Microsoft refutes Delta’s claims after major IT outage, highlights rejected support offers

Microsoft has responded forcefully to Delta Airlines’ allegations following a significant IT outage, saying the airline repeatedly rejected its offers of assistance.

Microsoft responded to Delta’s claims Tuesday after the airline announced its intention to seek damages from Microsoft and CrowdStrike over thousands of flight cancellations caused by a major IT outage. The incident, which began July 19, stemmed from a failed CrowdStrike software update that affected millions of Microsoft Windows systems, resulting in losses for Delta of about $500 million, according to CEO Ed Bastian.

Bastian stressed that Delta, known for its punctuality and premium services, had “no choice” but to take legal action against the two technology companies.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Delta legal counsel David Boies of Boies Schiller Flexner, Microsoft attorney Mark Cheffo of Dechert LLP disputed the airline’s narrative. Boies had previously sent letters to both CrowdStrike and Microsoft on behalf of Delta.

Boies accused Microsoft of gross negligence and intentional misconduct in connection with the faulty CrowdStrike update that led to the system crashes. However, Cheffo’s response refuted these claims, saying that Delta’s public and legal statements were “incomplete, false, misleading and damaging” to Microsoft’s reputation.

Echoing CrowdStrike’s earlier response, Cheffo noted that Microsoft offered Delta free assistance during the crisis. From July 19 to July 23, Microsoft employees consistently offered support, but Delta declined those offers. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also reached out to Delta CEO Ed Bastian but did not receive a response, according to Cheffo. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz’s request to Delta also went unanswered.

Cheffo detailed a July 22 memo in which Microsoft offered help to a Delta employee who apparently rejected the offer. Delta officials attributed the numerous cancellations, which exceeded all of 2019, to the overwhelming impact on their crew scheduling system. Cheffo, however, stressed that Delta’s problems were not related to Microsoft Windows or Azure cloud services.

Delta’s IT infrastructure, Cheffo noted, is primarily managed by other technology providers, such as IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS). IBM has a multi-year agreement with Delta to implement a hybrid cloud architecture using Red Hat’s OpenShift software, while AWS is Delta’s preferred cloud provider.

“It appears that Delta’s refusal to seek assistance from Microsoft was due to the fact that the problematic IT systems were operated by other vendors, not Microsoft,” Cheffo wrote.

Bastian said Delta had to manually restore 40,000 servers following the outage. Microsoft has asked Delta to provide records detailing the involvement of IBM, Amazon and other technology providers in the recovery effort from July 19 to July 24. Representatives from IBM and Amazon declined to comment.

Cheffo also questioned why Delta struggled more than its competitors, suggesting that the airline’s IT infrastructure may be less modernized. He noted that other airlines, such as American Airlines, recovered more quickly from the crash.