A class action lawsuit has been filed against Delta Airlines, alleging the airline refused to offer refunds after a global technology outage caused thousands of flights to be canceled.
This lawsuit submitted On behalf of Delta Air Lines customers whose flights were canceled on Tuesday due to a global technical outage that was linked to an update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that crashed computers running Windows software around the world.
The lawsuit alleges that Delta was more affected by the technical outages than other airlines and “refused or ignored” customer requests for refunds for delayed or canceled flights. It also alleges that Delta failed to provide affected customers with vouchers for meals, transportation and lodging.
“These unfair, unlawful and unjust actions have resulted in Delta unfairly profiting at the expense of its customers.” Complaints Read.
“Accordingly, Plaintiffs have brought this action to secure refunds for all similarly situated consumers who were wronged by Delta’s refusal to provide full refunds for flights that were canceled or significantly affected as a direct and proximate result of the CrowdStrike outage,” the complaint continues.
The lawsuit comes after Delta CEO Ed Bastian said a recent global technology outage caused the airline to experience widespread flight delays and cancellations, costing it $500 million. While many airlines were plagued by outages, Delta canceled or delayed thousands of flights in the days following the incident.
Bastian threatened to sue CrowdStrike, which disputed Delta’s explanation for the outage. CrowdStrike attorney Michael Carlinsky said earlier this week that he was “very disappointed” that Delta had accused the company of acting inappropriately, pointing to CrowdStrike’s apology after the outage.
In a letter to Delta lawyer David Boies, he also questioned why other airlines were able to recover from the outages more quickly. Microsoft lawyer Mark Cheffo raised similar questions in a letter to Boies, suggesting that Delta’s key IT systems are maintained by other companies, not Microsoft, according to the Associated Press.
The Department of Transportation has also launched an investigation into Delta Airlines following the mass cancellations.
The Hill has reached out to Delta for comment.
