Delta continued its operational recovery Sunday following an outside vendor technology issue that prompted the airline and many others to pause flying for several hours on Friday.

Delta is communicating directly with significantly impacted customers via email Sunday offering an acknowledgement of the disruption, an apology and the issuance of SkyMiles Program miles or a travel voucher. Guidance for submitting eligible unexpected expenses due to the disruption for reimbursement was included in that email.

Across the operation, Delta teams in airports, on board flights, on phones and in messaging channels were working tirelessly to care for customers as the airline worked to put flight crews and aircraft back in position following the disruption.

We’re sorry for this inconvenience – canceling a flight is always our last resort and isn’t taken lightly. Delta takes seriously the trust placed in us to deliver the reliability and experiences customers have come to know and expect from us. That’s why we’re working to make it right for our customers, starting with these steps:

• Extending a travel waiver. Delta extended a travel waiver for all customers with travel booked from July 19-21. The waiver offers customers the ability to make a one-time change to their itinerary. The fare difference for customers will be waived when rebooked travel occurs on or before July 26, in the same cabin of service as originally booked. Customers are encouraged to manage changes to their travel via delta.com or the Fly Delta app.

• Reaching out to customers about cancellations and re-booking options. Delta is notifying customers about delays and cancellations in their itinerary via the Fly Delta app and text message, and offering re-booking options that can be managed online.

  While customers can monitor and manage their itineraries on Delta.com or on the Fly Delta app, these online tools have been inundated with traffic, causing intermittent performance challenges. Delta teams are working to stabilize those tools. Also note that our ability to respond to service messages on social media platforms such as X are limited.

• Issuing SkyMiles Program miles or a travel voucher in an amount based on the customer’s affected travels.
• Covering eligible expenses resulting from to this flight disruption, including providing: 
  • Meal vouchers, hotel accommodations where available and ground transportation are being provided to impacted customers.
  • Reimbursement of eligible expenses. Customers who have incurred hotel, meal or ground transportation expenses while in transit during this operational disruption may submit eligible expenses for reimbursement.*
• Right to Request a Refund. Customers whose travel has been disrupted due to a canceled or significantly delayed flight may choose to cancel their travel and receive an eCredit for the unflown portion of the trip, or may instead request a refund at delta.com/refund.

*Delta does not reimburse prepaid expenses, including but not limited to hotel reservations at the customer’s destination, vacation experiences, lost wages, concerts or other tickets.

LATEST UPDATES | July 19-21, 2024 operation