Delta may have a tough time keeping up its reputation as “the world’s most trusted airline” after being forced to ground all flights on Monday due to a global computer system outage. At around 2:30 a.m. ET, the airline suffered a power outage at its hub in Atlanta, Georgia, and soon, this created a worldwide domino effect.
“Large-scale cancellations are expected today,” Delta noted in the latest update in its newsroom. “All flights en route are operating normally. We are aware that flight status systems, including airport screens, are incorrectly showing flights on time. We apologize to customers who are affected by this issue, and our teams are working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”
The airline ranks third globally when it comes to number of passengers carried, and this computer glitch certainly isn’t doing anything to get the week off to a good start for passengers. As one stranded traveler told the BBC this morning, he was forced to wait with “several hundred” other passengers at San Francisco airport after sitting on a grounded plane after more than an hour.
It’s estimated that on average, Delta serves around 550,000 daily passengers during the summer, operating 15,000 daily flights. Tens of thousands of people are currently affected by these delays and outages.
If you’re lucky enough to not yet be at an airport, but are anticipating flying Delta in the next few days, the airline is waiving change fees for customers meant to travel sometime this week. If you’re booked on a flight between Monday and Friday, you can make one change to your itinerary without paying the standard fee, which will save you between $200 and $500, depending on whether you had a domestic or international destination. That said, rebooked flights must be scheduled for no later than Friday. A difference in fare also may apply.
