Delta flight delays and cancellations prompt Department of Transportation investigation

US airline regulators opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines, which was struggling to restore operations on Tuesday, more than four full days after a faulty software update caused global tech chaos in wide and disrupting air travel around the world. Here, a Delta Air Lines flight leaves the gate on July 12, 2021, at Logan International Airport, Boston.

Michael Dwyer/AP

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Michael Dwyer/AP

Travelers, make sure you have patience. Chaos continues with Delta Air Lines, as the airline entered its fifth day of flight cancellations and delays following a global software outage on Friday.

And while the Atlanta-based carrier is still trying to fix operations, the United States Department of Transportation has opened an investigation into the latest flight disruption, citing the “heavy volume of customer complaints” that the agency has found against Delta.

“We have made clear to Delta that they must take care of their passengers and honor their commitment to customer service,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement Tuesday.

“This is not only the right thing to do, it’s the law, and our department will use our powers to investigate and ensure that the rights of Delta passengers are upheld,” he added.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Delta had canceled more than 400 flights and delayed about 860 flights for the day, according to the FlightAware website.

In a statement to NPR, Delta Air Lines acknowledged the Department of Transportation’s notification of the investigation and said it is “fully cooperating” with the department.

“We remain fully focused on restoring our operations following the botched operation by cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike that caused IT systems worldwide to become inoperable,” the airline said in a statement. , adding that teams are constantly working to restore its operations to normal.

On Monday, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said that the airline is working to restore the following software and organize the flight crew. However, he noted that it may take several days to fully restore flight operations.

“We have everyone around the company working around the clock to make this process where it needs to be,” Bastian said in the statement.

In a public letter on Sunday, Delta offered travel benefits to customers of flights affected by the cancellation, allowing them to change itineraries and rebook their flights without additional fees. But in a post on X, Buttigieg said that under the new rules, customers are not required to accept a travel credit offered to refund flights but are entitled to a quick refund.

“Delta must provide prompt refunds to customers who choose not to rebook, free refunds for those who do, and timely reimbursement for meals and hotel accommodations to customers affected by delays and this cancellation, along with adequate customer service assistance,” he wrote. .

Millions of Microsoft users around the world were locked offline after a faulty software update from CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity group. CrowdStrike says the problem was not a cyberattack but a “software glitch”. After identifying the problem, the company said it had removed a “problem file” affecting consumer applications.

Delta’s technical problems have been compared to what happened with Southwest Airlines during the 2022 holiday season. The Dallas airport canceled thousands of flights and left millions of passengers stranded.

Following the incident, the United States Department of Transportation ordered Southwest to pay $140 million in civil penalties, the largest the DOT has ever levied for consumers, the agency said. it said in a statement announcing the punishment.