The DOT Is Investigating One Airline's Struggles After the Crowdstrike Outage

Last week, a massive computer outage centered around a problem with a Crowdstrike update crippled companies that use Microsoft Azure servers.

“The outage has taken down systems for everything from airlines to U.S. government offices to hospitals and emergency services,” PJ Media’s Paula Bolyard reported last week. “Critical infrastructure systems worldwide have been affected. Cyber experts emphasize that this is not a cyber attack.”

The outage hit the airline industry particularly hard:

12-hour timelapse of American Airlines, Delta, and United plane traffic after what was likely the biggest IT outage in history forced a nationwide ground stop of the three airlines. pic.twitter.com/wwcQeiEtVe

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 19, 2024

One major airline is still struggling to recover from the outage. Delta is in its fifth day of massive flight cancellations and delays.

The ticketing line stretching as far as I can see at the Delta A terminal line in Atlanta. Horror stories of people waiting hours and hours for a flights— then even longer waiting for their luggage. pic.twitter.com/wydkQq2YKE

— Tanya O'Rourke (@TanyaORourke) July 20, 2024

Delta is STRUGGLING, video from Atlanta airport yesterday 😮‍💨pic.twitter.com/YR4c6LpTnD

— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) July 23, 2024

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

Delta baggage claim in Seattle pic.twitter.com/D5UZO59FFC

— Rae Isla ✨ (@rae_isla) July 22, 2024

Related: The Worldwide IT Outage Isn't Funny, but the Memes Sure Are

Delta says that its systems are “complex,” which is the reason for the long time ramping back up to full capacity:

Upward of half of Delta’s IT systems worldwide are Windows based. The CrowdStrike error required Delta’s IT teams to manually repair and reboot each of the affected systems, with additional time then needed for applications to synchronize and start communicating with each other.   

Delta’s crews are fully staffed and ready to serve our customers, 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.  

Across the operation, Delta teams are working tirelessly to care for customers impacted by delays and cancellations as the airline works to put flight crews and aircraft back in position following the disruption.  

The airline is offering waivers, refunds, and vouchers, as well as covering expenses that passengers are incurring as they wait out these travel delays. The company is updating travelers through the Delta app, as well as in lengthy threads on X.

As we continue operational recovery, we apologize for the disruptions many customers are experiencing. Canceling a flight is always a last resort & not taken lightly. We take seriously the trust placed in us to deliver the reliability customers have come to expect from Delta. 1/8

— Delta (@Delta) July 21, 2024

None of that is enough for the Department of Transportation. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has announced that his department is investigating Delta’s handling of the outage and its aftermath.

The DOT “has opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions,” Buttigieg announced on X. “All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld.”

“While you should first try to resolve issues directly with the airline, we want to hear from passengers who believe that Delta has not complied with USDOT-enforced passenger protection requirements during the recent travel disruptions,” he continued. “We will follow up.”

I highly doubt that many travelers know what “USDOT-enforced passenger protection requirements” are, and as frustrating as the situation is for passengers, Delta is doing what it can to compensate people. Beyond trying to find racism embedded in Delta, I don’t see what Buttigieg and his department can do. But that’s big government for you.

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