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While Delta Air Lines has restored its operations after last month’s significant disruption caused by a CrowdStrike outage, many passengers are still facing challenges in obtaining their entitled compensation.

Mia Williams was optimistic about the reimbursement process after Delta rolled out a new policy for affected travelers. “I assumed that the reimbursable expenses would include items like pet sitting and long-term parking,” she recounted to YSL News. Unfortunately, she found that most of her reimbursement claims were rejected, and the appeals process was unclear.

Williams, along with her husband from Layton, Utah, was staying at their time-share in Key West, Florida, when the incident occurred. Their flight scheduled for July 20 (via Atlanta) was repeatedly canceled, delaying their return until July 26.

“It felt like we were trapped on a reality show, waiting for someone to rescue us,” she described. “Our vacation was nearly doubled in duration. A planned week-long trip turned into two weeks, significantly increasing our costs.”

So far, Williams has received only $300 from Delta for meals, which she said were limited to $30 daily.

Delta has been somewhat unclear regarding the specifics of its reimbursement policy.

In response to inquiries from YSL News, a Delta spokesperson clarified that there isn’t a set $30 limit on food reimbursements, and directed questions to the airline’s website, which only broadly describes reimbursable expenses without detailing specific inclusions or exclusions.

Under its standard policy, Delta reimburses passengers for hotel stays, transportation, and meals when flights are canceled or delayed by more than three hours. The airline expanded its policy to include “fares for purchasing another airline ticket in the same class of service, after deducting the value of any unused Delta ticket,” along with “alternative transport costs such as rental cars or rideshares after adjusting for the unused Delta ticket’s value.”

Delta did not clarify if expenses beyond those specified are evaluated individually. They mentioned they would cover “reasonable expenses for additional categories,” but didn’t specify what those categories entail.

Kat Zimmerman was also affected by Delta’s IT issues; she was supposed to fly back to Los Angeles from Traverse City, Michigan on July 20.

Zimmerman claimed she submitted expenses for her extended car rental until July 23, extra parking in Los Angeles, and new tickets home. Her entire claim was denied, and she has yet to receive any reimbursement.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Zimmerman shared with YSL News. “I received an email about the denial, but there was no appeal process outlined, nor did anyone reach out to me. It’s baffling how they can assess a claim without any contact.”

A Delta service agent mentioned that her case was forwarded for “special handling,” but she has not been updated about reimbursement possibilities.

In December 2022, Southwest Airlines faced a significant operational breakdown and ultimately compensated affected customers about $1 billion, which included reimbursements for even unconventional expenses like a low-cost vehicle for travel.

Delta confirmed that it has refunded a significant number of customers who opted not to continue with their trips after July 19 and is still processing reimbursement claims.

A spokesperson for Delta informed YSL News that customers can appeal reimbursement decisions by replying directly to the notification email they received.

Consumer Protections

It appears likely that the airline will face continued scrutiny from federal authorities in light of these events, with the Department of Transportation already investigating and members of Congress reaching out to the airline’s CEO with pointed inquiries.

Delta has consistently stated that the responsibility lies with CrowdStrike and plans to pursue legal action against the involved technology firms.

Despite the exchange of letters among the legal teams of the companies involved, there has been a lot of blame being thrown around. However, one fact stands out: Delta Airlines took significantly longer to bounce back from the CrowdStrike outage compared to other airlines in the U.S.

Both Williams and Zimmerman, longtime loyal Delta passengers, are now questioning whether that loyalty is reciprocated due to their recent reimbursement issues.

“I felt really let down by the company, as they simply did not take accountability for leaving passengers stranded,” expressed Zimmerman. “An apology would be nice, but I want them to commit to compensating us for these very reasonable expenses and assure us that they will improve.”

According to Williams, it seems Delta is intentionally complicating the reimbursement process to avoid payouts.

“It feels like they want you to just give up, almost like they’re trying to keep your money,” she stated. “If you treat your loyal customers poorly, don’t expect any loyalty from them moving forward.”