Feds investigate Delta Air after mass cancellations, customer complaints

Thousands of air travelers remained in limbo Monday, days after the start of a global tech outage from which many businesses had already recovered.

Delta Air Lines canceled more than a third of its flights on Sunday and one in four flights Monday, according to FlightAware.com. Since Friday, Delta has canceled more flights, by far, than any other airline.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on social media that his agency had launched an investigation of the airline and its treatment of its many stranded customers.

“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,” Buttigieg said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Seattle woodworker Sam Adler was at the crowded Denver airport on Monday, trying to get home to Seattle for the second day in a row.

“Last night, I just waited in the cell phone lot because the flight kept getting delayed and delayed and delayed," Adler said. "And the day before, I had panic-bought a second ticket because all of the flights had been canceled.”

Overhead display screens at Delta departure gates in Denver Sunday night showed what’s known as Microsoft’s “blue screen of death” — an unwelcome display to any user of Microsoft Windows.

A flawed security update from the firm CrowdStrike has been blamed for the worldwide tech outage that hit banks, hospitals, and other businesses starting on Friday.

After repeated delays of Adler’s 7:55 p.m. flight, a Delta gate agent announced at 11 p.m. that the flight would not leave for another 12 hours. She said the airline was unable to find a pilot at that late hour.

“I am the world’s worst flyer—I just am so anxious—so this entire experience is not great for me,” Adler said. “But there is a certain serenity when everyone is in the same situation. We’re all going through the same exact thing. There’s nothing we can do, and that powerlessness is comforting, in a way.”

Delta CEO Ed Bastian addressed passengers in a press release issued Sunday.

“I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted by these events,” he said. “We understand how difficult it can be when your travels are disrupted.”

“We’ve got everyone around the company working around the clock to get this operation where it needs to be,” Bastian said on Monday in a video message to Delta employees.

But long waits at Delta help desks in person, on phones, and online made it difficult for stranded flyers to secure hotel rooms or reimbursements on Sunday and Monday.

Delta’s text-chat help desk took four hours to respond to a reporter’s request for hotel and meal vouchers, eventually informing him that vouchers could only be obtained by waiting in line in person at an airport help desk.

Buttigieg said on X that the Department of Transportation had received hundreds of complaints and would hold Delta accountable for its continued disruptions and “unacceptable” customer service.

“I have made clear to Delta that we will hold them to all applicable passenger protections,” Buttigieg said on X on Monday.

Sam Adler’s flight finally took off at 1:30 p.m. Monday, nearly 18 hours after it was supposed to depart.

"It's been nice having you, but go away," a Delta gate agent announced with a laugh as Flight 2759 to Seattle began boarding.

According to FlightAware.com, just 3% of flights leaving or arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were canceled on Monday, less than one-fourth the rate of cancellations at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is headquartered.

This story has been updated with news of the federal investigation of Delta.