In the wake of major disruptions last month, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian is offering employees two free travel passes as a token of appreciation for their efforts during the chaos. The disruptions were caused by a botched CrowdStrike software update which left thousands of customers and crew members stranded. Delta had a harder time recovering from the outages compared to its competitors, with more than 5,000 flights canceled between July 19 and July 24 – a number higher than the total flight cancellations for the whole of 2019.

Cost Incurred and Impact

According to FlightAware, the incident cost Delta around $500 million, which is approximately 40% of the company’s second-quarter profit. The disruptions were so severe that the carrier had to manually reset 40,000 servers, a process that was both time-consuming and costly. Bastian described the disruption as a “humbling moment” for the company and emphasized that such extensive operational disruptions are unacceptable, pledging to do better in the future.

During the disruptions, over 4,000 Delta flight attendants stepped up to the challenge, picking up more than 6,100 trips and receiving extra pay for their heroic efforts. Bastian expressed his gratitude towards the employees, acknowledging their hard work and dedication during the crisis. The free travel passes offered to employees are confirmed seats, different from the standby flying that airline employees typically engage in.

Despite the gesture of goodwill, the Delta organizing committee of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA voiced its dissatisfaction with the offer, stating that it falls short of addressing the root issues that led to the disruptions. The committee criticized the management for making inadequate adjustments to prevent future meltdowns, highlighting the need for more substantial changes to ensure smooth operations in the future.

Recovery and Legal Action

While Delta’s operation has since stabilized, the cancellations and delays had a lasting impact on the airline’s reputation for reliability. The U.S. Department of Transportation is currently investigating the disruptions, signaling the seriousness of the situation. In response, Delta plans to pursue legal action against CrowdStrike and Microsoft to recover the losses incurred during the outage, a move aimed at holding the responsible parties accountable for their role in the crisis.

The disruptions faced by Delta Air Lines serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the airline industry to technological failures. While the offer of free travel passes is a gesture of appreciation, it is clear that more comprehensive measures are needed to prevent similar incidents in the future. By taking legal action and implementing stricter operational safeguards, Delta aims to restore its reputation and ensure a smoother and more reliable travel experience for its customers.

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