The US Department of Transportation is investigating Delta Airlines following a major IT outage that severely disrupted its operations.
A faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused the outage.
Delta canceled over 5,000 flights since Friday, July 19, significantly impacting its operations.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has directed Delta to provide refunds and other compensation to affected passengers based on legal requirements.
Delta has indicated its operations may take several more days to recover fully.
As of Tuesday (July 23) morning, the airline had canceled more than 400 flights and experienced hundreds of delays.
It adds to over 1,150 cancelations reported the previous day.
The airline attributed its recovery challenges to issues with its crew-staffing system, which was disrupted by the IT outage.
“Recognising that Americans will undoubtedly feel the lasting, real-world consequences of this incident, they deserve to know in detail how this incident happened and the mitigation steps CrowdStrike is taking”
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has been summoned to testify before Congress regarding the incident.
The House Committee for Homeland Security said: “While we appreciate CrowdStrike’s response and coordination with stakeholders, we cannot ignore the magnitude of this incident.
It added: “Recognising that Americans will undoubtedly feel the lasting, real-world consequences of this incident, they deserve to know in detail how this incident happened and the mitigation steps CrowdStrike is taking.”
CrowdStrike said it is working to expedite fixes and improve the recovery process.
Delta has said it is “fully cooperating” with the Department of Transportation’s investigation and is focused on restoring its services.
It said: “Across our operation, Delta teams are working tirelessly to care for and make it right for customers impacted by delays and cancellations as we work to restore the reliable, on-time service they have come to expect from Delta.”
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The situation has drawn increased scrutiny from lawmakers.
Senator Maria Cantwell criticized Delta for its slow recovery compared to other airlines and for providing inaccurate information about passenger rights on its website.
She also highlighted the need for better customer service during such disruptions.
The Biden administration had recently implemented a rule requiring airlines to promptly and automatically refund passengers for significant travel disruptions.
It is part of a broader push to enhance airline accountability.
This rule follows a previous investigation into Southwest Airlines, which paid $140 million to resolve issues related to a major service disruption during the 2022 holiday season.
