Delta CEO apologizes after computer outage; airline to give refunds, waive change fees through Friday

Delta Air Lines is doing major damage control after a power outage in Atlanta downed the carrier’s worldwide computer system and halted all flights for six hours. Chief Executive Ed Bastian took to social media to apologize to fliers and tell them how to get refunds or change their tickets without penalty.

“I apologize for the challenges this has created for you with your travel experience at Delta,” Bastian says in a video posted Monday morning on Twitter. “The Delta team is working very, very hard to restore and get these systems back as quickly as possible.”

Delta warned customers to expect delays and flight cancellations as the airline worked to restore its computer operations.

Delta says 427 flights had been canceled as of mid-morning (Pacific time) Monday, according to a tweet. It also said the airline was operating 1,590 of its almost 6,000 flights scheduled Monday.

Customers whose flights were canceled or “significantly delayed” are entitled to a refund, Delta’s website says. If you’re flight isn’t canceled but you are worried it may be, you have until Friday to rebook your flight without any penalty fees.

The refund policy applies to all Delta flights as well as Delta Connection (regional) flights and Delta coded flights.

The airline suspended flights at 2:38 a.m. Eastern time and resumed operations six hours later, media reports say. The outage affected operations, including check-in systems, the airline’s website and smartphone apps.

To stay on top of what’s happening, Delta is updating customers at its News Hub and on social media.

Info: Delta Air Lines System Outage Advisory

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