Delta Air Lines is grappling with the aftermath of a significant IT outage that has caused widespread flight cancellations and delays, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. The disruption began on Friday, stemming from a faulty CrowdStrike update that paralyzed Windows-based programs across multiple industries, including aviation, banking, and healthcare.
Delta's CEO, Ed Bastian, issued an apology to affected passengers and offered frequent flyer miles as compensation. "I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events," Bastian said in a message to customers. "Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted."
The airline canceled over 4,600 flights from Friday through Sunday, with an additional 550 flights canceled early Monday, amounting to 15% of its mainline operations. The cancellations and delays have placed Delta in an unusual spotlight, as the airline is known for its reliability and punctuality.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized Delta's handling of the situation. "We continue to receive reports of unacceptable disruptions and customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines," Buttigieg said in an emailed statement. "I have made clear to Delta that we expect the airline to provide prompt refunds to customers who chose to call off their trips because of the disruptions as well as timely reimbursements for food and overnight hotel stays."
Other airlines have begun to recover from the outage. American Airlines reported a near return to normal operations by Saturday, while United Airlines experienced elevated disruptions but fewer cancellations compared to Delta.
The root of Delta's continued challenges lies in its crew scheduling software, which was severely affected by the CrowdStrike update. "One of our crew tracking-related tools was affected and unable to effectively process the unprecedented number of changes triggered by the system shutdown," Bastian explained.
The incident is reminiscent of Southwest Airlines' struggles at the end of 2022, when it failed to recover from severe winter weather, resulting in prolonged disruptions. The botched software update from CrowdStrike, which impacted multiple sectors, has been described as the "largest IT outage in history." It affected an estimated 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide, less than 1% of all Windows machines, according to Microsoft.
CrowdStrike's CEO, George Kurtz, apologized for the disruption and stated that the issue had been identified and isolated. "A significant number" of the affected devices are now back online, Kurtz said in an update posted on LinkedIn.
The outage's repercussions were far-reaching. Major hotels, including Marriott International and some Hiltons, faced payment processing delays and check-in issues. US-based airlines such as American, United, Allegiant, SunCountry, and Frontier also reported problems on Friday.
Delta paused all its flights on Friday morning while systems were offline, resulting in over 3,500 cancellations through Saturday. The airline announced that it would not allow unaccompanied minors to travel until July 24 due to the outage.
Buttigieg urged travelers to seek refunds and emphasized that new federal rules entitle passengers to cash refunds, not just vouchers or travel credits, for canceled flights. "You are entitled to get your money back promptly if your flight is canceled and you don't take a rebooking," Buttigieg stated.
The outage also affected hospitals, 911 systems, and government agencies. Large hospital systems like Mass General Brigham, Penn Medicine, and Mount Sinai Health System reported disruptions. Some cancer centers, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, paused procedures and appointments. Several blood banks experienced disruptions, and 911 services in Arizona and Alaska were briefly affected before being restored.
Government agencies, including Social Security offices and local Departments of Motor Vehicles, temporarily paused operations. Public transportation in Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania was also disrupted but restored by Friday.
The recovery process remains complex, with thousands of gates needing individual reboots. "It's not just as simple as rebooting," said David Kennedy, co-founder of cybersecurity company Binary Defense. "There's a lot more steps and complexities involved."
