The Department of Transportation has initiated an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure that the carrier is addressing consumer concerns amid a wave of flight cancellations following last week’s global tech outage.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized the passengers’ rights to fair treatment in a statement on social media, which comes after his department received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s actions during the tech disruptions.
Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, has been struggling to restore its operations after a problematic software update released by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Thursday affected various businesses worldwide. This update led to issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, causing significant disruptions for corporate clients, some of whom encountered the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident had a ripple effect across nearly all major industries, including healthcare, retail, delivery services, and finance, but airlines were particularly hard hit. On Friday alone, over 46,000 flights experienced delays, and 5,171 flights were canceled, as reported by FlightAware, with Delta suffering the most.
Delta canceled approximately 3,500 flights across its schedule over Friday and Saturday. Additionally, the airline scrapped more than 2,500 flights on Sunday and Monday and reported 3,441 delays during the same period. On Tuesday, another 738 flights were either canceled or delayed.
In response to the situation, Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret for the disruption, stating, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly. I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events. Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
Bastian noted that Delta relies on a “significant number of applications” that use Microsoft Windows, including a tool for tracking crew assignments, which was adversely affected by the system outage. To assist impacted travelers, Delta has implemented a travel waiver that allows customers to change their flights at no charge and provides meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.