Delta faced a significant setback on July 24th when its IT systems, running on Microsoft Windows, were affected by the CrowdStrike outage. This disruption led to the cancellation of 50 flights, which accounted for approximately 1% of its schedule. Additionally, the carrier’s mainline schedule experienced a delay of 14%.
CEO Ed Bastian assured customers through a morning email that Delta is working towards a full recovery by Thursday. Bastian expressed gratitude for customers’ patience during this challenging time and apologized for the disruption to their travel plans.
Between July 19th and July 23rd, Delta and its regional subsidiary Endeavor were forced to cancel a combined total of 6,271 flights, representing 31.6% of their schedule. In addition to cancellations, the airlines experienced delays in another 9,335 flights. These figures do not include Delta Connection flights operated by contracted regional partners SkyWest and Republic Airways.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced an investigation into Delta’s sluggish recovery process post-CrowdStrike outage. The focus is on whether Delta has upheld its customer-service commitments during this crisis. Passengers had to deal with issues such as lost baggage, long call center wait times, and malfunctioning rebooking tools.
Delta has pledged to offer SkyMiles points or travel vouchers to impacted customers based on the level of disruption they experienced. Furthermore, the airline will reimburse travelers for expenses related to accommodations, meals, and ground transportation incurred during their journey due to the flight cancellations and delays.
The delay in Delta’s recovery efforts was attributed to the reliance of its IT systems on Windows. The last system to be restored was the crew scheduling system, further prolonging the disruption experienced by both the airline and its passengers.