Global IT outage impacts air travel for a fourth day

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Many air travelers still feel the pain of last Friday’s Global tech outage.

Across the country, thousands of flights have been canceled or significantly delayed since the Microsoft Windows Crowdstrike glitch.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has seen the most cancellations.

However, air passengers feel the ripple effects across the board, including at Richmond International Airport.

As of 5:15 p.m. Monday, RIC reported 11 flight cancellations and at least 11 delays lasting more than an hour.

The vast majority of the disruptions involved Delta Airlines.

Engaged couple Angela McComb and Jose Campuzano and their friend Dylan Goerner flew to Richmond from Denver for a wedding, but their travel plans did not go as planned.

“Our initial flight was supposed to leave Denver Thursday at 11 p.m. We didn’t end up getting out until Friday at about 5:30 p.m.,” McComb said. “Then, on our way back this morning, they canceled our connecting flight in LaGuardia, and they rebooked us on another flight. And we just found out that they had to cancel that one because the pilot and crew didn’t show up.”

Several other passengers at RIC Monday shared similar stories.

Delta passenger Mollie Brumfield was already supposed to be at a work conference in Santa Barbara.

“Yesterday, the same time, I was supposed to fly through Atlanta to San Diego, but my flight was delayed a couple times and then canceled right when I arrived to check in, so now I’m trying again today,” Brumfield said.

Pam Sanderford has been trying to get back home to Destin, Florida, after visiting family in Richmond.

“I was supposed to leave out 5:56 on Saturday the 20th, and it was canceled about an hour or so before,” Sanderford said.

BriAna Johnson has been struggling to get out of Richmond, as well.

“I was supposed to be in Atlanta by now,” Johnson said. “Yesterday, I got a notification saying that the flight has been canceled, because they kept pushing back and delay, delay, delay.”

The women had their hopes dashed once more as Delta canceled their flights again on Monday.

Delta Airlines has been the hardest hit by the IT outage, reportedly canceling a third of its flights on Friday and Saturday, then another quarter of its schedule on Sunday, with hundreds more cancellations nationwide on Monday.

Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian cited trouble with the airline’s “crew tracking” software due to the tech glitch.

Aviation expert Bill McGee said passengers must be compensated for these troubles.

“If your flight is canceled, and I want to stress this, for any reason – controllable or not controllable by the elements, weather, any factor and you do not want to continue – if you just want to bail on the trip, you are entitled to a cash refund,” McGee, a Senior Fellow for Aviation at the American Economic Liberties Project said.

That is based on new protections for air travelers by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, which officially go into effect in mid-fall.

The new default if your flight is canceled:

“You’re not gonna have to jump through hoops, you’re not gonna have to contact the airline, you’re not gonna have to stay on a long line with reservations, you’re not gonna have to write emails,” McGee said. “If your flight is canceled, they will automatically give you cash, or they will be subject to penalties if not.”

Cash being the keyword here, McGee says.

“I want to emphasize cash because the airline industry, unfortunately, has a long history of offering vouchers and credits and mileage,” he said. “In terms of cash, if you want cash, you can receive cash.”

You will be eligible for refunds if your departure or arrival airport changes or your connections increase. You can also get refunded if you are downgraded to a lower class of service than what you initially booked and if there are significant delays. That means 3 hours for a domestic flight and 6 hours for an international flight.

McGee suggests filing a complaint with DOT.gov if an airline resists giving you the due compensation.

Copyright 2024 WWBT. All rights reserved.