Delta Airlines is still grappling with operational challenges, which were initially triggered by the CrowdStrike outage on July 19th. As of 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, the airline had canceled 460 mainline flights on Tuesday, constituting 13% of its schedule. Additionally, 21% of Delta’s flights were delayed. The cancellations by Endeavor, a subsidiary of Delta, had eased slightly compared to previous days, accounting for 2% of its Tuesday schedule.
Delta recently disclosed that over half of its IT systems worldwide are Windows-based. The failure of CrowdStrike necessitated manual repairs and reboots of affected systems. Additionally, there was a need for applications to synchronize and communicate with each other, adding to the recovery time. According to Delta, one of the most critical systems is responsible for ensuring that all flights have a full crew in the right place at the right time, making it a complex and time-consuming process.
In response to the disruptions, Delta has assured customers that they will receive SkyMiles points or travel vouchers based on the extent of the impact on their travel. The airline is also committed to reimbursing customers for hotel, meal, and ground transportation expenses incurred during their journey. Passengers with canceled or significantly delayed flights have the option to request a refund on delta.com/refund.
Despite Delta’s efforts to mitigate the situation, customers like Akhtar Nawab, a Diamond Medallion member, express dissatisfaction with the response. Nawab shared his experiences of enduring lengthy delays and challenges in rebooking flights. He criticized the lack of preparedness on Delta’s part and the insufficient support provided by customer service agents.
Delta has communicated delays and cancellations to customers through text messages and the Fly Delta app, offering online rebooking options. However, the airline acknowledged that its digital tools have been overwhelmed, resulting in performance issues. Travel Weekly has sought clarification from Delta on the absence of redundant systems to address third-party outages like the CrowdStrike incident.
As Delta works towards restoring its operations, customers are hopeful for a swift recovery. The airline’s travel waiver related to the disruption is scheduled to expire on July 23rd, with fare differences waived for rebookings until July 28th. Despite the challenges faced on Tuesday, Delta seems to be making progress in stabilizing its flight schedule, with a slower pace of cancellations compared to the previous day.