In the wake of a worldwide IT outage, Delta Airlines has been left scrambling to get its operations up and running again, leaving potentially hundreds of thousands of customers in the lurch.
CrowdStrike Outage
A mass IT outage, caused by a CrowdStrike update for Microsoft customers, wreaked havoc on banks, airlines, transport systems, and other services around the world last week.
Airlines Affected
Major US airlines like United, Spirit, and American Airlines were hit hard by the outage. System issues lead to mass flight groundings, delays, and cancellations. But of all the US airlines, the worst affected was Delta.
1207 Flights Canceled on Friday
Delta tallied 1,207 flight cancellations on Friday alone, which comprised nearly one-third of all flights for the airline that day, according to the flight tracking platform FlightAware.
Double the Other Airlines
This number was almost double the amount of cancellations for the second most affected airline, United, which had to cancel 694 flights.
Still Struggling
Three days on and Delta is still struggling to regroup and return to normal in the wake of the Crowdstrike outage. The Atlanta-based airline has totaled a staggering 4,600 flight cancellations since Friday, with still more cancellations expected.
Lagging Behind the Rest
The last few days have been a blight on Delta’s record, as it has a long-standing reputation as a punctual, reliable, luxury airline. By comparison, most US airlines had already made full recoveries from the outage by Monday 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
Majority of Cancellations
It is now responsible for the majority of airline cancellations observed in the US over the weekend and has provoked criticisms from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and thousands of customers affected by the cancellations.
“Unacceptable Disruptions At Delta”
“We continue to receive reports of unacceptable disruptions and customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines, including hundreds of complaints filed with our Department,” Buttigieg wrote in an email statement on Sunday.
Demands From DOT
Buttigieg also made clear that the US Department of Transportation expects the airline to provide customers with “prompt” refunds, as well as food and accommodation reimbursements for those who could not return home due to cancellations and delays.
CEO Speaks Out
CEO Ed Bastien acknowledged the slate of issues in a public letter on Sunday, even noting that the outage and its consequences had taken place on the “busiest travel weekend of the summer.”
An Apology to Customers
“I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events,” Bastien told customers. “Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
System-wide Effects
Bastien also gave some insight into the severity of the CrowdStrike issue and its effect on Delta systems. Much of the airline’s applications run on Microsoft Windows, including crew tracking tools that became unusable.
Hard to Keep Track
This meant that the airline could not keep track of how many changes had been triggered by the shutdown, leading to huge delays and operational issues.
Travel Waivers for Customers
He also informed affected customers that they would be entitled to travel waivers that gave them the ability to change itineraries and rebook flights for free.
Staff Video
While he has made no further public acknowledgments since then, the CEO did send out video messages to employees on Monday confirming that the Delta IT teams were working to repair and reboot affected systems.
“Working Around the Clock”
“We’ve got everyone around the company working around the clock to get this operation where it needs to be,” Bastien said. “Keep taking great care of our customers and each other in the coming days.”
Buttigieg Puts Foot Down
Buttigieg would later issue public announcements informing Delta customers that they did not have to accept travel waivers or airline credit, as federal regulations entitle them to immediate refunds.
Enforcing All Passenger Protections
“No one should be stranded at an airport overnight or stuck on hold for hours waiting to talk to a customer service agent,” Buttigieg said. “I will ensure that our department supports Delta passengers by enforcing all applicable passenger protections.”
Thousands Left Frustrated
The cancellations and delays have left thousands of Delta customers frustrated and furious, with many having to wait hours for any kind of assistance as helplines and staff were swamped with requests.
8.5 Million Devices Impacted
The glitch arising from the CrowdStrike update reportedly affected 8.5 million devices worldwide, according to Microsoft. It may take weeks before the issue is fully resolved.
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