Delta Air Lines faced significant disruptions on Monday, canceling hundreds of flights as it continued to recover from a global software outage that occurred three days earlier. The Atlanta-based airline had already canceled 1,300 flights and delayed 1,600 on Sunday, following the cancellation of over 3,500 Delta and Delta Connection flights between Friday and Saturday, according to FlightAware.
By 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta reported 626 flight cancellations and 144 delays, soaring to about 20% of its scheduled operations for the day. In contrast, American Airlines only canceled 38 flights and delayed 155, representing about 5% of its planned schedules.
The difficulties for Delta were triggered by a problematic software update carried out by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday. This update affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving numerous corporate users without access and causing issues such as the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The impact of this incident was widespread, affecting numerous industries including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. The airline industry, however, felt the brunt of the fallout, with more than 46,000 flight delays and 5,171 cancellations reported on Friday alone.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the cancellations in a statement, acknowledging the disruption caused to travelers. He noted that Delta’s operations rely heavily on Microsoft Windows, which includes vital tools for crew tracking that were affected by the system failure. To alleviate the situation, Delta is offering travel waivers for flight changes without charge, as well as meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transport.
Moreover, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg indicated on social media that his department had received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the disruptions. He emphasized that Delta has a responsibility to ensure refunds, facilitate free rebooking, and provide timely reimbursements for affected customers, stating that no traveler should be stranded at an airport overnight or left on hold for extensive periods waiting for customer service assistance.