Passengers sue Delta following massive IT outage
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People looking for missing bags wait in line to speak with Delta Air Lines baggage on July 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Delta passengers filed a lawsuit against the airline for refunds following the chaotic CrowdStrike worldwide outage that led to thousands of flight cancellations.
Why it matters: The July outage hit businesses worldwide and was estimated to be the largest IT outage in history. It left Delta in a head-to-head battle with CrowdStrike, which is already facing a class action lawsuit over alleged negligence.
Driving the news: Passengers in the suit, filed by law firms Sauder Schelkopf and Webb, Klase & Lemond, allege that Delta's "failure to recover ... left passengers stranded in airports across the country and the world and, in many cases, thousands of miles from home."
- Plaintiffs alleged in the suit, filed in the northern district of Georgia, that passengers continued to feel the "disastrous" impact of the outage nearly two weeks later, despite Delta reporting operations had returned to normal.
- They also allege the airline "refused or ignored" requests for prompt refunds for canceled or delayed flights and refused to provide all affected passengers meal, hotel and ground transportation vouchers despite "previous commitments."
- That alleged refusal prompted passengers to spend "thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses," the lawsuit continues, also alleging passengers who were separated from their luggage were left without "necessary medication, clothes and other belongings."
By the numbers: Delta faces growing losses in the aftermath of the messy tech outage, Axios' Hope King writes.
- CEO Ed Bastian already said last week that the event will cost the company $500 million, a sum that represents lost revenue and compensation paid to customers.
Friction point: The lawsuit also comes as the blame game between Delta, CrowdStrike and Microsoft has escalated publicly.
- CrowdStrike pushed back this week against claims Delta made that the vendor did not provide sufficient assistance during the outage.
- CrowdStrike's outside legal counsel contended in a letter sent Sunday that "within hours of the incident, CrowdStrike reached out to Delta to offer assistance and ensure Delta was aware of an available remediation."
Flashback: As other airlines recovered from the widespread outage, Delta lagged behind, prompting a federal investigation over its handling of the disruptions.
Go deeper: CrowdStrike changes internal testing after global outage
