World Business

Delta Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Massive Outage Refunds

Story Highlights
  • Delta Air Lines is facing a class-action lawsuit
  • Plaintiffs claim they incurred significant expenses
  • Delta experienced more than 6,000 cancellations

Delta Air Lines is facing a class-action lawsuit from passengers who claim they were denied full refunds after the airline’s flight operations were crippled by a massive computer outage last month.

The lawsuit, filed in Atlanta federal court, alleges that Delta breached its contract with passengers by refusing to provide automatic refunds for canceled or delayed flights.

Instead, the airline is accused of offering only partial refunds in exchange for passengers waiving their right to pursue further legal action.

Plaintiffs claim they incurred significant expenses for rebooking flights, hotels, and meals due to Delta’s failure to provide adequate compensation.

One passenger, John Brennan, reported losing a $10,000 anniversary cruise after being stranded in Atlanta and receiving only a $219.45 refund from Delta.

The lawsuit contends that Delta’s actions were “unfair, unlawful, and unconscionable,” resulting in unjust enrichment for the airline at the expense of its customers.

Delta has maintained that passengers can request refunds and compensation for incidental costs related to travel disruptions.

However, plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that the airline has failed to deliver on these promises.

The July 19 outage, caused by a flawed software update from CrowdStrike, disrupted operations for airlines, banks, and hospitals worldwide.

While many airlines recovered quickly, Delta experienced more than 6,000 cancellations, leading to widespread travel chaos.

The incident has sparked a legal battle between CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and Delta over who is responsible for the damages.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian estimated the outage cost the airline approximately $500 million.

This is not the only legal action stemming from the outage.

A separate class-action lawsuit was filed against CrowdStrike on Monday, alleging the cybersecurity company was at fault for the disruptions.

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