The Department of Transportation is conducting an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure consumer rights are being upheld, particularly as the airline continues to cancel flights following a significant global tech outage last week.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the right of airline passengers to fair treatment in a social media statement, noting that his department had received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the outages.
Delta, based in Atlanta, has faced difficulties returning to normal operations days after a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affected businesses globally. This update caused issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving corporate users unable to access their systems and, in some instances, experiencing critical failures known as the “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident impacted nearly all major industries, including healthcare, deliveries, retail, and finance, but airlines and airports were among the hardest hit. On Friday alone, FlightAware reported over 46,000 flight delays and more than 5,171 cancellations, with Delta suffering the most.
Delta announced the cancellation of about 3,500 flights on Friday and Saturday, followed by over 2,500 additional cancellations and 3,441 delays on Sunday and Monday. As of Tuesday, 738 flights were either canceled or delayed.
In response to the disruptions, Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly. I want to apologize to everyone impacted by these events. Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand the difficulties posed by travel disruptions.”
Bastian mentioned that a significant number of Delta’s applications depend on Microsoft Windows, including tools for crew tracking, which were unable to manage changes due to the system shutdown. In light of the situation, Delta is offering a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights at no charge, as well as providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation services.