Delta Offers 10,000 SkyMiles to Passengers Affected by IT Disruption
The airline is offering miles to affected passengers as a gesture of goodwill
Photo: Delta, Boeing 717. Courtesy of Delta
Delta Air Lines has apologized to thousands of customers impacted by flight disruptions caused by last week’s global IT outage. To make amends, the airline has pledged to gift affected passengers with 10,000 SkyMiles as compensation.
Last Friday’s outage, caused by issues with an update of CrowdStrike antivirus software, caused thousands of flights to be grounded worldwide, but Delta felt the effects far more severely than any other airline.
Photo: Delta Network Planning. Courtesy of Delta
The Atlanta-based carrier canceled more than a thousand flights daily from Friday until Monday and more than 500 on Tuesday, with operations only now returning to near-normal.
“Operational reliability returned to normal Thursday morning, with zero canceled mainline and Delta Connection flights,” said Delta in a statement. “Normal operations are expected to continue Friday and beyond.”
Delta quickly issued a travel waiver to affected passengers on Friday, allowing them to change their itinerary at no extra cost. Any passenger with travel booked from July 19 to 23 can make a one-time change to their journey, with any difference in fare waived for rebookings made up until and including July 28.
But now, Delta has gone one step further, promising to gift any affected passengers with 10,000 Delta SkyMiles.
Photo: Courtesy of Delta Air Lines
The airline said passengers will be rewarded with the miles via their account or the email address linked to their booking, although it could take up to five business days to process.
Affected passengers can also submit expenses for reimbursement for any additional accommodation costs, missed event tickets, or lost wages.
“I know the last few days have been difficult,” said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, in an open letter to customers. “To our customers who were impacted, I want to thank you for your patience and apologize again for the disruption to your travel.
“We understand how important travel is in your lives, and we remain committed to taking care of those whose flights may still be impacted, with meals, hotel accommodations, and ground transportation offered through vouchers and reimbursements. We’re also providing impacted customers with Delta SkyMiles and travel vouchers as a further gesture of apology.”
Ed Bastian has been named by his peer CEOs as the 2023 Chief Executive of the Year / Photo: Courtesy of Delta News Hub
Delta’s latest announcement comes after criticism from some passengers, with some claiming on social media that they haven’t been provided with the commitments promised. This has led to an investigation into Delta by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
“We have made clear to Delta that they must take care of their passengers and honor their customer service,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This is not just the right thing to do, it’s the law, and our department will leverage the full extent of our investigative and enforcement power to ensure the rights of Delta’s passengers are upheld.”
