Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as the company continued to deal with disruptions caused by a global software outage that grounded and delayed flights worldwide earlier in the week.
On Sunday alone, the Atlanta-based airline scrapped approximately 1,300 flights and delayed another 1,600, according to FlightAware. Between Friday and Saturday, Delta and its regional partner Delta Connection totaled more than 3,500 cancellations.
By 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, which represented about 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines reported just 38 cancellations and 155 delays, equating to about 5% of its planned flights.
The challenges for Delta originated from a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday. A defect in that update affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving corporate users with limited or no access to their systems and encountering issues such as the “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident impacted nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance, but airlines and airports faced the most significant repercussions. On Friday, over 46,000 flights were delayed and 5,171 were canceled, with Delta suffering the most.
“Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian in a statement on Sunday. He extended apologies to those affected by the disruptions, emphasizing the challenge posed by such events.
Bastian noted that Delta relies on multiple applications using Microsoft Windows, including a crew tracking system that was hampered by the outage. In response, Delta has initiated a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights without penalty, in addition to providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation assistance.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg took to social media on Sunday to express concern over Delta’s management of the disruptions, mentioning that his department received “hundreds of complaints.” Buttigieg emphasized that Delta must ensure refunds, free rebooking, and timely reimbursements for expenses incurred by affected passengers. He stated, “No one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent.”