Delta Air Lines has canceled hundreds of flights as it continues to grapple with the fallout from a global software outage that has caused significant disruptions. On Sunday alone, the Atlanta-based airline scrapped 1,300 flights and delayed 1,600, according to FlightAware. This followed the cancellation of over 3,500 flights from Friday to Saturday.
By Monday morning, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, representing roughly 20% of its planned operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported only 38 canceled flights and 155 delays, amounting to about 5% of its scheduled flights.
The problems arose from a flawed software update implemented by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday, which malfunctioned Windows operating systems and left many corporate users unable to access their systems. This led to widespread issues across various sectors, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, with the aviation industry being particularly hard hit. On Friday, over 46,000 flights experienced delays, and 5,171 were canceled, with Delta suffering the most significant impact.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the cancellations, stating, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly.” He acknowledged the difficulties travelers faced due to the disruptions and announced that Delta is issuing waivers to allow customers to change their flights for free, as well as providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
In response to the situation, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg noted that his department had received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s response to the disruptions. He emphasized the necessity for the airline to offer refunds, free rebooking, and timely reimbursements for affected passengers’ food and lodging expenses, adding that nobody should be stranded overnight at airports or forced to wait excessively for customer service assistance.