Delta Air Lines is expecting a return to normal operations following a multi-day struggle related to the global IT outage caused by CrowdStrike.
Chief executive Ed Bastian said the Atlanta-based carrier expects to be “fully recovered and operating at a traditional level of reliability” on 25 July in a note apologising to the millions of customers affected by thousands of cancelled Delta flights.
”Delays and cancellations were down 50% Tuesday [23 July] compared to Monday, and we anticipate cancellations Wednesday to be minimal,” he says.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware shows the carrier has cancelled about 1% of its departures early on 24 July, following several consecutive days of cancelling roughly a third of its flights.
”Since the CrowdStrike outage late last week, Delta’s team of the best professionals in the business has been working around the clock to restore the reliable, on-time operation you’ve come to know and expect when you fly with us,” Bastian says.
Delta struggled more acutely with the IT outage than other major US airlines, though United Airlines and American Airlines were also affected when troubles began on 19 July. It reportedly lost track of the locations of its crews and was forced to manually reboot computer systems.
”We remain committed to taking care of those whose flights may still be impacted, with meals, hotel accommodations and ground transportation offered through vouchers and reimbursements,” Bastian says, adding that Delta will provide miles and travel vouchers to affected customers.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) is investigating whether Delta has complied with passenger-protection laws during its tumultuous week of operations.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on 23 July that the DOT will ”ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions”. The regulator has ruled the global IT outage a “controllable event”, meaning any flight cancellations or delays are attributable to the airline.
