Delta Air Lines begins limited flights, delays continue
Delta Air Lines has resumed limited operations after a power outage in Atlanta on Monday morning brought down computer systems, grounding or delaying hundreds of flights across the globe.
Cancellations and delays were ongoing as of 1:30 p.m. Monday as crews continued working to get Delta's systems back to speed following the outage. The company said about 450 flights were canceled because of the outage.
"Customers heading to the airport should expect delays and cancellations," Delta representatives said in a news release. "While inquiries are high and wait times are long, our customer service agents are doing everything they can to assist. There may also be some lag time in the display of accurate flight status at delta.com, the Fly Delta App and from Delta representatives on the phone and in airport."
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In a taped statement posted by Delta just before noon, CEO Ed Bastain said teams were working “around the clock” to bring the company’s system back up-to-speed. “As you can appreciate it’s (an) all hands on deck effort,” Bastain said. “I apologize for the challenges this has created for you with your travel experience. The Delta team is working very, very hard to restore and get these systems back as quickly as possible.”
Delta said unaccompanied minors who had not already started their trips by 12:50 p.m. Monday would not be accepted onto their flights.
"These customers will be able to rebook without fees for a later date," the company said in a news release.
The airline said a power outage that started around 2:30 a.m. in Atlanta, where the company is based, affected Delta's computer systems and caused all departures to be grounded. Delta warned it expected "large-scale cancellations" as the airline worked to get its systems back online.
The company said on social media that its computer systems were "down everywhere."
"Delta has experienced a computer outage that has impacted flights scheduled for this morning," the airline said in a statement. "Flights awaiting departure are currently delayed. Flights en route are operating normally."
Travelers worldwide reported delays on social media, including people traveling from airports in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tokyo and London.
Conor Bergin, of Atlanta, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was already at the airport planning to head to Minneapolis when he saw winding lines and soon got a news alert about all flights being grounded.
"You always expect a bit of a line at the airport but not like this," he said.
Just last month, Southwest Airlines was forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights when a computer router failed.
"Hopefully this doesn't become a theme or a reoccurring issue," Bergin said.
