Delta Air Lines faced significant operational challenges on Monday, cancelling hundreds of flights as it continued to recover from a global software outage. This disruption has caused widespread delays and cancellations over the past several days.
On Sunday alone, Delta cancelled approximately 1,300 flights and delayed around 1,600, according to FlightAware data. This followed over 3,500 cancellations for Delta and Delta Connection flights from Friday to Saturday. By Monday morning, Delta reported 626 cancelled flights and 144 delayed, affecting nearly 20% of its scheduled operations. In comparison, American Airlines had only cancelled 38 flights and delayed 155, which was about 5% of its operations.
The root cause of Delta’s disruption was a botched software update conducted by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday. A defect in this update negatively impacted Microsoft Windows operating systems, leaving numerous corporate users without access to their systems and sometimes encountering the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The impact of this incident reached nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, with the airline industry being one of the hardest hit. On Friday, more than 46,000 flights were delayed, and another 5,171 were cancelled, according to FlightAware data, with Delta being particularly affected.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the situation in a statement, emphasizing that flight cancellations are a last resort. He apologized to all customers affected, highlighting the difficulties faced when travel plans are disrupted. He noted that Delta relies heavily on Microsoft Windows for its operations, including essential tools for tracking crew logistics that were rendered ineffective due to the software failure.
In response to the disruptions, Delta has implemented a travel waiver allowing customers to change flights without fees and has offered meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg commented on the situation via social media, stating that his department had received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s management of the disruptions. He insisted that Delta must ensure refunds, free rebooking options, and prompt reimbursements for food and lodging for those affected. Buttigieg further emphasized the importance of preventing passengers from being stranded at airports or left waiting for extended periods to reach customer service.