Delta customers are voicing their dissatisfaction with the airline’s response to last month’s CrowdStrike outage, which caused significant disruptions to their travel plans. The incident on July 19 left Delta’s operations in disarray, leading to numerous complaints from travelers about inadequate compensation and poor communication. The Department of Transportation has received over 5,000 complaints about the airline’s failures, and an investigation is ongoing.
Delta has placed the blame on CrowdStrike and Microsoft for the disruptions, which resulted in more than 5,000 flight cancellations. The problems for Delta persisted longer than for other airlines, causing further frustration among passengers.
Microsoft blasts Delta over CrowdStrike outage comments | FOX 5 Atlanta https://t.co/PtA6yiGLnm
— HyperAgency (@HyperAgencySrl) August 7, 2024
Several Delta customers spoke to The Wall Street Journal, detailing their experiences during the outage. Chris Nickinson missed a work trip to Los Angeles after being rerouted to Santa Barbara, only for his rebooked flight to be canceled. He spent the night at the airport and was denied reimbursement for his $338 hotel room. Despite being a “million miler” with Delta, he received only 30,000 SkyMiles and a $300 travel credit after much complaining.
Another passenger, Kyle Kastranec, was forced to drive 1,200 miles from Denver to Detroit after Delta told him he would have to wait three days for a flight. Delta refunded his return flight and covered $900 in expenses, but only partially reimbursed the cost of his rental car.
Genevieve Pierce Kyle’s plans for a European trip were derailed when Delta delayed her first flight, causing her to miss her connection to Scotland. After struggling to reach Delta representatives, she booked last-minute tickets on Air Canada for $5,000. Delta eventually refunded $4,600 of the cost after realizing an error had been made by a staff member.
As much as I truly dislike @united, they did a much better job handling the Crowdstrike outage than @Delta https://t.co/LliRCNbCC3
— Alycia Halladay (@AHalladay212) August 7, 2024
Delta claims the outage caused $500 million in losses and has hired litigator David Boies to pursue legal action against CrowdStrike and Microsoft. The federal investigation into Delta’s response to the outage continues.
Key Points:
i. Widespread Disruptions: Delta’s operations were severely affected by a CrowdStrike outage on July 19, leading to over 5,000 flight cancellations and numerous passenger complaints about inadequate compensation and poor communication.
ii. Customer Complaints: The Department of Transportation has received more than 5,000 complaints about Delta’s handling of the situation, prompting an ongoing investigation into the airline’s response.
iii. Passenger Experiences: Travelers like Chris Nickinson and Kyle Kastranec shared their frustrations, including missed connections, denied reimbursements, and long waits for flights, despite being frequent flyers with Delta.
iv. Financial Impact: Delta has reported $500 million in losses due to the outage and has hired a high-profile litigator to pursue legal action against CrowdStrike and Microsoft, whom they blame for the disruptions.
v. Investigation and Legal Actions: The federal investigation into Delta’s response continues, while the airline seeks accountability and compensation from CrowdStrike and Microsoft for the incident.
Charles William III – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
