Delta Air Lines Expects Return to Normal Operations Following CrowdStrike Outage

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian announced that the airline anticipates a return to normal operations by Thursday, following a significant disruption caused by a global outage linked to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. In a communication to customers, Bastian noted that operational reliability is expected to stabilize, with disruptions already reduced by 50% on Tuesday compared to the previous day. He assured that cancellations on Wednesday would be minimal, indicating that the worst effects of the outage are now behind the airline. The outage, which occurred last Friday, was attributed to a defect in a single content update for Windows hosts, severely impacting Delta more than any other U.S. carrier. While other airlines managed to recover quickly, Delta faced substantial challenges, resulting in tens of thousands of passengers being stranded. Data from FlightAware revealed that Delta accounted for 4,500 of the 8,500 total flight cancellations across U.S. airlines from Friday to early Monday, with an additional 800 cancellations at its regional carrier, Endeavor. The situation has raised concerns, prompting an investigation by the Department of Transportation. Bastian highlighted that many of Delta's critical applications, including those for crew tracking, depend on the Microsoft Windows operating system, which contributed to the operational difficulties. In response to the disruption, Delta has committed to compensating affected customers with either SkyMiles or travel vouchers.