In light of the recent massive disruptions caused by a botched CrowdStrike software update, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has decided to show appreciation to the employees who were caught in the chaos by offering them two free travel passes. The disruptions led to thousands of customers and crew members being stranded, causing Delta to cancel more than 5,000 flights between July 19 and July 24, more than it had canceled in the entire year of 2019. This incident cost the company a staggering $500 million, which amounts to about 40% of Delta’s second-quarter profit.
The Impact of the Disruptions
The outages that took thousands of Windows machines offline not only affected the airline industry but also had repercussions in various other sectors such as healthcare and banking. Delta had more difficulties in recovering from the disruptions compared to its competitors, with the airline having to manually reset 40,000 servers. The disruptions were deemed unacceptable by Bastian, who acknowledged the hardships faced by both employees and customers. He expressed his deep apologies for the ordeal and recognized the heroic efforts of over 4,000 Delta flight attendants who picked up more than 6,100 trips during the disruptions.
While the two free travel passes offered by Bastian were intended as a gesture of gratitude, the Delta organizing committee of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the offer “just isn’t going to cut it.” They criticized airline management for making minimal adjustments that do not address the root causes of such disruptions. Despite stabilizing its operations, the flight cancellations and delays have tarnished Delta’s reputation for high reliability. The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into Delta’s disruptions, signaling the seriousness of the situation.
In response to the losses incurred due to the outage, Delta plans to take legal action against CrowdStrike and Microsoft to recover its damages. The airline has hired the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner to pursue this course of action. Similar disruptions at other airlines, such as Southwest Airlines’ holiday meltdown in 2022, have highlighted the disruptive potential of technology issues in the aviation industry. Delta, known for its premium airline services, is working on processing refunds and reimbursement requests for affected customers while also focusing on regaining its reliability standings.
The recent disruptions faced by Delta Air Lines have not only resulted in significant financial losses but have also damaged the airline’s reputation for reliability. The CEO’s gesture of offering free travel passes to employees, while appreciated by some, has been met with criticism from others who feel that more substantial changes are needed to prevent future meltdowns. Delta’s decision to pursue legal action against those responsible for the outage reflects the seriousness with which the company is addressing the issue. Moving forward, the airline will need to prioritize operational stability and customer satisfaction to regain the trust of both its employees and passengers.