DOT Investigates Delta Airlines Over IT Outage

The Biden administration has initiated an investigation into Delta Airlines following significant operational disruptions caused by a global IT outage linked to CrowdStrike, which impacted Microsoft's systems. Since the outage last Friday, Delta has canceled over 4,000 flights and reported hundreds of delays, with the airline leading in cancellations among competitors. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg emphasized that Delta must fulfill its customer service obligations, stating that passengers should not be stranded or face excessive wait times for assistance. Delta's CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged the challenges posed by the outage, particularly the complexity of manually repairing critical IT systems that rely on Windows software. Despite efforts to restore normal operations, Delta continues to experience significant delays, and the investigation will evaluate the airline's response to the consumer complaints received by the DOT. The airline has pledged full cooperation with the investigation as it works to resolve the ongoing issues.