Delta Cancels Hundreds Of Flights After Computer Meltdown

Washington: Delta
Airlines scrapped hundreds of flights and delayed many more as it digested the
aftermath of a computer meltdown.

Even after the US carrier lifted its initial flight grounding order about six hours after the computer snafu struck, it warned of continued cancellations and delays, as tens of thousands of passengers around the globe were left stranded. Travelers crowded ticket counters, stretched out on the ground in airports and tried to grin and bear it. Ticket agents were reduced to checking people in manually, news reports said.

The carrier blamed the computer problem on a power outage
in its hub in Atlanta, Georgia. Flights resumed but on a limited basis, and
Delta warned the ripple effect of the computer breakdown would drag on.

While systems are improving and flights are resuming,
delays and cancellations continue, the carrier said in a statement around
midday. Teams were working around the clock to bring systems back online, Delta
CEO Ed Bastian said in a video message from the airline’s operations center.

Luciano Resende, 40, waiting at London’s Heathrow Airport to fly to San Francisco.

As I’m sure you can appreciate, it’s an all hands on deck effort, he said. I apologise for the challenges this has created for you with your travel experience, it was slow going. I guess it has been a long time since they used the manual process.

At Los Angeles International Airport, people waiting for
red-eye flights to the east coast dozed in a crowded waiting area, many of them
wrapped in red blankets. The airline said it had cancelled 427 flights.

Of 6,000 scheduled to have taken off by that time of day,
it operated 1,590. Delta has more than 15,000 flights a day along with its
alliance partners.

The timing of this problem is particularly bad because
yesterday morning is one of the busiest times for both airlines and travelers
as business travelers begin their work week, said Daniel Baker, FlightAware’s
CEO.

AFP