Delta, United flight cancellations mount a day after massive global computer outage

Flight cancellations continue to mount this weekend following Friday’s computer outage that wreaked havoc across the globe, affecting everything from air travel to banks and critical infrastructure.

Although airlines managed to get their planes back in the air on Friday after early morning operational pauses by several carriers, residual disruptions made Saturday another chaotic day at airports.

By late Saturday morning, airlines had canceled more than 1,100 flights in the United States, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware. The announcement comes just a day after airlines canceled an additional 3,400 flights and delayed 12,895 more on Friday. In total, more than 4,500 flights have been canceled in the United States and another 16,000 delayed since the computer outage began affecting flights.

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Which airlines are affected?

Among U.S. carriers, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines appear to be suffering the worst residual operational impacts this weekend, with hundreds of cancellations between the two carriers.

Delta Airlines

Delta reported that more than 600 of its Delta Connection mainline and regional flights scheduled for Saturday had been canceled, noting that most of them took place in the morning and early afternoon.

“Additional cancellations are expected as some Delta technology continues to recover from Friday morning’s vendor-caused issue,” the Atlanta-based carrier said in a statement.

Delta also suspended all unaccompanied minor flights through Sunday, affecting all children under 18 planning to fly solo.

United Airlines

United said late Friday that most of its systems had recovered after the outage, but warned that its operations “may continue to experience some disruption.”

As of late Saturday morning, United had canceled more than 275 flights, or about 9% of its operations.

The carrier, like Delta and other U.S. airlines, has issued a travel advisory that allows even passengers traveling on restricted tickets to make itinerary changes — and without a fare difference.

What does the airline owe you after a flight cancellation?

The U.S. Department of Transportation considers the disruptions to be “controllable” cancellations and delays, an agency spokesperson told TPG Friday.

That means the DOT considers these flight problems the airline’s responsibility — and is calling on airlines to deliver on promises made on the Airline Customer Service Scorecard, available at FlightRights.gov, for safeguards like meals, hotel and ground transportation costs for stranded passengers.

“Our department has reminded airlines of their responsibilities to passengers,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote on social media Friday. “As with any mechanical or technical failure, airlines have a responsibility in this case to care for passengers who experience lengthy delays or cancellations.”

Delta has made it clear that it already offers these benefits to affected passengers.

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Can I get a refund for a cancelled flight?

Please remember that, according to DOT policy, if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed, you are entitled to a refund to the original method of payment if you ultimately choose not to travel.

You are not obligated to accept a voucher or loyalty miles.

However, if you accept the airline’s rebooking offer, you will not be eligible for a refund.

A few difficult days for air travel

The outage Friday at Crowdstrike, an Austin-based cybersecurity company, occurred during a system update and affected Microsoft customers worldwide.

The outage disrupted the digital infrastructure of many airlines, helping fuel thousands of flight cancellations worldwide on Friday. Airlines canceled more than 3,400 flights in the United States alone on Friday.

With Delta and United leading the way with continued disruptions Saturday, those airlines’ major hubs are among the hardest hit.

Delta’s home airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), was by far the U.S. airport with the most cancellations Saturday, according to FlightAware. It was followed by two other Delta hubs: New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP).

You can also expect disruptions at major United hubs like Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Denver International Airport (DEN), among others.

American Airlines, which canceled more than 400 flights Friday, saw its operations largely recover with just 28 cancellations Saturday, or less than 1% of its operations, according to FlightAware. Several other carriers are also reporting low cancellation rates, from Alaska Airlines to JetBlue and Southwest.

Here’s more information on what you can do if your flight is cancelled or delayed.

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