Delta under investigation as flight troubles continue at Detroit Metro Airport, elsewhere

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced an investigation into Delta Air Lines on Tuesday as fallout from last week’s global IT outage continued to impact would-be flyers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and other airports.

The outage, said to have been caused by a faulty update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that impacted Microsoft’s Windows Operating System, hit major airlines and infrastructure but Delta was one airline still seeing major flight disruptions as of Tuesday. And social media users were calling out the airline, saying it was not properly supporting their efforts to get home or get a place to stay or food until they can.

Detroit wasn’t the airport experiencing the most misery for cancellations and delays for all airlines as of about 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to FlightAware. That was Atlanta’s airport. But Detroit had seen 132 cancellations in the last 24 hours, with 26 flights originating from Detroit canceled and 52 delayed on Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation investigates Delta

Delta had more than 400 cancellations, not specific to Detroit, by 9 a.m. Tuesday and in the time since the outage had canceled more flights than it canceled for half of 2023, USA Today reported.

Buttigieg, in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, said his department is probing to make sure the law is followed and that Delta is “taking care of its passengers” as the disruptions continue.

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“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,” he said.

He encouraged customers to try to resolve issues directly with the airline, but offered a link to file complaints for those who believe Delta is not following passenger protection requirements.

In a statement provided to the Free Press, Delta acknowledged the investigation and said it was cooperating: “We remain entirely focused on restoring our operation after cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike’s faulty Windows update rendered IT systems across the globe inoperable. 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.”  

Flight delayed for hours? How to figure out when you get can a refund or rebooked.

Delta, in a news release Monday, said upward of half of its IT systems worldwide are Windows-based and require manual repairs and rebooting. It also stated its system that makes sure full crews are available at the right place and time requires the most time and manual support.

The company promised a travel waiver from July 19-23, a refund upon request, travel vouchers, coverage of eligible expense including meals, hotels and ground transportation, and rebooking options.

It also stated that the company does not reimburse prepaid expenses, including hotel reservations at a customer’s destination, lost wages or event tickets.

Meanwhile at DTW, communications manager Randy Wimbley said, "Concessionaries are continuing to extend their hours, as staffing allows, to accommodate customers impacted by flight delays and cancellations."

Passengers abandoned by Delta

Jeff Fargo, his 14-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son are some of the customers left stranded in Detroit. The family was on their way to return home to Las Vegas after a 10-day stay in upstate New York visiting Fargo’s parents when their typical layover at DTW turned into a living nightmare.

The three arrived in Detroit about 7:30 p.m. Monday night when they received news that their continuing flight had been rescheduled and later canceled.

Flight delayed for hours? How to figure out when you get can a refund or rebooked.

After waiting in line at Delta’s customer service desk for 45 minutes, Fargo says he was told that the company would not be offering vouchers or reimbursement for hotel stays, food and other surprise expenses.

“It became like an out-of-body experience,” he said. “I felt like I was being punked.”

Anxious to get his kids and himself home, Fargo said he looked at renting a car to drive from Detroit to Las Vegas, only to find that businesses in metro Detroit aren’t allowing for one-way car rentals.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Fargo found a Southwest flight that could get his family home, but not after forcing Fargo to cancel the filming of an episode of his podcast as well as other work meetings, leaving him and his children with no clean clothes, and causing withdrawal symptoms without access to the medications that Fargo has been taking for years.

After Ubering to TJ Maxx and grocery stores from a hotel to buy clean clothes for himself and and his children, Fargo says the repercussions of the flight failure is in the hundreds of dollars — most of which he says he doesn’t think will be returned from Delta.

“Luckily, I have the means to take care of myself and my children, but what if I didn’t?” he said. “It would’ve been Delta’s fault for compromising the safety and wellness of my family.”

Before the delay, Fargo had Delta silver medallion status, and had already spent enough money on flights this year to qualify for silver medallion next year. But now, Fargo says he’d rather walk than buy a ticket with Delta.

“I will never fly Delta again, even if they offer me a trip around the world for free,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Delta under investigation as DTW flight troubles continue