Delta Air Lines is still grappling with the aftermath of a worldwide technology outage that began on Friday, causing the cancellation of more than 5,500 flights. The outage, triggered by a faulty software update, has left tens of thousands of passengers stranded and has drawn attention from the federal government. Delta's CEO, Ed Bastian, stated that it would take "another couple of days" before operations return to normal.
The technology issue occurred on the busiest travel weekend of the summer, with booked loads exceeding 90%, limiting the airline's re-accommodation capabilities. The outage affected a vital crew-scheduling program, which Delta is still trying to fix. The airline's chief information officer, Rahul Samant, said that while the crew-scheduling program is now running, there is a backlog to clear, and new issues keep arising.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke to Bastian about the high number of cancellations and the hundreds of complaints received about Delta. Buttigieg expects the airline to provide hotels and meals for delayed travelers and to issue quick refunds to customers who don't want to be rebooked on a later flight.
Delta's meltdown is reminiscent of the December 2022 debacle that caused Southwest Airlines to cancel nearly 17,000 flights over a 15-day stretch. After a federal investigation of Southwest’s compliance with consumer-protection rules, the airline agreed to pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement with the Transportation Department.
The outage was caused by a faulty software update from Texas-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which affected 8.5 million machines worldwide. While CrowdStrike has deployed a fix, experts say it could take days or even weeks to repair every affected computer.