More flight cancellations and delays at MSP Airport Monday, many for Delta Air Lines customers
MINNEAPOLIS — Flight cancellations and delays continue at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Monday, several days after global technology outages brought major disruptions to the airline industry.
According to Flight Aware, MSP was second in the country in delays and cancelations with a total of 422 flights going in and out of the Twin Cities affected as of 4:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Delta announced that operational recovery efforts are continuing and apologized for the disruptions its many customers are experiencing. A travel waiver has been extended for customers who booked travel between Friday and Saturday. Customers who have encountered expenses due to delays or cancellations can submit eligible expenses for reimbursement.
WCCO spoke with a North Carolina woman who, along with 16 other travelers, has been stuck at MSP over the weekend due to the tech outage. Melissa Vestal has a flight booked for Monday, but others in her party have yet to be so lucky.
"There are no more flights today. There are no rental cars," explained Timothy Barrineau.
That was the message Barrineau got Monday after being stranded in Minneapolis since Saturday.
He even went as far as trying to rent a construction or moving truck to get home to Colorado Springs.
"I called Ryder, I called Penske. Nobody has trucks. nothing. I don't care what we're taking, I'll drive," said Barrineau.
Delta passengers unable to rebook online — or get help by phone — stood in line for several hours to get an agent assist to reticket for a new flight.
"There's no water offered, there's no place to eat here," said passenger Iva Ray from Laguna Niguel California.
WCCO caught up with Amanda Ponton and her son Chaz as they exited with tickets in their hands.
"We have had our two flights canceled and we're on our third one tonight. Hopefully, we're going to make it to Spokane," said Ponton.
Their final destination is Boise, Idaho — another flight or seven-hour drive away.
The continued Delta cancellations and delays following the CrowdStrike outage are costing passengers time and money.
Those who've already checked their luggage were told they can't get it back until they reach their final destination. They'll need to buy clothes and toiletries.
Others have paid for backup flights on other airlines.
"It was expensive. The Spirit one was like $1,800 and the Southwest was probably $1,600," said Caren Ferrari, a passenger from San Bruno, California.
Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg called out Delta Sunday, warning the airline of its obligations to customers.
"We should still be compensated," said Barrineau.
Delta has apologized at says it will continue to offer travel and meal vouchers, hotel accommodations and transportation to impacted customers where available.
On Friday, a Microsoft outage caused by a CrowdStrike software glitch caused mass flight cancellations and delays nationwide, including at MSP. Everything from airlines to banks, TV stations, health and emergency response systems, and anyone who relies on Microsoft's 365 apps were impacted.
Officials with the Metropolitan Airports Commission said the outage happened during the busiest summer MSP has seen in five years.
CrowdStrike provides antivirus software to Microsoft for its Windows devices, and many industries globally — from banking to retail to health care — use the company's software to protect against breaches and hackers. CrowdStrike said it has since identified the problem in its software and stressed this was not a cyber attack.