Delta Air Lines faced significant disruptions on Monday, canceling hundreds of flights as the airline continues to recover from a global software outage that occurred three days prior, grounding and delaying flights worldwide.
The Atlanta-based carrier canceled 1,300 flights and delayed 1,600 on Sunday, as reported by FlightAware. This followed the cancellation of over 3,500 Delta and Delta Connection flights between Friday and Saturday.
By 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, amounting to about 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported only 38 cancellations and 155 delays, roughly 5% of its planned flights.
Delta’s operational woes were triggered by a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that occurred late Thursday. The error adversely affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, preventing corporate users from accessing their systems and in some cases resulting in the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident had far-reaching consequences, impacting numerous sectors including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, with airlines facing especially severe challenges. On Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed and an additional 5,171 were canceled, with Delta being particularly affected.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret over the operational difficulties in a statement, emphasizing that canceling flights is a last resort and apologizing to those impacted. He highlighted that Delta relies on multiple applications utilizing Microsoft Windows, including a critical crew tracking system that was disrupted by the outage. To support affected travelers, Delta has provided a travel waiver allowing free flight changes, as well as meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
In response to the chaos, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced via social media on Sunday that his department had received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s handling of the situation. He underscored that Delta must ensure customers receive refunds, free rebooking options, and timely reimbursements for meals and accommodations.
Buttigieg stated, “No one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent.”