Delta Air Lines said its operations were finally back to normal after a massive global IT outage on Friday that crashed millions of computers around the world, causing thousands of flight cancellations and delays and causing days of chaos.
In a statement posted on Delta’s website, Chief Executive Ed Bastian apologized for the disruption that caused thousands of travelers to be delayed for hours or scramble to rebook their flights, saying the airline expected “minimal” cancellations and delays on Wednesday. , Thursday will be a “normal day.”
“While our initial efforts to stabilize operations were difficult, slow, and complex, we have made good progress this week and it is clear that the worst effects of the outage caused by CrowdStrike are behind us,” Bastian said. Delays and cancellations were down 50% on Tuesday compared to the previous day, he added.
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent a flawed update to Windows systems in the early hours of Friday morning, causing them to crash, leaving many people staring at what is known to be millions of devices for hospitals, 911 systems, banks and telecoms Windows PCs that companies, as well as airlines and airports provide support for, crashed.
CrowdStrike said it quickly identified and resolved the issue, adding that its systems are currently functioning normally and that its customers remain protected from cyber threats. Mac and Linux systems are not affected. On Wednesday, the company released a preliminary report detailing how the incident occurred due to an “undetected bug” in the update and how it plans to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.
“We understand the seriousness of this situation and deeply apologize for the inconvenience and disruption this has caused you,” the company said in a previous statement.
While the outage’s impact was widespread, the problems involving airlines, particularly Delta, were the most visible and long-lasting.
About 2,000 flights were canceled on Tuesday and another 33,000 were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. About 500 flight cancellations and 1,700 delays were related to Delta Air Lines. While the numbers are still significant, they are down sharply from Friday’s totals of more than 5,000 cancellations and 46,000 delays.
In addition to reimbursements and vouchers for meals, hotel stays and ground transportation, affected Delta customers will receive air miles and travel vouchers as a “further apology,” Bastian said.
The pledge comes a day after the U.S. Department of Transportation launched an investigation into Delta’s response to the outages, citing a flood of complaints from disgruntled travelers.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the investigation Tuesday morning on social media platform
“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will ensure that right is upheld,” Buttigieg said in the post.
Buttigieg noted that Delta must provide prompt refunds to consumers who choose not to rebook, as well as prompt reimbursement of food and hotel expenses to consumers affected by delays and cancellations, as well as “adequate customer service assistance.”
Buttigieg said passengers should first try to resolve their grievances directly with the airline, and his department wants to hear from passengers who feel Delta is not treating them fairly.
Delta Air Lines said it is cooperating with the investigation and remains committed to restoring operations.
