Delta Air Lines has canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as it continues to face challenges following a global software outage that disrupted operations for three days.
The Atlanta-based airline reported that it canceled approximately 1,300 flights and delayed around 1,600 on Sunday. This followed over 3,500 cancellations of Delta and Delta Connection flights from Friday to Saturday. By Monday morning, Delta had already canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, which indicates around 20% of its planned flights for the day. In contrast, American Airlines only canceled 38 flights and had 155 delays, amounting to about 5% of their operations.
The troubles for Delta originated from a flawed software update by CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, which impacted Microsoft’s Windows operating systems. As a result, corporate clients experienced significant disruptions, with some facing the “Blue Screen of Death.” The outage affected multiple sectors, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, but airlines, particularly Delta, were among the hardest hit, with over 46,000 delays and 5,171 cancellations reported on Friday alone.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, expressed regret over the flight cancellations, stating that such measures are a last resort. He acknowledged the challenges travelers face during disruptions and mentioned that Delta’s reliance on various Microsoft Windows applications contributed to the ongoing issues, particularly a tool for crew tracking that failed to manage operational changes due to the system outage.
In response to the disruption, Delta has implemented a travel waiver allowing affected customers to change their flights at no cost, alongside providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed on social media that his department received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s management of the situation, emphasizing that the airline must ensure refunds, free rebooking, and prompt reimbursements for customers’ additional expenses. Buttigieg stressed that no traveler should have to sleep in an airport or endure long waits for customer service.