Delta Airlines and CrowdStrike are locked in a heated battle following a massive global network outage last month. In a new letter on Thursday, Delta expressed frustration with CrowdStrike, accusing the cybersecurity company of “negligence” and claiming it lost at least $500 million as a result of the outage.
The global glitch, which originated from CrowdStrike on 19 July, affected millions of Windows devices worldwide, including Delta Airlines’ systems. Despite other airlines recovering quickly, Delta was forced to cancel around 7,000 flights over five days until 24 July.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, called the situation “unacceptable” and stated that 1.3 million of Delta’s customers were impacted by the technology meltdown. The airline has since threatened legal action against CrowdStrike and Microsoft, who it blames for the disruptions.
In response, CrowdStrike and Microsoft have rejected the claims, with Microsoft pointing out that Delta was operating with outdated IT infrastructure compared to its competitors. Delta’s attorney fired back, stating that the airline had invested billions in its technology and struggled to restore operations due to its reliance on CrowdStrike and Microsoft.
The situation has escalated further, with CrowdStrike shareholders suing the company for allegedly making false statements about its software testing. Delta is also facing legal challenges, with a lawsuit filed on behalf of affected passengers claiming the airline failed to properly compensate them and asked them to sign waivers releasing Delta of legal claims.
As the feud between Delta Airlines and CrowdStrike continues to unfold, the impact of the global network outage on both companies and their customers remains a point of contention. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
