DOT Drops Investigation of Delta for CrowdStrike Outage

Less than a year after a major outage crippled Delta Air Lines’ operations in July 2024, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has quietly dropped its investigation into the matter.

The investigation, which was announced by then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg just days after the outage, aimed to ensure Delta was following the law and taking care of its passengers during the disruptions.

A Delta spokesperson confirmed this week that the DOT had opted to close the investigation after Politico first reported on the development in November.

The outage was caused by a technical issue with Delta’s IT services provider, CrowdStrike, which led to widespread disruptions to the airline’s flights and operations. While the exact details of the outage are still unclear, it is believed that the airline and the IT provider are still working to resolve the matter.

Delta has faced significant backlash for its handling of the outage, with many passengers taking to social media to express their frustration and disappointment with the airline’s response to the situation.

As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.