At One Major Airline, the Cancellations Continue

Hundreds of US flights are still being canceled as a result of Friday's computer outage—mostly at Delta Air Lines. "It's been a horrible weekend. For us all," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a video message to employees on Sunday. The airline canceled 1,500 flights on Friday, another 3,000 over the weekend, and more than 1,000 on Monday, CNN reports, noting Monday's canceled trips "represented just over half of all flights canceled by airlines worldwide" and "about three-quarters of the flights within, to or from the United States." In comparison, other US airlines canceled no more than 2% of their scheduled flights Monday.

Many airlines have been able to address computer issues triggered by a Microsoft Windows update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. United Airlines, which canceled nearly 1,500 flights after the outage, canceled only 17 on Monday, per the AP. Delta had to manually repair more than 1,500 systems, reports the Wall Street Journal. But even then, the airline's crew-tracking software was "unable to effectively process the unprecedented number of changes triggered by the system shutdown," Bastian said. That left the airline struggling to match pilots and flight attendants to flights. The CEO said it would likely take a couple more days for the airline to "restore full functionality."

Tens of thousands of Delta customers have likely been stranded—an unusual outcome for an airline that "typically tops industry rankings for on-time performance and low rates of cancellations ... allowing it to charge higher fares," per the Journal. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who spoke to Bastian on Sunday, said hundreds of complaints have been filed against the airline. "I have made clear to Delta that we will hold them to all applicable passenger protections," Buttigieg added. Delta, which expected the weekend to be one of its busiest ever, said it is reimbursing customers with claims. (More Delta Air Lines stories.)