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 air travel for three consecutive days. The Atlanta-based airline reported the cancellation of 1,300 flights and delays for another 1,600 on Sunday, following the cancellation of over 3,500 flights between Friday and Saturday.
As of 8 a.m. ET on Monday, Delta had canceled 626 flights and delayed 144, amounting to about 20% of its planned operations for the day. In contrast, American Airlines managed to cancel just 38 flights and delay 155, representing about 5% of its operations.
The troubles for Delta were attributed to a problematic software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike late Thursday night, which mistakenly affected Microsoft’s Windows operating systems. This glitch left corporate users without system access and caused significant disruptions, including the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The incident impacted nearly every major sector, with healthcare providers, delivery services, retailers, and financial institutions all feeling the strain. Airlines were particularly hard hit, with over 46,000 flights delayed and more than 5,171 canceled on Friday alone, according to FlightAware, with Delta experiencing the most significant impact.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed his apologies in a statement, emphasizing that canceling flights is a last resort and that the company understands the challenges caused by travel disruptions. He noted that Delta relies heavily on Microsoft Windows applications, including a crew tracking system that was unable to adapt following the software failure. The airline has introduced a travel waiver to allow customers to change flights for free, along with providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg highlighted on social media that his department received numerous complaints regarding Delta’s management of the situation. He insisted that Delta must offer refunds, free rebooking options, and prompt reimbursements for food and lodging to affected passengers, stating that no one should be left stranded at an airport overnight or forced to wait on hold for hours.