Delta says its operations are getting back on track — but plenty of questions remain

24.07.2024 - 16:00 / thepointsguy.com / Ed Bastian / Delta Air Lines / Maria Cantwell

Delta Air Lines says its operations are getting back on track, signaling the likely end of a multi-day meltdown that's seen the carrier cancel more than 5,000 flights since an IT outage on Friday.

In a letter to customers, CEO Ed Bastian said he expected disruptions on Wednesday to be "minimal," and for Thursday to be a "normal day," with the airline "fully recovered."

It's welcome news after a chaotic few days across Delta's global operation, particularly at its hubs.

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The five-day fiasco saw hundreds of thousands of passengers affected, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates, with many of those travelers stranded, frustrated, and at times unclear on a good — or affordable – way to get to their destination.

The first major meltdown of a U.S. airline in 2024, the disruptions have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers on Capitol Hill and the U.S. Department of Transportation, which on Tuesday announced an investigation into the Atlanta-based carrier's response.

As of 9 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Delta had canceled 47 flights, about 1% of its operation.

It's a stark improvement from cancellation rates that regularly topped 30% between Friday and Monday, when Delta canceled at least 1,100 flights daily — before cancellations dropped to just over 500 on Tuesday, per FlightAware.

Delta was among several U.S. airlines affected by a faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which affected Windows systems around the world.

But even as other carriers recovered, Delta's cancellations continued to mount. The carrier cited particular problems re-synchronizing its crew-scheduling software, a critical program that gets pilots, flight attendants and aircraft to the right places.

"While our initial efforts to stabilize the operations were difficult and frustratingly slow and complex, we have made good progress this week, and the worst impacts of the CrowdStrike-caused outage are behind us," Bastian wrote in his letter Wednesday morning.

But Delta will face no shortage of questions in the weeks to come.

On top of an investigation announced Tuesday by the DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protections, Congressional leaders are also demanding answers about the carrier's response.

"While the technology outage was clearly not caused by Delta or any airline, I am nevertheless concerned that Delta is failing to meet the moment," Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote in a letter Tuesday, calling for a response from Bastian by July 30.

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For its part, Delta says it has provided stranded passengers with meals, hotel accommodations and ground