Limited flights resumed Monday in the wake of a massive power outage that knocked out the global computer network at Delta Air Lines. Some 427 flights were grounded as a result.
Tens of thousands of Delta passengers were stranded Monday in various locations around the world after the power outage at its Atlanta headquarters caused a global computer failure that grounded all of its flights worldwide.
Thousands of other travelers cancelled reservations with the airline, which also has a “handshake” with Israel’s national carrier, El Al Airlines.
Delays and cancellations continued throughout the day following the outage, which started at around 2:30 am at its Atlanta headquarters and technically lasted six hours, but the effects of which have continued.
CEO Ed Bastian apologized to Delta customers for the disruptions to the airline’s operations.
.@Delta CEO Ed Bastian apologizes to customers for the disruption to the airline's operations today.https://t.co/Fl4mDAbdxN— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) August 8, 2016
There were Delta flights already in the air when the outage struck the airline, but many more aircraft were on the tarmac.
The technology that was working, was giving inaccurate information when the outage struck. Flight status systems showed incorrect flight times on airport screens; boarding passes weren’t printing at all and agents ended up writing them out by hand. Check-in systems were down; the airline’s website and smartphone apps were affected as well.
The outage dropped Delta shares by two percent in pre-market trading.