Summary Three passengers have filed a class action lawsuit against Delta Air Lines for the IT outage that affected the airline's operations for several days. The trio accused the airline of not providing refunds and unjustly enriching itself during the ordeal. Previously, the CEO of Delta Air Lines stated that the airline had lost around $500 million as a result of the outage, including lost revenue and compensation to passengers.
Three Delta Air Lines passengers have moved to sue the airline over the IT meltdown, alleging misconduct by the carrier. They say this included a failure to provide refunds and additional amenities, the airline’s unjust enrichment from the affected travelers, and more. Class action lawsuit The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia of the Atlanta division filing indicated that three plaintiffs have brought forth the indictment against Delta Air Lines as individuals and on behalf of a nationwide class.
The trio, individually and on behalf of the putative class, requested a trial by jury for all the issues that they had mentioned in the filing. According to the lawsuit, following the global IT meltdown on July 19, many airlines that rely on Microsoft software suffered massive flight disruptions. However, by July 21, “nearly every airline” had resumed normal operations, with the exception of Delta Air Lines.
The plaintiffs alleged that while the carrier stated that its operations continued to be affected until July 25, travelers spoke about flight disruptions up until July 31, “nearly two weeks after the CrowdStrike outage.” “As a result of Delta’s failures, affected passengers were forced to spend thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses, including flights from other airlines, hotels, rental cars, ground transportation, and food. Further, Delta separated thousands of passengers from their luggage, leaving many without necessary medication, clothes, and other belongings.
” The counsel of CrowdStrike asked why Delta Air Lines' competitors had managed to restore operations much quicker following the IT meltdown. Profiting at the expense of affected passengers The three plaintiffs stated that Delta Air Lines’ failure to refund passengers and provide them with amenities, including hotels, transportation, and others, had resulted in a breach of contract, namely the airline’s promise to refund passengers for the affected flights and the subsequent unplanned expense. Furthermore, the trio alleged that the carrier engaged in fraud, citing an example that Delta Air Lines falsely communicated that passengers were only able to receive travel vouchers, which was misleading since they were also entitled to cash refunds.
The airline also accepted and enjoyed the benefits on behalf of the passengers, and the retention of the benefits was unjust due to the carrier’s behavior during the IT outage, according to the three travelers who have filed the indictment. “As a direct and proximate cause of Delta’s unjust enrichment, Plaintiffs and the Class are entitled to an accounting, restitution, attorneys’ fees, costs and interest.” The plaintiffs also alleged that the carrier violated specific laws in California, Florida, and Washington.
Pete Buttigieg's letter was a warning to airline CEOs that they have to respect the rules enacted with the FAA Reauthorization Act. $500 million setback In a previous interview with CNBC , Ed Bastian, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Delta Air Lines, detailed that the IT outage will cost the airline $500 million, including lost revenue and compensations for passengers’ additional expenses. According to the lawsuit, the airline blamed its disproportionate reliance on Windows software and its inability to fix problems with its flight crew tracking system, resulting in the carrier’s office employees being unable to find pilots and flight attendants to conduct their duties.
Since the outage, Delta Air Lines threatened to sue both CrowdStrike and Microsoft, while the two companies responded that Bastian had refused help during the outage despite direct contact from the companies' CEOs . The counsel of CrowdStrike asked why Delta Air Lines' competitors had managed to restore operations much quicker following the IT meltdown..
