The Transportation Department said Tuesday it was opening an investigation into Delta Air Lines after the company canceled more than 5,000 flights since Friday as it struggles to recover from a global cyber outage that has disrupted airlines around the world.
While other airlines have been able to resume normal operations, Delta continues to cancel hundreds of flights each day.
Delta Air Lines canceled more than 30% of its flights each day from Friday through Monday, and as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, 444 flights, or 12% of its schedule, had been canceled and an additional 590 flights, or 16%, were delayed. Flight AwareAfter cancelling 1,150 cases on Monday.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday the investigation is intended to “ensure that the airline is following the law and keeping customers safe during this time of widespread disruption. The Department of Transportation will use its full investigatory and enforcement authority to ensure the rights of Delta customers are protected.”
Delta said it has been notified of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s investigation and is cooperating fully. “Delta teams are committed to caring for and serving customers affected by delays and cancellations, and we are working to restore the reliable, on-time service they have come to expect from Delta,” the airline said.
Delta shares were down 0.5% at the start of trading.
Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said Monday that it will likely take several more days for service to be restored. The airline had canceled 4,000 flights since Friday as of Monday morning.
A software update by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused system outages for Microsoft customers, including many airlines, on Friday.
Delta Air Lines is widely regarded for its reliable operations, and analysts say its on-time arrival and departure performance has helped cement the airline’s position as a premium airline.
The issue has infuriated customers, with many complaining that airline helplines were jammed and they were kept on hold for hours.
Some people were forced to rent cars and drive hundreds of miles to reach their destinations, while others said they had to wait days for new flights.
In December, Southwest Airlines agreed to pay a record $140 million civil penalty to settle a U.S. Department of Transportation investigation into disruptions to the 2022 holiday season that led to the cancellation of 16,900 flights and stranded 2 million passengers.
