Travel plans remain in disarray as Delta Air Lines continues to grapple with the fallout from a major software outage. The airline has canceled hundreds of flights for a third consecutive day, struggling to find its footing after Friday's global disruption severely impacted operations. Other U.S. airlines have, for the most part, returned to normal schedules, leaving Delta to contend with ongoing delays and cancellations, as reported by FOX San Antonio and NPR.
As of today, more than 1,000 flights across the country have faced cancellation, with Delta topping the list at over 600. Adding to the woes, the recovery of Delta's systems is ongoing, even as they aim to restore full operations. FlightAware's latest figures show 800 cancellations and about 1,500 delays for Delta alone.
In a public letter, Delta CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged the severity of the situation. "Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don't take lightly," Bastian stated. Previously describing the weekend as the busiest travel weekend of the summer, the recent predicament has led to approximately 3,500 Delta flight cancellations. Multiple Delta applications, especially a crew tracking tool, suffered from the outage, as Bastian explained that they run on Microsoft Windows and thus were affected by CrowdStrike's faulty software update.
Amid customer service challenges and a swell of complaints, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has taken a firm stance against Delta's handling of the disruption. In a post on X cited by NPR, Buttigieg wrote, "We have received reports of continued disruptions and unacceptable customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines, including hundreds of complaints filed with @USDOT. I have made clear to Delta that we will hold them to all applicable passenger protections."
Delta has responded by offering travel waivers, allowing affected customers to rebook flights without additional fees. This gesture echoes past incidents, such as the 2022 debacle with Southwest Airlines that left millions stranded and resulted in a record $140 million civil penalty from the U.S. Transportation Department.
