Feds launch investigation into Delta after flight fiasco

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched an investigation into Delta Air Lines in the wake of its recent mass flight cancellations and delays.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection is investigating Delta Air Lines following continued widespread flight disruptions and reports of concerning customer service failures,” the DOT said in a Tuesday statement.

“This process will continue to evolve as DOT learns more and processes the high volume of consumer complaints we have already received against Delta.”

On Monday, Delta canceled or delayed more than 2,900 flights, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. Late last week, a global internet outage hit airlines and businesses worldwide, with multiple airlines noting they were facing technology issues at the time.

“.@USDOT 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,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a Tuesday post on the social platform X.

“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,” Buttigieg continued.

While many airlines were disrupted by the internet outage, caused by a CrowdStrike update gone wrong, Delta was by itself in still having substantial cancellations through Monday. It canceled more than 1,300 flights Sunday and around 1,200 flights on both Friday and Saturday.

“Like many companies worldwide, Delta was impacted on Friday morning by an outside vendor technology issue, which prompted us to pause flying while our systems were offline,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a Sunday statement to customers.

“The pause in our operation resulted in more than 3,500 Delta and Delta Connection flights cancelled through Saturday,” Bastian continued. “Cancellations continue on Sunday as Delta’s teams work to recover our systems and restore our operation. Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly.”

Buttigieg said in a Sunday post on X the DOT had “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,” he continued.

In an emailed statement, Delta said it “is in receipt of the Department’s notice of investigation and is fully cooperating.

“We remain entirely focused on restoring our operation after cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike’s faulty Windows update rendered [information technology] systems across the globe inoperable,” the airline continued. “Across our operation, Delta teams are working tirelessly to care for and make it right for customers impacted by delays and cancellations as we work to restore the reliable, on-time service they have come to expect from Delta.”