Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as the airline continues to recover from a global software outage that disrupted travel for three days.
On Sunday alone, Delta canceled approximately 1,300 flights and delayed another 1,600, based on data from FlightAware. This followed over 3,500 cancellations of Delta and Delta Connection flights from Friday to Saturday.
As of around 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, which amounts to about 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, or about 5% of its planned flights.
The problems at Delta arose from a faulty software update implemented by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday night. This defect affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving corporate users with limited access to their systems, and in some cases, dealing with the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident had widespread ramifications across various industries, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, but airlines and airports experienced some of the most significant impacts. On Friday, over 46,000 flights faced delays, with an additional 5,171 cancellations, particularly affecting Delta.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret in a statement, emphasizing that canceling flights is not taken lightly and apologizing to travelers impacted by the disruptions. He noted that many of the airline’s applications rely on Microsoft Windows, including a tool for crew tracking that was unable to function due to the system failures.
To assist affected customers, Delta has introduced a travel waiver allowing complimentary changes to flights, as well as meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
In response to the situation, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg mentioned on social media that his department received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s handling of the disruptions. He indicated that Delta must offer refunds, free rebooking, and prompt reimbursements for food and lodging to impacted customers, stating that no one should be left stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for extended periods.