta has offered a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights without charge, along with meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation assistance.