U.S. airline regulators have opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines, which is still struggling to restore operations on Tuesday, more than four full days after a faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide and disrupted global air travel.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the Delta investigation on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions.”
“All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,” Buttigieg said.
As of Tuesday morning, Delta had an outsized portion of cancelled flights. Of the 663 total cancellations of flights within, into or out of the United States, Delta had 444 of them, according to data posted by FlightAware as of 11 a.m. ET. United Airlines was next among U.S. airlines with 41, followed by American Airlines with 35.
Delta also had more delayed flights than any other U.S. airline, with 590, but the gap was not as wide: American had 430 flight delays.
Delta did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Tuesday.
In an announcement to travellers posted on its website Monday, Delta said its crews are fully staffed but that a critical operational system that ensures all flights have a full crew “is deeply complex and is requiring the most time and manual support to synchronize.”
A massive global tech outage triggered by a CrowdStrike software update unleashed chaos Thursday by disrupting businesses and services around the world — from banks and broadcasters to hospitals and airlines.
Buttigieg spoke to Delta CEO Ed Bastian on Sunday about the airline’s high number of cancellations.
The Transportation Department said its top officials have reminded Delta of the airline’s obligation to provide refunds to passengers whose flights were cancelled and who don’t want to be rebooked on a later flight.