Delta Air Lines faced significant operational challenges on Monday, canceling hundreds of flights as the airline continued to cope with the aftermath of a global software failure that disrupted travel for three consecutive days.
On Sunday alone, Delta canceled approximately 1,300 flights and delayed over 1,600, according to FlightAware. The airline had already seen more than 3,500 Delta and Delta Connection flights canceled between Friday and Saturday.
As of 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, amounting to around 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, roughly 5% of its planned flights.
The chaos stemmed from a flawed software update by CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, which occurred late Thursday. This issue affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving corporate users, including Delta, without access to crucial systems and in some cases facing a ‘Blue Screen of Death’ error.
The incident caused widespread disruption across various sectors such as healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, with airlines experiencing some of the heaviest impact. On Friday, over 46,000 flights were delayed, and an additional 5,171 were canceled.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the situation, stating that canceling flights is a last resort and apologizing to those affected. He acknowledged the importance of timely travel and the frustration caused by the disruptions. Bastian indicated that Delta relies on numerous applications utilizing Microsoft Windows, including a critical crew tracking tool that failed during the system outage.
In response to the disruptions, Delta has introduced a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights without fees and has offered meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg noted on social media that his department received hundreds of complaints regarding Delta’s response to the disruptions, calling for the airline to ensure refunds, free rebooking, and timely reimbursements for affected customers’ expenses. He emphasized that no one should be left stranded at an airport or waiting excessively for customer service assistance.