Delta Air Lines faced significant operational challenges on Monday, canceling hundreds of flights as the airline continues to recover from a global software outage that affected travel over the weekend. This incident, which originated from a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Thursday night, significantly impacted Microsoft’s Windows systems, leaving many corporate users—including airlines—unable to access their services.
According to FlightAware, Delta canceled 1,300 flights and delayed another 1,600 on Sunday, building on previous cancellations of over 3,500 flights across Delta and Delta Connection between Friday and Saturday. By Monday morning, Delta had already canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, representing roughly 20% of its planned operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, which equated to about 5% of its flights.
The widespread outage caused delays for more than 46,000 flights and canceled over 5,000 flights on Friday, deeply affecting the airline sector, with Delta being the most impacted. Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed his regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers, emphasizing that flight cancellations are always a last resort for the airline.
Bastian noted that many of Delta’s systems rely on Microsoft Windows, including critical tools like crew tracking, which struggled to adapt to the software failure. In response to affected travelers, Delta has issued a travel waiver allowing customers to change flights without charges, along with offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addressed the situation on social media, stating that his department had received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s handling of the disruption. He underscored the importance of customer support, insisting that Delta must offer refunds, free rebooking, and prompt reimbursements for food and lodging to those impacted. Buttigieg stressed that passengers should not be left stranded or forced to endure lengthy wait times for customer service assistance.