Delta cancel hundreds of international flights as a result of power failure

Major US airline Delta has been forced to suspend flights stranding thousands of passengers.

Countries affected include the US, UK, Italy and Japan as Monday’s power failure in Atlanta causes airport check-in systems, passenger advisory screens, the airline’s website and smartphone apps to shut down.

While the problem was resolved six hours later, the US airline has warned of serious delays due to the inevitable backlog of passengers that need to be cleared.

The figure currently stands at 740 flights cancelled according to Delta and disappointed passengers have been offered compensation accordingly.

CEO Ed Bastian apologised earlier:

“The Delta team is working very hard to restore and get the system back in operation as quickly as possible.”

Passengers were understandably annoyed, one commenting:

“I don’t understand what is going on here. It’s just a mess,” while waiting at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and #Delta became a top trending topic accordingly.

The airline, third largest in the world according to passengers carried, might have to atone for damage done to its reputation for consistency and punctuality but the company hopes that the $200 in travel vouchers offered to alleviate the mess will eventually placate angry customers.