The Department of Transportation is looking into Delta Air Lines to ensure consumer rights are being upheld as the airline faces ongoing flight cancellations following a major global tech outage last week.
“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,” stated Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on social media Tuesday. He added that the department had received “hundreds of complaints” regarding Delta’s response to the outages.
Delta Air Lines, headquartered in Atlanta, has been struggling to restore its operations effectively after a problematic software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that occurred late Thursday. This update negatively impacted Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, leaving business users unable to access their systems and facing issues such as the notorious “Blue Screen of Death.”
The outage affected nearly every major sector, including healthcare providers, delivery services, retail, and financial institutions, but airlines and airports were particularly hard-hit. On Friday alone, there were over 46,000 flight delays and 5,171 cancellations, according to FlightAware, with Delta being the most significantly affected airline.
Delta reported canceling around 3,500 flights during Friday and Saturday. The airline further canceled more than 2,500 flights on Sunday and Monday, with delays numbering 3,441. By Tuesday, the airline had already canceled or delayed 738 flights, as recorded by FlightAware.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian expressed regret in a statement on Sunday, saying, “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 noted that Delta relies on a significant number of applications that utilize Microsoft Windows, including a crew tracking tool that failed to process necessary updates due to the system shutdown. In response to the disruptions, Delta has introduced a travel waiver allowing customers to change their flights without charge, as well as providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, and transportation options.