The Department of Transportation is currently looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure that the airline is adequately addressing consumer concerns following a series of flight cancellations stemming from a global tech outage last week.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized on social media that all airline passengers deserve fair treatment and vowed to uphold that principle, after mentioning that his department had received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s response to the outage.
Delta, headquartered in Atlanta, is grappling with the aftereffects of a problematic software update initiated by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which occurred late Thursday. This update caused significant issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving many corporate users unable to access their systems and dealing with errors, commonly referred to as the “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident had a widespread impact, affecting nearly every major industry, including healthcare, delivery services, retail, and finance. Airlines, particularly, faced severe disruptions, with over 46,000 flights delayed and 5,171 canceled worldwide on Friday alone, according to data from FlightAware. Delta experienced the most significant disruption.
The airline canceled around 3,500 flights over Friday and Saturday, followed by over 2,500 cancellations and 3,441 delays on Sunday and Monday. As of Tuesday, FlightAware reported that Delta had already canceled or delayed 738 flights.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret for the disruptions, 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 explained that Delta relies on numerous applications using Microsoft Windows, including a tool for tracking crew changes that was unable to function due to the system shutdown. In response to the cancellations, Delta has implemented a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights without extra fees, and is providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation to affected travelers.