Delta wants CrowdStrike to pay after IT outage left planes grounded and travelers stranded at airports

The airline was forced to cancel thousands of flights during an outage earlier this month

Delta has allegedly retained a high-profile law firm in a potential move to sue Microsoft and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which launched a failed update that caused the airline to cancel thousands of flights this month and left travelers stranded.

In a statement to The Independent, CrowdStrike said: “We are aware of the reporting, but have no knowledge of a lawsuit and have no further comment.”

According to CNBC, Delta retained Boies Schiller Flexner to represent the airline in an effort to sue CrowdStrike and recuperate some of the funds it had to dish out to angry passengers this month, after the outage brought the airline’s operations to a near standstill.

FlightAware, which tracks airline data, reported that Delta was forced to cancel 6,300 flights across the US and delay 9,300 others from July 18 to July 23, which represented more than 30 percent of its schedule.

Delta passengers line up to talk with ticketing agents after canceled and delayed flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on July 22. Delta is now looking to sue CrowdSource over IT failures that left travelers stuck at airports. (Getty Images)

CrowdStrike had initiated an update of the Microsoft Windows systems that led to a worldwide tech outage. A Microsoft representative told The Independent “the company has nothing to share.”

Delta had a difficult time getting flight back in the air after the outage compared to its competitors, mainly because its crew scheduling system used CrowdStrike and wouldn’t allow airline officials to locate the staff needed for the canceled flights.

Delta agreed to give cash refunds to passengers who canceled their flights and compensated those who decided to book flights with other airlines. Additionally, Delta paid for customers’ hotels and meals and increased the pay of crew members during the week after the outage.

An analyst for Raymond James suggested the loss could cost the airline anywhere from $32 5million to $475 million.

Delta and Boies Schiller Flexner did not respond to requests for comment.

The legal firm previously represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein, winning them $290 million against JPMorgan Chase. They also represented Theranos, the blood testing firm, and Harvey Weinstein during his 2020 conviction, which was recently overturned.

Following the outage, the Department of Transportation announced that it would be launching an investigation against Delta following hundreds of customer complaints the agency had received in the days that followed.