Delta struggles to resume flights as normal after global IT outage

The nationwide travel nightmare that began Friday after a global IT outage has led to more than 10,000 flights canceled and another nearly 45,000 delayed, with Delta Air Lines seeing the most disruptions and struggling to get operations back to normal.

Tuesday marks day five of the tumultuous travel aftershock following a software issue with CrowdStrike caused by a faulty software update, which interrupted the check-in process and crew tracking for multiple major airlines including American Airlines, United and Delta, as well as tech disruptions at hospitals, banks and a slew of other businesses.

Delta has struggled to get back on track ever since, with more than 1,100 cancellations on Monday, bringing the total number of cancellations for the Atlanta-based carrier above 5,500 since Friday.

On Monday alone, Delta and its regional affiliates accounted for about two-thirds of all cancellations worldwide.

The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly took to his personal social media channels on Monday to share his own lengthy travel day, which he said was full of delays and changes on Delta.

In a post on his Instagram story, Kelly wrote, "Thought the operation would be fixed by now [but] not looking great as they've canceled 22% of flights so far today [which] is 80% of all cancellations in the U.S."

As the delays continue, hundreds of travelers have been left stranded across the country, with some ticketed passengers even sleeping in airports while luggage has piled up in baggage claim.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in an update on Sunday that it would take "another couple days" before "the worst is clearly behind us."

According to Delta's chief information officer, the carrier was still working to fix a vital crew-scheduling program.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke with Bastian on Sunday, telling him the agency had received "hundreds of complaints" since Friday with the elevated number of cancellations.

He warned Bastian that the situation was unacceptable and that the department would hold Delta accountable and enforce all air-travel passenger protection rules, which includes providing hotels and meals for delayed travelers and to issue quick refunds to customers who don't want to be rebooked on a later flight.

The airline has apologized and said it's working 24/7 to restore its operations, as well as offering travel waivers and vouchers to its customers.

Air travel customer protection rules if your flight is canceled, delayed

Under U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, passengers are entitled to assistance from the airline.

"This can include rebooking on the next available flight and, in some cases, meal vouchers and accommodation if the delay extends overnight," Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, told "GMA" previously.

Passenger rights

The airline must also offer its ticketed passengers a full refund.

Request a refund before rebooking your flight. Let the airline book any hotel stay and give you meal vouchers, versus attempting to do it on your own with the hope of getting reimbursement later.

While many airlines will rebook customers automatically due to cancellations or delays, it's imperative to have the airline app on your phone to track any changes and make requests or adjustments to your itinerary directly and instantly.

Rebooking canceled flights

Airlines will rebook on the same carrier at no additional cost, but some may be able to rebook on a partner carrier if it's available.