Computer System Failure Cripples Delta Flights Worldwide

The shutdown of Delta Air Lines’ global computer system has resulted in a cascade of hundreds of canceled flights. The systemic failure was caused by a power outage in Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is based, which occurred when a switch gear broke down on Monday at around 2:30 am ET, The New York Times reports.

An investigation into the exact causes of the computer system failure are ongoing according to Delta’s official website. The company did confirm that as a result of power loss, “some critical systems and network equipment didn’t switch over to Delta’s backup systems.”

Delta has announced on its website that as of 3:40 pm ET, its systems have fully recovered and that flights have resumed. However of the 6,000 or so flights that were scheduled to take off on Monday, only 2,340 have taken off and it is unclear how many further delays or cancellations will remain.

For its part, Delta has promised to fully refund passengers whose flights have been cancelled or who have experienced significant delays. It is also waiving the standard rebooking fee for flights that were scheduled to have taken off on Monday.

Delta has also advised all passengers to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport. As expected with a systemic failure of this magnitude, however, Delta’s customer service call center was flooded with complaints of long lines, extended delays, and incorrect flight status information being relayed.