Delta advised customers to expect delays and cancellations as backlog of missed flights begin to get airborne again after ‘major system-wide outage’

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Delta Air Lines flights have resumed after a “major system-wide network outage” temporarily grounded all the carrier’s flights worldwide, causing massive delays. .

Delta advised customers to expect “delays and cancellations” as the backlog of missed flights begin to get airborne again.

Flights scheduled for departure did not take off during the outage, but those already in the air were operating normally, Delta said.

Delta operates 5,000 departures a day and is a member of the SkyTeam alliance alongside airlines including Air France-KLM.

It also partners for transatlantic flights with Virgin Atlantic, which said its flights were operating normally but cautioned that passengers should check tickets in case their flight was due to be operated by Delta as part of a code-share agreement.

“Delta experienced a computer outage that has impacted flights scheduled for this morning,” said Delta, which is the world’s second largest airline measured by scheduled passenger-kilometres flown.

On Monday morning Delta officials said the issue was caused by a power outage in Atlanta, where the airline is headquartered.

“Our systems are down everywhere. Hopefully it won’t be much longer,” the airline tweeted.

The outage was affecting flights globally, a London-based spokeswoman for the airline said.

Passengers stuck in check-in queues in airports across the world, or on board planes waiting to depart, shared photos and frustration at the delays.

Jake Chen (@MITJAKE) 1 hr.+ lines @HeathrowAirport for @Delta due to system outage #Heathrow #oldschool manual ticketing @DeltaAssist pic.twitter.com/syC0VwCBDD

The glitch follows several high-profile computer problems faced by US airlines in recent months.

Budget carrier Southwest Airlines last month had to halt departures after a technical outage, while American Airlines had to suspend flights from three of its hubs last September after technical problems.

Industry consultants say airlines face an increasing risk from computer disruptions as they automate more of their operations, distribute boarding passes on smartphones and outfit their planes with Wi-Fi.

