Delta Cancels More Flights After Global IT Outage
Delta Air Lines has been grappling with recovering from a global IT outage that began on Friday, leading to thousands of flight cancellations and sparking criticism from the Transportation Secretary.
Delta Cancels Over 4,600 Flights
While most airlines have bounced back from the IT disruptions, Delta has continued to experience significant issues.
The Atlanta-based carrier canceled more than 4,600 flights between Friday and Sunday, according to aviation data firm OAG, the highest number compared to other airlines.
These cancellations continued into Monday, with Delta grounding over 700 flights, representing 18% of its mainline operation.
Delta Air Lines canceled flights for a third straight day Monday as it struggles to recover from a global software outage. https://t.co/Xj2gH6zmj7
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 23, 2024
Source: Twitter/CBS News
Disruptions Cause Frustration and Raise Concerns
These extensive delays and cancellations have put Delta in an unusual spot, as the airline is known for its reliability. The situation has also caused frustration among passengers and raised concerns from the government.
"We continue to receive reports of unacceptable disruptions and customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines," stated Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
He emphasized that Delta should provide prompt refunds and reimbursements to affected passengers, along with proper customer service assistance.
Delta Struggles to Recover While Other Airlines Resume Normal Operations
While Delta continued to experience disruptions, other airlines have recovered from the IT issues.
American Airlines neared normalcy by Saturday, and United Airlines, though experiencing some cancellations on Sunday, managed to operate most of their flights.
Delta CEO Apologizes
"I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events," said Delta CEO Ed Bastian in a message to customers. He acknowledged the difficulties these disruptions caused travelers and offered frequent flyer miles as compensation.
The airline also took steps to address the situation internally. According to a staff memo, Delta offered extra pay to flight attendants to incentivize picking up additional shifts. To explain the persistent cancellations, Bastian cited high passenger demand during a peak summer travel period, making it challenging to rebook affected travelers.
Microsoft Outage and Crew Tracking Issues Blamed for Disruptions
The IT outage that impacted Delta primarily affected Microsoft-based tools, particularly crew-tracking software.
As Bastian explained, this specific tool couldn't handle the surge in schedule changes triggered by the system shutdown.
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