After experiencing a significant IT outage that began on Friday morning, Delta Airlines has been fighting to restore its operations, with widespread flight cancellations causing disruption for countless passengers. The airline, along with its regional affiliates, accounted for approximately two-thirds of all flight cancellations worldwide on Monday, including the vast majority within the United States.

According to aviation-data provider Cirium, Delta has canceled over 5,500 flights since the onset of the outage, with at least 700 flights canceled on Monday alone. United Airlines also faced challenges, canceling nearly 1,500 flights during this period. However, by late morning on Monday, United had only canceled 17 flights. Other affected airlines, such as American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Allegiant Air, have managed to return to normal operations.

During a video message to Delta employees, CEO Ed Bastian expressed his understanding of the challenges faced by the airline's customers, emphasizing their commitment to providing the best service possible, particularly in difficult times. Bastian acknowledged that the technology issue occurred during the busiest travel weekend of the summer, with passenger loads exceeding 90%, which limited their ability to re-accommodate passengers.

It was revealed that Delta, similar to many other airlines, relies on complex, multi-layered technology systems that are susceptible to outages. An older crew-tracking program, essential for managing flight schedules and assigning pilots and flight attendants, experienced difficulties restarting after the outage. Technicians have made progress in restoring the program, but further issues have arisen, further complicating the recovery process.

Delta's chief information officer, Rahul Samant, highlighted two particularly challenging applications to restart: one that manages traffic at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta's largest hub, and another responsible for crew assignments. The airline's IT employees have been working tirelessly to manually repair and reboot each affected system, as well as synchronize applications to ensure they function together smoothly.

Despite these efforts, Bastian acknowledged that it will take a few more days before they can confidently proclaim that the worst is behind them. He assured employees that each day would be an improvement from the previous one and expressed hope that Tuesday and Wednesday would bring further progress.

Delta has offered waivers to customers affected by the disruptions, aiming to facilitate the rescheduling of trips. However, for many frustrated passengers, including fitness coach Jason Helmes, the experience has left them reconsidering their loyalty to the airline. Helmes, who was stranded in Denver, eventually booked a Tuesday flight home with Frontier Airlines, one of the carriers that has largely recovered from the upheaval.

Delta's current crisis is reminiscent of Southwest Airlines' massive flight cancellations in December 2022, during which the airline had to cancel nearly 17,000 flights over a 15-day period. Following a federal investigation, Southwest faced a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement with the Transportation Department. Southwest's prolonged recovery was also attributed to a crew-scheduling system issue, paralleling Delta's current struggles.

The worldwide tech problems caused by a faulty software update from CrowdStrike, a Texas-based cybersecurity firm, have brought the aviation industry to its knees. Delta, which heavily relies on Windows-based IT solutions, has been particularly impacted, while some airlines, such as Southwest and Alaska, managed to largely avoid the aftermath due to their different cybersecurity software.

As Delta continues to work tirelessly to resolve the ongoing issues caused by the IT outage, affected passengers are advised to stay in touch with the airline and take advantage of the offered waivers for rescheduling their travel plans. Experts predict that repair and recovery efforts for all affected computers could take days or even weeks to be fully completed.