LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Delta Air Lines is embroiled in a legal dispute with Microsoft and CrowdStrike following the technology outage last month that grounded thousands of flights and resulted in an estimated $500 million loss for the airline. 

In mid-July, Delta experienced a global technology outage that disrupted its operations. Delta CEO Ed Bastian attributed the issue to a “faulty upgrade” from CrowdStrike on systems running Microsoft Windows, according to The Detroit News. This assertion, however, has been met with strong rebuttals from both Microsoft and CrowdStrike. 

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In fact, Microsoft lawyer Mark Cheffo has publicly criticized Delta’s claims, describing them as “incomplete, false, misleading, and damaging” (The Detroit News). Cheffo pointed out that other airlines managed to recover their operations more swiftly and suggested that Delta’s IT systems might involve other technology vendors.

The outage’s aftermath has led to customer dissatisfaction nationwide, culminating in a class-action lawsuit filed by passengers, as reported by The Detroit News on August 7. The lawsuit alleges that Delta failed to provide necessary refunds and accommodations, leaving passengers stranded and forced to cover unexpected expenses. 

“While nearly every other airline recovered quickly from the July 19th ‘Tech Outage,’ Delta’s passengers remained stranded, waiting in lines for days trying to get to their destinations,” Joe Sauder, an attorney with Sauder Schelkopf, which filed the suit on behalf of Delta passengers, said.“When our clients sought refunds, Delta again failed to deliver. We look forward to litigating the case on their behalf.”

Plaintiffs claim Delta breached contracts by not refunding fares, failing to cover additional amenities, and requiring passengers to release legal claims to obtain reimbursements. The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating Delta’s handling of the situation (The Detroit News).  

Delta maintains that it has invested billions in IT infrastructure since 2016, yet the airline’s inability to recover swiftly from the outage suggests potential gaps in its IT strategy (The Detroit News). 

Both CrowdStrike and Microsoft have disputed Delta’s claims, saying that the airline declined their offers to assist in the recovery.