Flight cancellations soar past 5,000 as woes spill into Saturday; Delta and United hardest hit
Flight cancellations continue to climb this weekend in the wake of Friday’s IT outage that wreaked havoc globally — affecting everything from air travel to banking and critical infrastructure.
Though airlines successfully got planes back in the air Friday following early-morning operational pauses by several carriers, residual disruptions have made Saturday another messy day at airports.
By Saturday evening, airlines had canceled more than 1,800 flights in the U.S., according to data from flight-tracking site FlightAware. More than 7,000 flights in the U.S. have been delayed Saturday.
That comes just a day after airlines canceled an additional 3,400 flights — and delayed a staggering 12,895 more — on Friday. All told, more than 5,000 flights have been canceled in the U.S. and another 20,000-plus delayed since the IT outage first began affecting flights.
Hundreds of additional cancellations are already planned for Sunday.
Which airlines are affected?
Among U.S. carriers, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines appear to be experiencing the worst residual operational effects this weekend, with hundreds of cancellations between the two carriers.
Delta Air Lines
More than 1,000 Delta flights have been canceled as of Saturday evening, per FlightAware — nearly a third of its operation. More than 40% of Delta's flights were delayed Saturday.
In a social media post, the Atlanta-based carrier noted the disruptions affected both its mainline and regional Delta Connection operation.
“Additional cancellations are expected as some of Delta’s technology continues to recover from Friday morning’s vendor-caused issue,” the Atlanta-based carrier said in a statement earlier Saturday.
Delta has also paused all unaccompanied minor flying until Sunday, affecting all children under the age of 18 planning to fly solo.
The carrier has canceled more than 100 planned flights for Sunday.
United Airlines
For its part, United said late Friday that most of its systems had recovered from the tech outage, but warned its operation “may continue to experience some disruption."
As of Saturday evening, United had canceled more than 430 flights, about 14% of its operation, per FlightAware.
Sunday is also looking a bit dicey for United, with FlightAware already showing 197 cancellations for the Chicago-based carrier.
United, like Delta and other U.S. airlines, has issued a travel advisory that allows even passengers traveling on restrictive tickets to make itinerary changes — and without a fare difference.
What does the airline owe you after a flight cancellation?
The U.S. Department of Transportation is considering these disruptions to be “controllable” cancellations and delays, a spokesperson for the agency told TPG Friday.
That means the DOT sees these flight problems as the airline’s responsibility — and is calling on airlines to fulfill promises made on the Airlines Customer Service Dashboard, found at FlightRights.gov, for guarantees like meals, hotel and ground transportation costs for stranded passengers.
“Our department has reminded airlines of their responsibilities to passengers,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote on social media Friday. “As with any mechanical or technical failure, airlines are required in this case to take care of passengers experiencing long delays or cancellations.
Delta has made clear it’s already providing those benefits to affected passengers.
Read more: 8 best credit cards with travel insurance of July 2024
Can you get a refund for a canceled flight?
Keep in mind, under DOT policy, if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed, you’re entitled to a refund back to the original form of payment if you ultimately choose not to travel.
You don't have to accept a voucher or frequent flyer miles.
However, if you accept the airline's offer of rebooking, you wouldn't be refund-eligible.
A messy few days for air travel
Friday’s IT outage at Austin-based cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike came during a system update, and affected Microsoft clients all over the world.
The outage caused disruptions to key digital infrastructure at numerous airlines, helping to fuel thousands of flight cancellations globally on Friday. Airlines canceled more than 3,400 flights in the U.S. alone Friday.
With Delta and United leading the way with lingering disruptions Saturday, those airlines’ key hubs are among the most affected.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) — Delta’s home base — has, by far, the most cancellations of any U.S. airport Saturday, FlightAware shows.
Other Delta and United hubs are also heavily affected, from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) — among others.
American Airlines, which canceled more than 400 flights Friday has largely seen its operation recover with just a few dozen cancellations Saturday — less than 1% of its operation, per FlightAware.
"That recovery was complete yesterday and our operation — the largest of all major network carriers — is off to a strong start today," American said in a statement to TPG Saturday.
Several other carriers are also reporting low cancellation rates, from Alaska Airlines to JetBlue and Southwest.
Among the budget airlines, Spirit has encountered the most significant challenges Saturday, with 125 cancellations, about 13% of its network.
Here's more on what you can do if your flight is canceled or delayed.
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- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
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- What are points and miles worth? TPG’s monthly valuations
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.