Delta CEO Ed Bastian traveled to Paris for the opening of the Olympics amidst the airline's ongoing recovery efforts following a five-day meltdown that resulted in thousands of flight cancellations affecting approximately half a million customers.
The global tech outage that began last Friday led to the cancellation of nearly 8,000 Delta flights, with the company now aiming for minimal cancellations on Wednesday and a return to 'normal' service by Thursday. However, due to the busy summer travel season and limited available seats on flights, it may take several days for all affected passengers to reach their destinations, with many still awaiting the return of their luggage.
Despite the challenges, Bastian's trip to Paris was reportedly postponed until he was confident in the airline's recovery progress. Delta, a sponsor of the US Olympic Team, is actively involved in transporting athletes, coaches, and support staff to the games.
Delta has been urging its employees to work extra hours to address the operational issues, particularly the IT team, which has been working tirelessly to resolve a tech malfunction triggered by a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
While the disruption affected multiple airlines, Delta experienced more significant and prolonged disruptions due to issues with its crew tracking software, impacting the scheduling of pilots and flight attendants.
Despite Paris being a key European destination for Delta, the CEO anticipates a decline in business during the Olympics, estimating a potential loss of around $100 million in revenue. The decrease in travel to Paris, except for Olympic-related trips, is attributed to many travelers opting to avoid the city during the event.
