Delta passengers still struggle to track down luggage in Tampa as U.S. regulators open investigation

TAMPA, Fla. - U.S. regulators opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines on Tuesday as passengers at Tampa International Airport continued to deal with travel disruptions after Friday’s global technology outage. 

A faulty software update caused Windows computers and systems across the country to crash on Friday. The worldwide outage affected several airlines.

The Transportation Department said it launched an investigation into Delta Airlines after seeing continued widespread flight disruptions and "reports of concerning customer service failures."

RELATED: Delta flight cancellations being investigated by U.S. Department of Transportation

"It was just unfortunate the communication from Delta wasn’t better," passenger Scott Radway said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the Delta investigation on the X social media platform Tuesday "to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions."

A Delta spokesperson told FOX 13 that the airline reported around 500 canceled flights on Tuesday, which is "lower than previous days." 

Roughly four days after the outage was reported, some Delta passengers at Tampa International Airport were still struggling to track down their luggage as others applauded Delta staff. 

MORE: Major global outage hits airlines, banks, businesses – what to know

"They had taken all the bags, organized them, put them in numbers, and could take people right over to where their bags were. They're doing an excellent job," passenger Cyndi Benchick said. "It's the world we live in. Just be prepared the next time for when you travel."

Delta Airlines said staff is working 24-7 to fix one of their most critical systems, which ensures all flights have a full crew in the right place at the right time. In a statement, an airline spokesperson said Delta is extending a travel waiver for "all customers with travel booked from July 19-28."

Buttigieg posted on social media that the Transportation Department wants "to hear from passengers who believe that Delta has not complied with USDOT-enforced passenger protection requirements during the recent travel disruptions." 

"I’d just like to get reimbursed for the hotels, all the transportation," Radway said. "It just was very inconvenient and just poor communication."

Delta said it was cooperating with the investigation.

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