After Friday’s CrowdStrike crash affecting multiple air carriers, Delta Air Lines is still working to recover, with the airline cancelling 24% of their flights four days after the incident.
Hundreds of Delta Air Lines flyers are still stuck on the road as the carrier struggles to return to normal operations after the CrowdStrike crash on Friday, July 19.
While the airline says they are working day and night to come back, the latest data from FlightAware shows Delta has cancelled another 915 flights for Monday, July 22, 2024, while delaying over 1,600 more.
Airline Blames Crew Software for Extended Cancellations
In total, Monday’s cancellations reflect 24% of Delta’s schedule, while the delays affect 42% of the day’s flights. In an update over the weekend, Delta CEO Ed Bastian noted that the disruption happened during the airline’s busiest weekend so far this year.
“The technology issue occurred on the busiest travel weekend of the summer, with our booked loads exceeding 90%, limiting our reaccommodation capabilities,” Bastian said in the letter to customers. “I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events. Delta is in the business of connecting the world, and we understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”
According to the Atlanta-based carrier, over half of their computer systems are Windows based. When the crash happened, it forced the airline to “manually repair and reboot each of the affected systems.” While many computers are now online, their biggest challenge remains keeping their crew scheduling system working.
“Delta’s crews are fully staffed and ready to serve our customers,” Delta’s latest statement reads. “But one of Delta’s most critical systems – which ensures all flights have a full crew in the right place at the right time – is deeply complex and is requiring the most time and manual support to synchronize.”
In the meantime, thousands of flyers across the country are still struggling to get to their final destinations. To make it up, Delta says they are offering cancellations for cancelled or “significantly delayed” flights in the form of an e-credit or refund for the unflown portion of their trip. Flyers can request a refund at delta.com/refund.
Those who are still stuck will have some of their travel costs reimbursed. For those who did not get meal vouchers or hotel accommodations from the airline, flyers can submit eligible expenses for reimbursement. Delta will not reimburse lost prepaid expenses, such as hotel reservations at their destination or vacation experiences.
Finally, Delta will offer flyers either extra SkyMiles or travel vouchers “in an amount based on the customer’s affected travels.”
Although the airline is asking for additional patience as they work through the problems, the U.S. Department of Transportation is already looking into the situation. In a message posted on X, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department “will hold them to all applicable passenger protections.”
Get the latest information, including tips on dealing with the Delta meltdown, on the FlyerTalk forums.
