GA lawmaker demands answers on canceled, delayed flights at Atlanta’s airport

ATLANTA — Since Friday, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has canceled more than 6,200 flights.

Over 400 of them are from today alone.

Delta says it is cooperating with a Department of Transportation investigation into why it’s taking longer than other airlines to recover from the IT outage.

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Channel 2′s Richard Elliot bought a ticket, went through security into Hartsfield-Jackson’s Terminal A, and spotted hundreds of Delta passengers experiencing delay after delay as the global IT outage continues to plague the airline.

Some of the passengers were fast asleep while waiting for their flights.

Nadia Ibrahim and her brother Moustafa said their trip from Wichita to the Raleigh-Durham airport became an adventure.

“It was hard. The original flight was canceled three times and the one we just got on was delayed by an hour and this one just got delayed by another hour too. So it’s been hard,” Nadia Ibrahim said.

Through social media, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed he’s opened an investigation into what went wrong with Delta’s delayed recovery from the outage.

He posted on X that the DOT “has opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions.”

All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld.”

Channel 2 Action News tried to talk with Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian or other senior Delta officials multiple times.

Instead, we received the following statement:

“Delta teams are working tirelessly to care for and make it right for our customers impacted by delays and cancellations as we work to restore the reliable, on-time service they have come to expect from Delta.”

Nicole Sims was so late returning to Atlanta Tuesday that she missed work.

“We were supposed to fly out yesterday at 7:30. We were delayed like three times and rebooked and now we’re here today, a day late,” she said.

Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams sent letters to the FAA and the CEO of CrowdStrike demanding answers for the disruptions at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, saying, “We must hold airlines accountable for upholding their commitments to the agency and to provide the best possible customer service.”

One of those caught up in the delay is Gwinnett County State Senator Sheikh Rahman.

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Sen. Rahman is heading to Colorado Springs for a clean energy conference but his flight got delayed nearly three hours.

“It’s not too bad. I wish I’d known earlier when I left home,” he said. “I’m okay because a couple of hours, I can handle. But if it changes again, then I might not be happy.”

Dr. Sharon Rohowsky can’t seem to get back home to Florida and while she’s not happy about it, she refuses to blame the rank-and-file Delta employees.

“I’ve been stranded for five days and let me tell you, the Delta employees have been outstanding and I want to thank them,” she said.

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