Delta Air Lines has canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as the airline continues to deal with the fallout from a global software outage that disrupted travel for three days.
On Sunday alone, Delta canceled around 1,300 flights and delayed another 1,600, as reported by FlightAware. In total, the airline had previously canceled over 3,500 flights across its Delta and Delta Connection services between Friday and Saturday.
By 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had already canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, accounting for about 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported the cancellation of only 38 flights and 155 delays, which is roughly 5% of its planned flights.
The troubles for Delta originated from a flawed software update implemented by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which took place late Thursday night. A defect in the update impacted Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, causing significant disruptions for corporate users and leading to the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” in some cases.
The incident affected nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, with airlines and airports facing the brunt of the impact. On Friday, over 46,000 flights were delayed, and 5,171 were canceled, according to FlightAware, with Delta bearing the heaviest consequences.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, expressed regret over the situation in a statement on Sunday, emphasizing that canceling flights is a last resort. He apologized to travelers impacted by the disruptions, affirming Delta’s commitment to connecting the world and understanding the challenges posed by disrupted travel.
Bastian noted that Delta relies on numerous applications powered by Microsoft Windows, including tools for crew tracking, which could not manage changes triggered by the system crash. To assist affected customers, Delta has issued a travel waiver allowing free flight changes and is providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transport.
In response to the chaos, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated on social media that his department received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s management of the disruptions. He emphasized that Delta must ensure refunds, offer free rebooking options, and provide timely reimbursements for food and hotel expenses to affected travelers.
“No one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent,” Buttigieg remarked.