The Department of Transportation is looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure the company is adequately supporting consumers as it continues to cancel flights following a global tech outage last week.
“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,” stated Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on social media Tuesday. He had previously mentioned that the department received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s handling of the tech outages.
Delta, based in Atlanta, has experienced difficulties in fully resuming operations after a problematic software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike last Thursday affected businesses worldwide. This defect in the update impacted Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving corporate users unable to access their systems and facing issues like the “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident affected nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery, retail, and finance. Airlines and airports were particularly hard hit; on Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed and an additional 5,171 canceled, according to FlightAware, with Delta experiencing the most significant impact.
Delta canceled around 3,500 flights on Friday and Saturday. According to FlightAware, the airline subsequently canceled more than 2,500 flights on Sunday and Monday, delaying another 3,441. As of Tuesday, 738 flights had already been canceled or delayed.
“Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian in a statement on Sunday. “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 on a “significant number of applications” that utilize Microsoft Windows, including a crew tracking tool that was unable to manage the changes triggered by the system shutdown. Delta has since offered a travel waiver that allows customers to change their flights for free, as well as meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation assistance.