Delta employees assist travellers with delays at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport on July 19, 2024. (AP Photo)
U.S. regulators are investigating Delta Air Lines' slow recovery from a global technology failure and whether the airline's handling of stranded passengers violated federal rules. The investigation, announced by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, comes after Delta’s troubles affected over half a million passengers.
On Monday, Delta began reopening its operations after a severe tech glitch, which led to a massive wave of flight cancellations. The airline had to cancel more than 500 flights in a single day, which was a sharp reduction from the previous day's cancellations but still represented a large portion of all U.S. flight disruptions. Since the outage began on July 5, Delta has canceled over 6,500 flights—more than any other airline.
The issue started when CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, sent a faulty update to millions of Microsoft computers worldwide, including those used by airlines. While other airlines managed to get back to normal operations relatively quickly, Delta struggled more severely, which raised concerns among regulators and passengers alike.
Buttigieg's department will be scrutinizing why Delta lagged behind other airlines in returning to normal operations. There are also concerns about how Delta handled customer service during the crisis. Reports have surfaced about long wait times for assistance and issues like unaccompanied minors being stranded at airports. The Transportation Department has received over 3,000 complaints related to Delta's response.
In a statement, Delta emphasized its commitment to resolving the situation, with staff working diligently to return operations to normal by the end of the week. Delta's chief of operations, John Laughter, mentioned that the airline was focusing on relocating planes, pilots, and crew to restore services as quickly as possible. They also reported progress in reducing the backlog of issues in their crew-scheduling system and returning lost luggage.
Despite these efforts, Delta faces criticism. The airline, known for its solid performance before the pandemic, has been struggling with its technology systems, which rely heavily on Microsoft Windows. This reliance has been a contributing factor to the delays, especially with tools used for scheduling pilots and flight attendants being unable to manage the sudden surge of changes.
Federal regulators are also looking into whether Delta met legal requirements for passenger refunds. Delta’s policy during the outage included offering eCredits for future travel instead of immediate refunds, which some passengers and lawmakers have criticized. Sen. Maria Cantwell has expressed concern that Delta may not be meeting its obligations under recent passenger protection laws.
The situation with Delta echoes the issues faced by Southwest Airlines in late 2022, which similarly struggled with a tech problem and faced heavy criticism for its handling of the fallout. Consumer advocates argue that the true test of an airline's reliability is not just how it handles problems, but how quickly and effectively it recovers.
