We saved up all year for a vacation on a Delta Skymiles card, charging almost every expenditure to the card to earn enough points. Our plan was to embark on an airplane trip for the first time as a family of seven, and luckily, it was for “free” with said points. Somehow, it sounded easier than a 16-hour drive from Cincinnati to Florida with babies and toddlers—until it wasn’t.
On July 19, just a few days before our “relaxing” summer vacation, we found out that Delta was one of many businesses disrupted by a global IT outage, which resulted in a $5.4 billion loss for many Fortune 500 companies. The Delta debacle started with a Microsoft update gone wrong for CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company. The update disabled millions of computers, and larger companies, such as Delta, struggled to delete the update before chaos ensued.
Waiting indefinitely and feeling stranded
What that looked like ten hours later in an airport terminal after numerous delays alongside five grouchy kids wasn’t pretty. Delta ultimately canceled our flight at 9 p.m., but many other airline customers had it much worse—many were stranded abroad or had to go without basic supplies and necessities such as baby items.
Though you can typically expect guidance and accommodations from Delta in these scenarios, the total overwhelm within the company led to significant shortcomings. For example, as we struggled to determine if we could be rebooked on another flight, if we needed to start driving to our destination or if we should just go home, the Delta employee at the desk took one look at the growing line of frustrated people and said she was leaving. Everyone was on their own.
In a July 21 letter to consumers, CEO Ed Bastian said that over 3,500 flights were canceled in the days following the global IT outage. In total, it’s estimated that Delta canceled over 6,500 flights. Now, the U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating Delta for its customer service and processes following the faulty CrowdStrike update.
Delta didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article on its status of refunding and remedying these issues.
Passengers scramble to alter their travel arrangements
“I was traveling on Delta and got stuck for three unexpected nights at LaGuardia,” says Colleen Troy, a strategic marketing communications professional from St. Petersburg, Florida. “Long story short: Sunday afternoon, [I] received a ‘flight delayed’ notice. [I] called customer service to see if, in fact, my flight was being canceled so I could stay put in [Connecticut] versus pay a $150 Uber [fee]. That call lasted four hours through the Uber [ride], until I arrived at LGA. [After] hours at the gate, [the] flight [was] pushed back again and, ultimately, canceled unceremoniously.”
Troy says that she “immediately began working on two fronts: rebooking (nothing [was] available anywhere from [the] NYC area to western Florida airports until Wednesday) [and] look[ing] at other airlines [and modes of transport], even Amtrak.”
“[I] booked a night at a seedy hotel in Queens, and then another, and then another,” she continues. “The worst part was being unable to reach anybody, at any point. I even tried again on Monday, in hopes I could get out early… no luck. But I was lucky. One woman I met was wheelchair bound and stuck for three days in the airport itself. A guy was trying to get home to Scotland, and this was his fifth airport in four days.”
Fighting for reimbursement
For many travelers, the real fight was just beginning. Some had already spent thousands of dollars paying for extra meals, airport snacks, hotels and alternative transportation.
At first, it was unclear what Delta would be reimbursing, as the unprecedented situation called for far beyond its typical policies of what qualified. Then the airline expanded its flexibility on types of reimbursements it would accept, but many travelers struggled to find guidance on the process.
“Delta says they will reimburse. I’ve filed all the paperwork,” Troy says. “But no word on when, or if, it will all be reimbursed. I tried to be fair: only airport meals (exceedingly expensive), the unnecessary Uber and the three hotel nights.”
Similarly, I spent $150 on food for my family in the airport all day. I then spent hundreds of dollars in gas driving some of my family to our destination. I also had to add additional flight expenses on other airlines to get home. In the end, it was around $1,500 in additional trip expenses. Our first call to Delta resulted in a five-hour hold and ended with the call disconnecting at midnight.
Elizabeth Kelley Grace, co-founder of The Buzz Agency in Delray Beach, Florida, also waited six hours on hold to no avail. “I planned a two-week trip to Greece with my boyfriend on Delta, departing on Saturday, July 20, [from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta to Athens],” she says. “On the morning of Friday, July 19, we received the notification that the flight from [Atlanta to Athens] was canceled, but [Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta] was still on ([but] that was later canceled)… We immediately tried to rebook via the website, and each time I clicked on a flight, I’d get an error message.”
The additional costs that won’t be reimbursed are the missed vacation days, accommodations at the destination (which fell under “prepaid” items, according to Delta) and missed work while trying to get there or back. “I scrambled to move around hotel reservations and planned excursions and did so without penalty,” Grace adds, “although we had to eat the tickets on Aegean Air for our in-Greece trip to Kalamata (we were out about $300). I also missed two days of my vacation and spent two days dealing with all of this.”
“I’ve submitted about $500 worth of expenses, but so far, Delta has only offered to reimburse approximately $130,” says Joy Johnston, a digital content leader and author from Atlanta, who called it a “lousy ending to a nice 50th birthday celebration.” She adds that “notably, they are holding out on the hotel and alternative flight reimbursement request.”
My own family has had to submit and resubmit valid reimbursement requests after the global IT outage. We have had strange results, such as the airline refunding one ticket on an alternate airline for one family member but not another.
Trying to track down lost luggage
It seems like checked bags are always last to show up in these situations, and sometimes it becomes a DIY effort.
“The weirder stuff happened on my return, Saturday, August 3,” Grace says. “My checked bag from Boston to Fort Lauderdale was scanned to get on the plane from Boston but was not scanned when it was taken off the plane in [Fort Lauderdale], and it somehow ended up mixed in with an El Al flight to Tel Aviv and was left in a warehouse in Fort Lauderdale. I spent much of Sunday at the airport trying to track [it] down. We tracked it down due to my AirTag.”
In my case, since we had a direct flight, we were able to retrieve our bags from the baggage claim even though we hadn’t flown anywhere.
How to prepare for airline struggles
It’s difficult to prepare for unexpected circumstances like this global IT outage. But what you can do is become a pro at navigating airline issues to prepare yourself for situations that are beyond your control.
Here’s what to know the next time you plan air travel:
- Arrive at the airport two to three hours early. This isn’t an overstatement—experienced travelers know that just one travel hiccup with a ticket, bag or security can eat away at those “extra” minutes very quickly.
- Only check a bag if you must. A carry-on bag is definitely going to make it to your destination. Your checked bag might only make it if all goes as planned.
- Start considering potential backup transportation plans as soon as you find out a flight is delayed. After all, a delay can turn into a cancellation. If you plan ahead, you’ll know your best next step right away. This might include finding rental car options or alternate flights.
- Keep your receipts for unanticipated expenses. You never know when you’ll be able to submit your receipts for reimbursement, like in the global IT outage situation.
- Bring an empty water bottle. This can save you some serious money buying drinks if you have a delay. Many airports offer water fountains and free bottle filling stations after you get through security.
- Read up on baggage restrictions to prevent delays. The last thing you want to spend time on is repacking a bag to account for a rule you didn’t know.
Still wondering what to do now after being impacted by Delta cancellations?
For consumers affected by the global IT outage who experienced flight delays or cancellations while traveling with Delta from July 19 through July 28, Delta has established a page dedicated to navigating reimbursements. These reimbursements may include hotels, ground transportation and meals.
For a more extensive look at Delta’s reimbursement process, visit the airline’s website.
Photo courtesy A_McIntyre/Shutterstock.com
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