Expand / Collapse search
☰

Delta Air Lines recovering from overhaul of delays, cancellations due to IT outage

By
Published  July 24, 2024 6:20pm EDT
Delta
FOX 5 Atlanta

Delta delays, cancellations minimal days after outage

After five days of cancellations and delays, Delta Air Lines says there is now only a "minimal" impact on new flight issues. The CrowdStrike outage, which started last week, impacted multiple industries, hitting airlines the hardest and most visible. Federal transportation officials have since launched a probe into Delta's response in the wake of the outage.

ATLANTA - Six days after tech troubles temporarily grounded Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s largest airline, Delta says it is finally getting back on track and passengers are noticing.

"I've heard some different horror stories from some people," said Brad Beighley. "We haven't run into any of those."

For days, Delta and its partners limped along, canceling more than 6,500 flights since Friday.

According to statistics from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Delta scrapped more flights in the last week than it did in 2018 and 2019 combined.

Delta said cancellations would be minimal Wednesday, with the airline fully recovered by Thursday.

"While flights are getting back on track, baggage claim is another story. There are rows of unclaimed bags waiting for their owners, everything from car seats to boxes of seafood."

"Hardest part is my daughter. She's got a lot of things that she needs for the next couple of days in her bag, and I was hoping it was hers that showed up," said Gary Foote.

Delta pilots, flight attendants work overtime to get airline back on track

To help the airline rebound, Delta says pilots and flight attendants have been picking up shifts to get planes and passengers moving.

"It's frustrating for passengers, it's frustrating for the crew," said Darren Hartmann, a Delta pilot and Delta ALPA (MEC) chairman.

Captain Hartmann is also the chairman of Delta’s Pilots Union. He says the tech problems show the need to make IT upgrades.

"This highlights the need for investment in forward-facing technology for employees and sitting down afterwards and really problem-solving through this issue so it doesn't happen again," he said.

According to FlightAware, by Wednesday afternoon, Delta had canceled about 50 flights and delayed about 600 which is way better than Tuesday.

How to get your luggage from Atlanta airport

Delta says it is utilizing delivery partners to assist in making final mile delivery of bags needing to be returned to customers at their homes or their final travel destinations.

Piles of luggage at Atlanta's airport

Luggage is piling up at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after a CrowdStrike updates forced a meltdown with several airlines including Delta late last week.

Customers have three options for support with displaced luggage: 

  1. Visit their local Baggage Service Office and file a claim. 
  2. Visit Delta.com, search Online Baggage Claim Form and submit a claim. 
  3. Call 1-800-325-8224 to make a baggage claim.

Delayed or canceled? Here's what Delta may owe you

Delta is also making a change and will reimburse more out-of-pocket expenses:

"We know many customers have incurred unplanned travel expenses, including purchasing tickets on other airlines, rental cars, train tickets and more.

"Delta will cover reasonable costs for additional categories of expenses incurred during the duration of the travel waiver (which currently applies for flights between July 19 and July 28).

As before, customers who have incurred hotel, meal or ground transportation expenses while in transit during this operational disruption may also submit eligible expenses for reimbursement."

LATEST DELTA AIR LINES COVERAGE:

All of this comes as some Delta flight attendants are calling out management CEO Ed Bastian who reportedly flew to Paris for the Olympics amid the ongoing issues.

When asked about Bastian's flight, a spokesperson from Delta Air Lines told FOX 5 Atlanta the following:

"Ed delayed this long-planned business trip until he was confident the airline was firmly on the path to recovery. As of Wednesday morning, Delta’s operations were returning to normal. Ed remains fully engaged with senior operations leaders."

Delta is the official airline of Team USA. The airline says Bastian is meeting with key leaders and business partners in Paris and arrived on July 24 via a regularly scheduled Delta flight.