Seattle family stranded for multiple days after Delta cancels flights amid CrowdStrike outage

SEATTLE — A Seattle family says they have been left stranded at the airport for multiple days after Delta had canceled hundreds of flights Tuesday amid the CrowdStrike outage.

Delta Air Lines is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection as the airline canceled hundreds of flights for a fifth straight day after a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike took down Microsoft systems around the world.

Since Friday, Delta Air Lines has canceled more than 5,300 flights, including roughly 500 on Tuesday, which is fewer than the previous days, a spokesperson with the company said.

“You feel like you’re suffocating and there’s no one here to help,” said Sharon Cercone, a passenger.

Cercone said she and her two young daughters flew from Seattle to Buffalo for a wedding.

However, their trip quickly turned south when their return flight on Friday was canceled.

She said Delta Air Lines has canceled and delayed her family’s flights multiple times, and at one point, left passengers, including her family, inside a plane waiting for their pilots who never arrived.

“No air circulation for an hour. My daughter was passing out. We had to splash water on her face to keep her conscious,” she said.

Cercone has lost more than $7,500 because of the crisis, she said, as they continue to search for a way home.

The mother of two said her family is scheduled to fly back to Seattle Tuesday afternoon after she had purchased her family tickets with two other airlines.

KIRO 7 News also spoke with a group of passengers at SeaTac International Airport, who said they have been stuck in the Emerald City for multiple days.

“We need to get home to work,” said Steven Murray, a passenger. “We got zero for four days of no vouchers for nothing. All expenses out of our pockets.”

Rafael Medina, a passenger, said hotels near the airport have increased their prices, forcing them to find lodging in Seattle.

“Hotel rooms, they were jacking them up to up to $625 a night,” he said.

“We tried to get online with them (Delta Air Lines) or call them. You’re on hold for four hours plus,” said Sophia Murray, a passenger.

KIRO 7 News reached out to Delta Air Lines to get a response about the disruptions and customers’ accusations.

The company declined to speak on camera but wrote in an email that the airline is reimbursing eligible expenses, including hotels, meals or ground transportation costs that occurred during the operational disruption.

A spokesperson also said Delta is providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations where available and ground transportation.

The airline provided the following statement to KIRO 7 News.

“Delta is in receipt of the Department’s notice of investigation and is fully cooperating. We remain entirely focused on restoring our operation after cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike’s faulty Windows update rendered IT systems across the globe inoperable. Across our operation, Delta teams are working tirelessly to care for and make it right for customers impacted by delays and cancellations as we work to restore the reliable, on-time service they have come to expect from Delta.”

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