Delta Faces Major Disruptions After CrowdStrike IT Outage, 5,500 Flights Canceled

Jul 22, 2024, 08:00 PM

Delta Air Lines is facing significant disruptions due to a global IT outage caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. The outage, which began on Friday, has resulted in the cancellation of over 5,500 flights, with Delta being the most affected airline. Delta canceled 4,600 flights from Friday to Sunday, including 1,000 on Sunday and 600 on Monday. On Monday alone, Delta canceled or delayed another 1,400 flights, impacting 23% of its operations. Other airlines, including United Airlines, have largely recovered, but Delta continues to struggle, canceling hundreds of flights daily. Delta's CEO Ed Bastian has apologized to passengers and offered frequent flyer miles as compensation. The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into Delta's handling of the situation. The outage has highlighted the vulnerabilities in the interconnectedness of modern tech systems, affecting not only airlines but also other sectors globally.