CrowdStrike Holdings Inc., a leading technology firm, has accused Delta Air Lines Inc. of failing to respond to their offer of assistance during last month’s catastrophic system outage. This incident led to thousands of flight cancellations and triggered a federal investigation into the U.S. carrier.
CrowdStrike claims that its CEO, George Kurtz, personally reached out to Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, to offer on-site assistance. However, according to a letter from CrowdStrike’s attorneys, no response was received from Delta’s side.
The Aftermath of the Outage and Legal Implications
Delta, based in Atlanta, Georgia, was the most severely affected airline, struggling to normalize flight operations for several days after the outage. The airline reported a $500 million charge after canceling more than 5,500 flights in the days following the initial CrowdStrike outage, which impacted computers running on Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system.
In the same letter, CrowdStrike’s lawyers highlighted that any liability by CrowdStrike is contractually capped at an amount in the single-digit millions.
Other airlines, including Spirit Airlines Inc. and AirAsia, also reported significant financial hits due to the outage. Spirit Airlines estimated a $7.2 million negative impact on its third-quarter operating income, while AirAsia’s co-founder, Tony Fernandes, has demanded compensation for the disruption.
Throughout this ordeal, Delta Air Lines’ alleged failure to respond to an offer of assistance from CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. has sparked legal and financial repercussions for the company. The aftermath of the system outage serves as a cautionary tale for the aviation industry, highlighting the critical importance of effective communication and collaboration during crisis situations.
