Delta Air Lines continues to experience more than 72 hours of cancellations after an IT outage that affected industries around the world disrupted travel for the first time on Friday.
As of 10:45 a.m. EDT Monday, the Atlanta-based carrier had canceled more than 700 flights — and counting — according to data from the flight-tracking site. FlightAware. That is about 18% of its operations.
The disruptions came after a nightmarish weekend at US airports, as airlines – mainly Delta and United Airlines – continued to recover from Friday’s tech outage that affected Microsoft Windows clients around the world.
Delta’s operations have suffered, by far, the worst lingering effects of any US airline. After canceling 1,200 flights on both Friday and Saturday, the airline scrubbed more than 1,300 departures on Sunday, according to FlightAware.
Overnight, the Atlanta-based carrier also drew fire from the Biden administration about its customer service response to a brewing operational meltdown.
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Delta’s troubles continue
In a message to customers Sunday, Delta CEO Ed Bastin cited a large amount of Delta’s technological infrastructure that relies on Microsoft programs affected by the outage as the reason for the prolonged disruptions — including crew-scheduling software.
“Our teams are working around the clock to recover and restore full functionality,” Bastin said in the statement.
But Delta’s problems persist, leading to scenes of heavy lines at major hubs and passengers sleeping on airport concourse floors. And, they have entered a new week.
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Numerous US and international carriers were affected by Friday’s IT outage, which Originated from a program update at Austin-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
Several airlines grounded flights on Friday morning, causing flight disruptions throughout the day.
Although some carriers recovered quickly, it took longer for operations to get back on track at United, which canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend.
For its part, Delta passengers continue to face widespread disruptions, with Sunday the worst day for cancellations since the IT outage.
What should you do if your flight is cancelled?
Although the issues stem from a third-party vendor issue, the US Department of Transportation considers these flight cancellations and delays to be disruptions within the airlines’ control, a spokesperson told TPG on Friday.
That means airlines will be on the hook for guarantees listed on the agency’s list Airline Customer Service DashboardFrom meals to hotel accommodations and ground transportation depending on the traveler’s circumstances.
For days, Delta has confirmed that it is offering affected travelers those benefits, along with flight vouchers and SkyMiles.
Overnight, however, Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized the airline’s response.
“We have received reports of continued disruptions and unacceptable customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines,” Buttigieg wrote on social media, citing hundreds of complaints filed with the DOT. “I have made it clear to Delta that we will hold them to all applicable passenger protections.
Among them: federal refund policies. DOT regulations specify that passengers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed are entitled to a cash refund back to their original form of payment—if they do not accept rebooking and choose not to travel.
Related: What to do if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed
A stormy few days for Delta
Delta sees the disruptions of recent days as a major departure from its usual operational reputation. Between January 1 and July 18, the carrier canceled 0.3% of flights, per FlightAware.
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, its cancellation rates easily exceed 30%
Airline On the company’s earnings call earlier this month, it mentioned its operational reliability.
“It’s the long-term lasting damage and the delayed operational recovery that can really affect an airline,” said John Grant, industry analyst at data firm OAG. wrote In a post on Monday.
In all, Delta has canceled more than 4,000 flights since Friday.
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It’s probably the biggest multi-day operational snafu any US airline has seen since Southwest Airlines’ holiday 2022 meltdown, during which the latter carrier canceled nearly 17,000 flights.
Unsurprisingly, Delta’s home base, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), is by far the worst-hit US airport, with hundreds of cancellations on Monday alone.
Although it’s unclear when Delta’s disruptions might be resolved, the carrier has already said it has suspended all flights for children until at least Tuesday.