Delta Struggles in Wake of Crowdstrike Outage. Here’s What the Airline Is Saying.

Updated: July 22, 2024, 1:26pm CDT

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A Meltdown of Epic Proportions
What To Do if You’re Flying Soon
Final Thoughts

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The Crowdstrike software update meltdown on Friday continues to have a stronghold on Delta Air Lines on Monday.

The airline has been communicating with customers via its app and X account to give up-to-date information, but it hasn’t stopped travel horror stories from occurring. Some flyers have been stranded since the ordeal began.

Here’s what you need to know, PLUS how to navigate this unfortunate situation.

A Meltdown of Epic Proportions

As Americans woke up on Friday, they found news regarding Crowdstrike’s bad software update. This sent essential businesses like banks, hospitals, and airports — among others — into chaos. It’s been dubbed the “largest IT outage in history.” Nearly 13,000 flights were delayed or canceled on Friday, over 9,000 on Saturday, and over 10,500 on Sunday to round out the weekend.

Some airlines have gotten back to business quicker than others. Delays remain high for most airlines but have brought cancellation numbers down to somewhat normal levels. It has been a remarkable turnaround for the industry, given the severity of the situation. The exception to this, however, is Delta.

Today, over 1,200 Delta flights have been canceled, and over 1,500 delayed, according to FlightAware, as of 1 p.m. CST.

This has drawn criticism from Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, resulting in a call with Delta CEO Ed Bastian on Sunday to remind him of the responsibilities the airline has to its customers.

We have received reports of continued disruptions and unacceptable customer service conditions at Delta Air Lines, including hundreds of complaints filed with @USDOT.

I have made clear to Delta that we will hold them to all applicable passenger protections.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) July 22, 2024

Bastian issued a statement on Sunday apologizing, letting customers know of travel waivers they will receive for the complications. He explains the core issue of the meltdown: “Delta has a significant number of applications that use that system, and in particular one of our crew tracking-related tools was affected and unable to effectively process the unprecedented number of changes triggered by the system shutdown.”

This shutdown has left many struggling to get to their final destinations, as well as extremely long wait times to get answers.

Delta has completely dropped the ball on this.

My family and I have been stranded at Atlanta airport for 4 days now.

0 car rentals
0 hotels (was able to get one through a rewards program 25 minutes from the airport for tonight)
0 available flights
4-5 hours in line to even… pic.twitter.com/O6GRssOrdk
— Multifamily Madness (@MultifamilyMad) July 22, 2024

What To Do if You’re Flying Soon

I have a flight later today on IcelandAir; thankfully, it isn’t reporting any issues. However, if you’re flying in the coming days or weeks, keep these points in mind:

This issue could take weeks to fix. As the days pass from Friday’s turmoil, this issue will slowly fade into memory. However, the issues may persist for the foreseeable future. According to experts, this could take weeks, or even longer, to fully recover from.

Regularly check social media channels: I’ve found Twitter/X to be the best channel for up-to-date communications from consumer-facing businesses and any issues they may be facing.

In this case, Delta has published a thread about the current issues and solutions available to flyers.

Customers who have incurred hotel, meal, or ground transportation expenses while in transit during this operational disruption can submit eligible expenses for reimbursement: https://t.co/EwqEax8EVj 7/8
— Delta (@Delta) July 21, 2024

American Airlines and United Airlines have published similar posts of travel waivers offered to flyers.

Insurance is for issues exactly like this. I’m a pretty confident traveler. I generally tend to think I can avoid travel hiccups. Of course, life happens (or bad software updates), which can quickly throw things off course.

As you book your next trip, you may consider booking with a travel credit card or purchasing your own travel insurance policy. For me, I always book my flights with a credit card profiding excellent travel insurance coverage.

Play offense, not defense. In the days leading up to your flight (and day of), check the status of your flight, as well as communication channels from the airline. As I’m departing for my flight later today, I’m checking regularly to ensure there are no issues before I head to the airport. And if an issue arises, I have the IcelandAir customer service number ready to call — and an alternative flight I can take if needed.

Bottom Line:

Plan ahead, make backup plans if you’re likely to encounter problems, and ensure you have travel insurance — whether purchased or from the credit card used to pay for your trip.

Final Thoughts

This situation is unfortunate for everyone involved. It should provide a lesson for travelers. An infinite number of events that can affect your trip, and it’s important to be as prepared as possible with resources to help you navigate any issues outside your control.

As for this one, it appears the worst is behind us, but some turbulence remains for the airlines to finally overcome the effects of the “blue screen of death” — Delta most of all.