COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Hundreds of Delta flights were canceled and delayed today’s after a power outage at 2:30 this morning in Atlanta.
The outage impacted Delta computer systems and operations, worldwide.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian posted a video apology online this afternoon.
The line for the Delta counter in Columbus has been busy almost all day. Hundreds of people have waited in line at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport. Some passengers were unaware of the travel delays and cancellations before they got here.
“I heard some people talking about it and I thought oh great, here we go,” says traveler Eddie Lester.
“I didn’t get any notification until I just got out of the vehicle in the parking lot,” says traveler Ralph Weinzapfel.
Many passengers will have to wait at the airport for hours longer than anticipated or until tomorrow to take off.
“We have a connecting flight in Atlanta, but everything’s been kind of pushed back, so we’re just in a kind of wait and see type ordeal,” says youth pastor Michael Oldfield.
He’s traveling with a local youth group for a mission trip in Haiti.
“I am upbeat, because there’s nothing I can do about it,” he says.
He says their church was headed to an orphanage in Pierre Payen. They were supposed to arrive tonight, but now the whole trip may be pushed back.
“Tomorrow we were supposed to just be hanging out with all the kids at the orphanage, but now if things are going the way we probably think it’s going to go, it’ll be another travel day which is going to cut into the rest of the trip and getting to connect with the kids at the orphanage,” says Oldfield.
“We are pretty sad about that,” says youth group member Olivia Geiser. “We can’t get it back because we scheduled it for so long and we have work and things and school starts soon, so it is kind of sad.”
It’s her first mission trip out of the country and her first time on a plane, but instead of getting upset she says the group is staying positive
“That’s the best way to do it,” says Geiser. “There’s no point in getting angry about something that I can’t control.”
“This is going to be an awesome trip, that’s all I know,” says Oldfield.
A travel waiver is in effect for all Delta customers who were supposed to fly out today. If your flight was canceled or significantly delayed, you’re entitled to a refund or you can make a one-time change to your ticket without paying a fee.
