Delta Air Lines CEO, Ed Bastian, issued an apology to customers for the massive number of flight cancellations and delays caused by a global technology breakdown. The airline has canceled more than 6,500 flights, the highest among all airlines, since the systems were affected by the technology outage. Bastian assured customers that the worst impacts of the outage caused by faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike are behind them, and operations are stabilizing. He mentioned that efforts to stabilize operations were initially slow and complex but have made progress throughout the week.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating why Delta failed to recover as quickly as other airlines. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed dissatisfaction with Delta’s customer service, including long lines for assistance and reports of unaccompanied minors being stranded at airports. The department has received over 3,000 complaints about Delta since the outage began. However, by midday Wednesday, Delta had significantly reduced the number of cancellations compared to previous days, with only about 50 flights canceled. Bastian expressed hope that Thursday would be a normal day for the airline, with operations fully recovered and operating at a traditional level of reliability.
Despite the challenges faced by Delta, Bastian emphasized the airline’s commitment to taking care of affected customers by providing meals, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, vouchers, and reimbursements. Passengers whose flights were affected will also receive airline miles and travel vouchers as a gesture of apology. Bastian was in Paris for the Olympics, where Delta is the airline sponsor of the U.S. Olympic team, and was meeting with business partners. The airline assured that he delayed the trip until he was confident that the airline was on the path to recovery and fully engaged with senior operations leaders.
Delta’s operations are returning to normal, and Bastian flew to Paris on a regularly scheduled Delta flight. The airline is working towards ensuring that all affected customers are taken care of and that operations continue smoothly. The challenges faced by Delta due to the technology breakdown have resulted in significant disruptions for travelers, but the airline is making efforts to overcome the aftermath of the outage and regain customer trust. With the worst impacts of the outage behind them, Delta is focused on moving forward and providing reliable services to passengers.
