This airline hires high-powered attorney to seek damages from CrowdStrike and Microsoft over outage

Delta Air Lines has escalated its response to the widespread IT outage that crippled its operations earlier this month by hiring renowned attorney David Boies to pursue potential damages from CrowdStrike and Microsoft. The move comes as the airline grapples with the fallout from the incident, which resulted in thousands of canceled flights and significant financial losses.

The outage, triggered by a software update from CrowdStrike, caused widespread disruption across multiple industries. However, Delta was particularly hard hit due to its heavy reliance on Microsoft systems for flight crew scheduling. The airline's CEO, Ed Bastian, has publicly stated that the outage cost Delta approximately $500 million over five days.

Delta faced over 2,200 flight cancellations on July 19 alone, with more than 6,000 flights canceled since then. The airline is now dealing with over 176,000 refund or reimbursement requests. The estimated cost of the outages could reach as high as $500 million.

With Boies on board, Delta is signaling its intent to hold CrowdStrike and Microsoft accountable for the damages incurred. The high-profile attorney, known for his involvement in landmark cases, is expected to bring significant legal firepower to Delta's pursuit of compensation.

CrowdStrike has faced mounting pressure since the outage, with its stock price plummeting. The cybersecurity firm has offered free consultation services to help Delta recover but has not committed to any financial compensation.