Delta is still melting down with no clear end in sight
New York (CNN) — Bad news for passengers: Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds more flights early Tuesday morning, as the problems caused by last week’s global tech outage continued into a fifth day. Worse news: Delta’s meltdown will probably extend through the end of the week.
As of 8 a.m. EDT the Atlanta-based airline had canceled 406 flights, and Endeavor Air, its regional carrier that feeds its system under the Delta Connection brand, had canceled another 18 flights. The cancellations follow more than 1,250 flight cancellations Monday, and 4,500 flights from Friday through Sunday.
In Indianapolis, Delta had canceled 3 flights by 8 a.m. EDT but none were delayed. Regional carrier Endeavor Air had no cancellations but one delayed flight, according to Flight Aware.
The problems stemmed from a software update issued late Thursday night by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that crashed Windows software. A cascade effect caused problems throughout the global airline industry last Friday.
Although most airlines were able to recover and resume normal operations by the end of the weekend, Delta has been unable to fix problems with its crew tracking system, leaving it unable to find the pilots and flight attendants it needed to fly its planes.
The problems will continue for at least a few more days, warned Rahul Samant, the company’s chief information officer, in a message to Delta employees Monday.
“So we’re optimistic we’ll get it done,” Samant said in the video message along with CEO Ed Bastian. “There will be some things as Ed said, that we will do today, tomorrow to get to a better place by the end of the week.” He said the IT staff is working “feverishly” and “around the clock” to fix the problem.
Frustrated passengers and crews
The problems left tens of thousands of frustrated Delta customers stranded and unable to return home. Many of them booked other flights that were subsequently canceled as well. A lack of hotel rooms forced many to sleep in airports and wait for hours on hold trying to get through to Delta in an often-futile effort to find a flight.
Delta crew members are dealing with similar frustrations. Many have been left stranded in airports far from their bases and homes, unable to be placed on flights because Delta has been unable to locate crews and place them on planes. Some Delta crew members also are unable to get hotel rooms and are sleeping at airports. And airport employees are contending with angry, frustrated customers who don’t understand why their flights are being canceled when crew members are available.
This week, Delta remained in the dark about the whereabouts of its crew members. Crew members who logged on to the company’s computer system to sign up for flights received prompts and questions that included: “Please enter below what airport code you are closest to,” “What is your current status?” and “Please describe your current location.”
A person familiar with the airline’s operations allowed CNN to see screenshots of the prompts. Delta declined to comment on the questions it was asking crews.
To help fix its staffing problems, Delta is offering crew members premium pay, as well as additional assurances they will be able to travel back to their homes at the end of their work period, according to the screen shots viewed by CNN. The premium pay and assurances would be in place through Friday, another sign the staffing problem may not be fixed for several more days. Delta also declined to comment on these offers to crew members.
The service meltdown will cost Delta, both in terms of its reputation and in dollar costs. The most profitable of US airlines in the just completed quarter, the meltdown had already cost it about $163 million through Monday, according to an estimate from Savanthi Syth, airline analyst for Raymond James.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.