The Department of Transportation is looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure it is serving consumers appropriately as the airline continues to cancel flights following a recent global tech outage.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg affirmed the importance of fair treatment for airline passengers in a statement posted on social media on Tuesday. He noted that his department has received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the technical difficulties.
Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, has been struggling to return to normal operations after a problematic software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike impacted numerous businesses worldwide last week. A flaw in the update affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, causing significant disruptions and leaving many corporate users facing access issues, including the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident disrupted nearly every major industry, including healthcare providers, delivery services, retailers, and financial institutions, but airlines and airports experienced some of the most severe impacts. On Friday alone, over 46,000 flights were delayed, and an additional 5,171 were canceled, according to FlightAware, with Delta being the hardest hit.
On Friday and Saturday, Delta canceled approximately 3,500 flights. The airline also canceled more than 2,500 flights and delayed another 3,441 on Sunday and Monday. As of Tuesday, 738 flights have already been canceled or delayed, according to FlightAware data.
“Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly,” stated Delta CEO Ed Bastian on Sunday. He expressed his apologies to those affected by the disruptions, emphasizing that Delta’s mission is to connect the world and acknowledging the difficulties caused by travel interruptions.
Bastian also mentioned that Delta relies on several applications running on Microsoft Windows, including a crew tracking tool that was hindered by the system shutdown. In response, Delta has provided a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights at no extra cost, along with offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation assistance.