Can Delta Rebuild Trust With Flyers After Last Month’s IT Outage?

When flying anywhere, you expect to get from point A to point B without problems.

But that’s not what happened recently. Thousands of passengers were stranded due to a global IT outage, with Delta being hit the hardest. It was so severe that the DOT is investigating the airline giant for what happened.

This unexpected event and its messy aftermath are also causing frustrated passengers to lose trust in the airline.

Let’s explore the details of the IT outage, Delta’s response, and how this event can impact the industry in the future.

What Happened During the IT Outage?

On July 22, 2024, Delta and other airlines experienced a massive IT outage, impacting thousands of flights.

The malfunction happened because of a software update from CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company that protects a person or organization’s personal data. It’s considered one of the most significant disruptions of Microsoft systems in recent years. Airlines had to cancel over 4,000 flights, leaving thousands of anxious passengers stranded in different airports worldwide. The outage also impacted Delta’s crew tracker system, leaving many of the airline’s workers in limbo and making the problem worse.

So far, the airline giant lost over $500 million in revenue because of last week’s event.

How This Event Affected Passengers

The IT outage severely impacted passengers, with many experiencing delays, cancellations, or being stuck in airports for days.

Social media was flooded with images and stories of crowded terminals and frustrated travelers. Some passengers were forced to pay for their hotel accommodations, meals, and transportation out of pocket because some airlines couldn’t issue reimbursements at the time.

The disruption also happened during the peak of the summer travel season, adding more stress and inconvenience.

Delta’s Response to the Crisis

Delta quickly acknowledged the outage and went into damage control immediately.

The airline issued a temporary Global IT Outage travel waiver that allows passengers to rebook without additional costs until August 4. They also set up a form for anyone affected to request a refund or reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses. Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, and other executives communicated openly about the situation, calling it “a horrible weekend” for flights.

Despite these efforts, restoring their services took days, leaving many passengers to deal with the aftermath.

The Road Ahead for Delta

Consumer confidence in Delta and other airlines is at an all-time low.

And honestly, it’s no surprise.

Because of these issues, people lost valuable time and possibly their vacation. For this reason, airlines need to prevent a situation like this from happening again.

Here are a few a few steps they could do:

Create more real-time updates and transparency with passengers during disruptions
Have fair and timely refunds, reimbursements, and compensation packages is crucial
Invest in a stronger IT Infrastructure and reliable IT systems
Improve customer service so that it can better manage crises like these

What To Do If The Outage Affected Your Travel Plans

If your plans changed because of the IT outage, Delta is offering a few different options for affected passengers to make up for the disruption:

Canceling Your Flight: Use Delta’s My Trips feature to cancel your flight for free.
Rebooking: Using Delta’s special travel waiver, you can change your flight dates within the affected time.
Refunds: If your flight was canceled or significantly delayed by over 120 minutes because of the outage, you can request a refund through Delta’s online portal.
Reimbursements: If your flight was delayed or canceled due to the outage, you can apply for reimbursements for hotel, transportation, and meal expenses.

The Bottom Line

Delta is facing an uphill battle to rebuild its passengers’ trust. Despite the backlash, the airline is doing what it can to compensate passengers.

Hopefully, CrowdStrike’s outage will motivate airlines to improve their infrastructure and manage future issues more effectively.