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A passenger waits as disruptions hit Delta Air Lines, leading to delays and cancellations. Image courtesy: Mario Tama / Getty Images
Following a major interruption caused by a CrowdStrike system failure, Delta Air Lines implemented a policy prohibiting unaccompanied minors from flying, leaving some children stranded. According to Business Insider, parents caught off guard by this sudden policy change scrambled to find alternatives for their stranded children amid ongoing delays and cancellations now into their fourth day.
Cecilia Stone shared with Business Insider that the unexpected change led to “three hours of sheer panic” while she tried to arrange her child’s travel. Delta has been particularly affected by the issues stemming from last Friday’s global CrowdStrike outage, cutting over 5,000 flights in five days.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stated on X (formerly Twitter) that his department has begun looking into Delta’s response to these delays to ensure passenger welfare.
Despite the continued interruptions, Delta’s unique decision to stop unaccompanied minors from traveling was not adopted by other airlines. Initially, Delta had planned to halt this service only until Sunday, as reported by The New York Times, but later extended the prohibition through Tuesday, according to their website.
Joel Fortney, a self-described serial entrepreneur and frequent Delta flyer, recounted to Business Insider about his 12-year-old daughter’s ordeal. She couldn’t return home from a summer camp in Maine as planned due to this policy.
Fortunately, she stayed overnight at a hotel under the supervision of her camp counselors, and Fortney eventually managed to book her on a United flight to Chicago, from where he and his wife drove six hours to fetch her. Although he received a refund for the unused part of her Delta ticket, Fortnery expressed his disappointment, indicating a switch to other airlines in the future.
Similarly, Cecilia Stone’s son, a 17-year-old Navy Sea Cadet, found himself stuck while trying to fly from a training camp in Salt Lake City to his home in San, Diego. Unaware of the policy change until her son was prevented from checking in, Stone scrambled to find an alternative, eventually securing him a seat on a Southwest flight to San Diego later that evening.
Delta explained in a statement to Business Insider that the restriction was put in place to prevent minors from being separated from their families or caregivers due to potential flight changes or cancellations. The airline apologized for any confusion caused and emphasized its commitment to restoring trust with customers, particularly those affected by the decision.
Stone, still awaiting a refund, voiced her intention to avoid future bookings with Delta, expressing frustration over the airline’s handling of the situation.
For further details, you can read the original article on Business Insider.