Delta Faces Federal Investigation After Days Of Flight Cancellations
On Friday, July 19, a problem with CrowdStrike affected 8.5 million Windows computers, causing major issues worldwide, including problems for airlines and banks. Microsoft reported this incident. “CrowdStrike, an independent cybersecurity company, released a software update that began impacting IT systems globally,” said the company. The effects are still being noticed.
Last weekend, my Delta flight home was delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. While some flights were delayed, many airlines were less fortunate, and thousands of flights were canceled on Friday, July 19, Saturday, July 20, and in the days that followed. CBS News reported that Delta Air Lines is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection as the airline canceled hundreds of flights for a fifth straight day after the outage.
The outage affected many businesses, including retailers and airlines, but most have recovered and returned to normal operations. The outlet reported that as of 8 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, July 23, Delta had canceled 415 flights, far exceeding cancellations by any other U.S. airline, according to data from flight tracker FlightAware.
Delta Faces Federal Investigation
In a statement sent to CBS News on Tuesday, the Transportation Department said it “is investigating Delta Air Lines following continued widespread flight disruptions and reports of concerning customer service failures.”
Delta said in a statement it has received the agency’s notice of investigation, adding that it “is fully cooperating.”
“We remain entirely focused on restoring our operation after cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike’s faulty Windows update rendered IT systems across the globe inoperable,” the company said. In a Monday statement, Delta said its employees are “working 24/7” to restore its operations, but CEO Ed Bastian also said it would take “another couple days” before “the worst is clearly behind us.”
Delta has canceled more than 5,500 flights since the outage started early Friday morning, including more than 700 flights on Monday, as reported by Reuters. The carrier and its regional affiliates accounted for about two-thirds of all cancellations worldwide Monday.
When walking through the Atlanta airport on Sunday, I saw long lines, empty vending machines, and many frustrated people. What killed me the most was seeing families sleeping on the floor with their children no older than two years old or elderly people in wheelchairs waiting. When I finally made it to my destination, Detroit, there was chaos at the baggage claim. Not only were flights canceled and delayed, so was luggage. One part of the baggage claim area held over 2,000 pieces of luggage, according to one of the employees.
I try my best to bring a carry-on most of the time when flying. My mom, who traveled with me, purchased a checked bag. When we arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, the Delta app informed us that her luggage was still in Atlanta and was not on our flight. After waiting in the baggage claim line for three hours, the best the airline could do was give us a claim number and suggest keeping an eye on the app. Mind you, we landed a little over an hour late due to a delay around 10 a.m., waited in the baggage claim line for three hours, and later that evening, we received a notification that her luggage had arrived around 9 p.m. at carousel 6. Now, we have to either go back to the airport to pick it up or continue to call the very busy airline with the hopes for delivery.
During this experience, we met people from all over, including a family traveling from Paris. While the family is from Texas, they were forced to land in Detroit on Friday. Unfortunately, their luggage was stuck in Paris. After being stuck at the airport for a couple of days, they decided to rent a car and drive back to Texas.
Many complained they waited hours for assistance as the airline’s helplines were overwhelmed. Honestly, my heart goes out to the employees and staff involved. You could see that they were doing their best, but it’s safe to say there was frustration in the Delta hub all around. The ripple effect of the outage continues.
