July 2024 operation

Operational reliability returned to normal Thursday morning, with zero canceled mainline and Delta Connection flights.*   Normal operations are expected to continue Friday and beyond.  

Major initiatives at all Delta hubs are still underway to reunite customers with bags, by ground delivery or via operating flights. The majority of bags have been reunited with customers. 

The average call and messaging wait times with Reservations is consistently below 2 minutes. 

Delta is committed to caring for our customers during this time and has taken a number of other steps to make things right for customers affected by delays and cancellations:   

Reimbursing Out-of-Pocket Expenses:  Delta has continued to offer meal vouchers, ground transportation and hotel accommodations, where available, to customers whose travel has been disrupted with canceled or significantly delayed flights. We know many customers have incurred unplanned travel expenses, including purchasing tickets on other airlines, rental cars, train tickets and more. Delta will cover reasonable costs for additional categories of expenses incurred during the duration of the travel waiver (which currently applies for flights between July 19 and July 28). As before, customers who have incurred hotel, meal or ground transportation expenses while in transit during this operational disruption may also submit eligible expenses for reimbursement.**   

Flight Cancellation/Extended Delay Refunds & Trip Cancellation Option:  Customers whose travel has been disrupted due to a canceled or significantly delayed flight may choose to cancel their travel and receive an eCredit for the unflown portion of the trip or request a refund for the unflown portion of the trip at delta.com/refund.  In addition, Delta is permitting customers with Delta travel booked from July 19-28 who no longer wish to travel to cancel and request a refund of the unflown portion of their trip – regardless of whether their flight has been canceled or significantly delayed.   

Issuing SkyMiles Program miles or a travel voucher in an amount based on the customer’s affected travels.   

Reaching out to customers about cancellations and rebooking options.  Delta is continuing to notify customers about delays and cancellations in their itinerary via the Fly Delta app and text message, and offering rebooking options that can be managed online. 

Customers have three options for support with displaced luggage:   

1. Visit their local Baggage Service Office and file a claim.    

2. Visit Delta.com, search Online Baggage Claim Form and submit a claim.   

3. Call 1-800-325-8224 to make a baggage claim.      

Delta’s last-mile delivery partners are ensuring bags are returned to customers directly at their homes or final travel destination.  

Extending a travel waiver. Delta extended a travel waiver for all customers with travel booked from July 19-28. The waiver offers customers the ability to make a one-time change to their itinerary. The fare difference for customers will be waived when rebooked travel occurs on or before Aug. 4, in the same cabin of service as originally booked. Customers are encouraged to manage changes to their travel via delta.com or the Fly Delta app.   

*Based on Delta preliminary internal data for mainline flights scheduled and flown systemwide for July 25, 2024. 

**Delta does not reimburse prepaid expenses, including but not limited to hotel reservations at the customer’s destination, vacation experiences, lost wages, concerts or other tickets. 

Delta teams saw a significant return to operational reliability on Wednesday, with only 48 canceled flights as of 4:30 p.m. EDT.¹ Normal operations are expected to continue Thursday and beyond. 

All of Wednesday’s cancellations were related to the morning startup, with zero mainline cancellations added throughout the day. 

The number of misplaced bags continues to be significantly reduced by major initiatives at all Delta hubs to reunite customers with bags, by ground delivery or via operating flights.  

Meanwhile, throughput at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – Delta’s largest hub – reached its highest mid-day point since the CrowdStrike outage first disrupted operations. This indicates normal movement for Delta customers, crew and aircraft. 

Customer wait times for help have diminished as well, with average call and messaging wait times with Reservations falling below 2 minutes. 

Further details about how Delta is continuing to support customers can be found in our 2:45 p.m. Wednesday update. 

¹ Based on Delta preliminary internal data for mainline flights scheduled to depart and flown on July 24, 2024. 

Latest Updates | July 2024 Operation