Microsoft Denies Blame for Delta's Cancellations

In a recent development, Microsoft has publicly criticized Delta Air Lines for allegedly misrepresenting the technology company's involvement in a significant flight cancellation crisis. Following a tech outage that led to the cancellation of thousands of flights last month, Delta attributed the disruption to Microsoft, prompting a strong rebuttal from the software giant. In a letter reviewed by The New York Times, Microsoft accused Delta of using the situation to divert attention from its own operational issues. Microsoft's legal correspondence, addressed to Delta's attorney David Boies, described Delta's claims as "incomplete, false, misleading and damaging." The company expressed empathy for Delta and its customers, emphasizing that it was not responsible for the outage. Microsoft also revealed that it had offered assistance to Delta at no cost following the incident, a gesture that went unanswered by Delta's management. The letter highlighted that Delta's struggles were primarily linked to a computer system used for tracking and scheduling crew members, which is managed by other firms, including IBM. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, had attempted to reach out to Delta CEO Ed Bastian on July 24 but did not receive a response, indicating a lack of communication between the two companies. Furthermore, Microsoft pointed out that Delta has invested heavily in its IT infrastructure over the years, spending billions on both capital expenditures and annual operating costs since 2016. This investment underscores the complexity of the airline's operational challenges, which may have contributed to the recent disruptions.