Microsoft Refutes Delta’s Claims After Major IT Outage, Points to Rejected Offers of Assistance

Associated media – Related media

Microsoft has responded robustly to Delta Airlines’ allegations following a significant IT outage, asserting that the airline repeatedly declined its offers of assistance.

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

Bastian emphasized that Delta, known for its punctuality and premium services, had “no choice” but to pursue legal action against the two tech firms.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Delta’s legal representative David Boies of Boies Schiller Flexner, Microsoft’s attorney Mark Cheffo of Dechert LLP contested 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 relation to the faulty CrowdStrike update that led to the system crashes. However, Cheffo’s response refuted these claims, stating that Delta’s public and legal statements were “incomplete, false, misleading, and damaging” to Microsoft’s reputation.

Echoing CrowdStrike’s earlier response, Cheffo highlighted that Microsoft offered free assistance to Delta during the crisis. From July 19 to July 23, Microsoft employees consistently offered support, but Delta declined these offers. Even Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reached out to Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, but received no reply, according to Cheffo. Similarly, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz’s outreach to Delta also went unanswered.

Cheffo detailed a July 22 communication where Microsoft offered help to a Delta employee who seemingly dismissed the offer. Delta officials have attributed the extensive cancellations, which surpassed those of the entire year of 2019, to the overwhelming impact on their crew scheduling system. Cheffo, however, pointed out that Delta’s issues were unrelated to Microsoft Windows or Azure cloud services.

Delta’s IT infrastructure, Cheffo noted, is primarily managed by other technology vendors, such as IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS). IBM has a multiyear 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 of Microsoft’s assistance was due to the fact that the problematic IT systems were managed by other vendors, not Microsoft,” Cheffo wrote.

Bastian disclosed that Delta had to manually reset 40,000 servers following the disruption. Microsoft has requested Delta to provide logs detailing the involvement of IBM, Amazon, and other technology providers in the recovery efforts from July 19 to July 24. Representatives from IBM and Amazon have not commented on the situation.

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

Associated media – Associated media

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