Delta Air Lines is working frantically to clear a backlog of delayed services around the world were grounded due to a computer blackout.
Only just over half of the giant US carrier’s 6,000 daily flights had operated by the end of the day.
More than 100 flights are expected to be cancelled and at least 200 face further delays today as Delta continues to recover from the loss of power that affected its computer systems worldwide ay 2.30 am on Monday morning US time.
Flights began to resume six hours later but the power failure at Delta’s Atlanta headquarters grounded flights across the US, in Japan, Italy and the UK.
An investigation has been launched after some “critical systems” and network equipment failed to switch over to the airline’s backup systems following the loss of power.
The carrier is offering compensation to thousands of passengers “significantly affected” by delays and cancellations across its global network.
Travel vouchers worth $200 are being provided to passengers who suffered delays of more than three hours or had their flight cancelled by the system-wide power outage.
Flights operated by Delta’s transatlantic partner Virgin Atlantic were unaffected. But passengers on Delta flights booked through Virgin Atlantic to fly yesterday have been offered the chance to rebook without penalty provided travel is completed by Friday.
Delta chief executive Ed Bastian apologised to passengers for the disruption and gave an assurance that staff are working “all hands on deck” to bring the flight schedule back to normal.
Chief operating officer, Gil West, said: “We know that travellers value our commitment to excellent operational performance, and today we did not deliver on that commitment.
“We want our customers to know we are thoroughly investigating the matter and that we are truly sorry.”