Microsoft has responded to claims made by Delta Air Lines that the tech giant, along with cybersecurity software firm CrowdStrike, is responsible for the cancellation of thousands of flights during a recent IT outage. In a letter dated August 6, Microsoft lawyer Mark Cheffo denied Delta’s allegations and stated that the airline’s public comments were “incomplete, false, misleading, and damaging to Microsoft and its reputation.” Cheffo also suggested that Delta’s key IT system is likely serviced by other technology companies, not Microsoft.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian had previously blamed CrowdStrike for the outage and announced plans to sue over lost revenue. In an interview with CNBC last month, Bastian claimed that the outage cost the airline $500 million. However, Cheffo clarified in his letter that while Microsoft’s software did not cause the incident, they immediately offered assistance to Delta free of charge following the outage.
Cheffo further revealed that Microsoft employees repeatedly reached out to Delta from July 19 through July 23 offering their help. Despite these offers being declined by Delta each time, a Microsoft employee aware of Delta’s difficulties even contacted a Delta employee on July 22 to offer additional assistance.
According to Cheffo’s letter to David Boies (Delta attorney), it appears that Delta refused help from Microsoft because their IT system was being serviced by other providers such as IBM. He also mentioned that multiple senior executives at Microsoft had reached out to their counterparts at Delta in an effort to assist.
While investigating the circumstances surrounding the CrowdStrike incident further, Cheffo stated that it became apparent that unlike its competitors American Airlines and United Airlines, Delta had not modernized its IT infrastructure.
In response to Cheffo’s letter, a spokesperson for Delta emphasized their commitment towards investing in safe and reliable service for customers and employees. The spokesperson highlighted billions of dollars spent on IT capital expenditures since 2016.
CrowdStrike Attorney Michael Carlinsky also issued similar comments in a separate letter addressed to Delta Air Lines. The cybersecurity firm acknowledged responsibility for causing global chaos due to a faulty software update in their security system called Falcon.
The Epoch Times has reached out for comment from both companies involved.