Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as it continues to face challenges following a global software outage that impacted travel worldwide three days earlier.
On Sunday, the Atlanta-based carrier canceled 1,300 flights and delayed 1,600, as reported by FlightAware. This came after the airline had already axed over 3,500 Delta and Delta Connection flights from Friday to Saturday.
By around 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, accounting for about 20% of its scheduled operations. In contrast, American Airlines canceled only 38 flights and delayed 155, which is approximately 5% of its planned flights.
The issues for Delta originated from a flawed software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday evening. A defect in the update affected Microsoft’s Windows systems, leaving many corporate users struggling with access issues, including encountering the “Blue Screen of Death.”
The disruption impacted nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. However, the aviation sector was particularly hard hit, with over 46,000 flights delayed and 5,171 canceled on Friday alone, according to FlightAware, with Delta reportedly facing the greatest challenges.
“Canceling a flight is always a last resort and something we don’t take lightly,” stated Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “I want to apologize to everyone 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 heavily on multiple applications operating on Microsoft Windows, including those used for crew tracking, which were affected by the system shutdown. To assist customers, Delta has introduced a travel waiver that enables passengers to change their flights without charge, along with offering meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
On Sunday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated via social media that his department had received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s management of the situation. He emphasized that Delta must offer refunds, free rebooking, and timely reimbursements for food and lodging to those affected.
“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.