Delta IT Outage Strands Thousands of Passengers for Four Days

It’s not over yet, folks. People are still suffering.

Thousands of Delta passengers found themselves stranded for a fourth consecutive day as the airline grappled with what has been deemed the largest IT outage in its history. The ripple effects of this colossal tech failure have been felt across the nation, particularly hitting Boston’s Logan Airport hard.

Travelers share their ordeal as thousands of Delta passengers were stranded for a fourth straight day in Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, while the airline still struggles to recover from the largest IT outage in history.

One of them said : “My family and I have… https://t.co/MwClQlY5Fy pic.twitter.com/rKVmUd4RTz

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) July 23, 2024

On Monday, Delta canceled more than 20 percent of its flights in and out of Logan Airport. This followed the cancellation of approximately 1,300 Delta flights on Sunday, mirroring the number of cancellations from each of the previous two days. The chaos began on Friday when Delta’s systems suffered a significant outage.

Delta’s CEO explained that the tech meltdown not only crippled their rebooking systems but also disrupted crew tracking tools, which are vital for ensuring that flights are staffed correctly. This dual failure left countless passengers in limbo, with many experiencing a travel nightmare.

Roberta Harris, a passenger from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, described the ordeal as “the vacation from hell.” She and her husband, Jim, began their journey on Friday morning, only to find themselves caught in a seemingly endless layover in Atlanta. “From there it just went to hell,” Roberta recounted. “We would wait in line for hours, and they would cancel the flight at the last minute.”

Delta has completely dropped the ball on this.

My family and I have been stranded at Atlanta airport for 4 days now.

0 car rentals
0 hotels (was able to get one through a rewards program 25 minutes from the airport for tonight)
0 available flights
4-5 hours in line to even… pic.twitter.com/O6GRssOrdk

— Multifamily Madness (@MultifamilyMad) July 22, 2024

The Harrises were supposed to reach Boston by Friday afternoon for a cruise to Iceland and Greenland. However, they finally arrived at Logan Airport around 5 p.m. on Monday after enduring five canceled flights. Jim expressed their frustration: “Now we have to try to catch up to that ship. By the time we get there, the cruise will be half over!”

The chaos was not limited to the Harrises. Hundreds of pieces of luggage have been accumulating in Terminal A at Logan Airport since Friday, a visible testament to the disruption. Passengers shared their grievances with Boston 25 News, describing endless lines and scant information. Many have incurred substantial out-of-pocket expenses for hotels and other necessities.

Michael Krarup, another stranded passenger, shared his experience: “The first night, they put us in a very nice hotel room. The second night they said, you’re on your own.”

In response to the debacle, Delta is offering travel waivers to customers booked on flights between Friday and Tuesday, allowing them to change their flights once without incurring additional costs. The airline also stated that passengers could submit claims for reimbursements for hotel stays, meals, and ground transportation.

And there it is…@Delta has now reached its fourth-consecutive day with more than 1,000 cancellations.

Surprisingly @AmericanAir has more cancellations than @united today. pic.twitter.com/8IRAguJVQR

— Kevin Wu (@kevvy_wu) July 23, 2024

Major Points:

• Thousands of Delta passengers were stranded for four days due to the largest IT outage in the airline’s history.
• Delta canceled over 20 percent of flights at Boston’s Logan Airport on Monday, following around 1,300 cancellations on each of the previous three days.
• The outage disrupted both the rebooking system and crew tracking tools, leading to widespread chaos and delays.
• Passengers like Roberta and Jim Harris faced multiple canceled flights, significant delays, and incurred additional expenses for hotels and other needs.
• Delta is offering travel waivers and reimbursements for affected passengers to cover hotels, meals, and ground transportation costs.

James Kravitz – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News