Delta Begins Limited Flights After Shutdown

Delta Airlines has said a ground stop has been lifted and a number of departures have begun following a major computer crash.

The US company has confirmed some flights are now taking off after a power outage caused its IT systems to crash, leaving passengers stranded at airports around the world as scheduled flights were not taking off.

It confirmed the news on Twitter (Frankfurt: A1W6XZ - news) : "Delta ground stop has been lifted & limited departures resuming following power outage in ATL that impacted Delta computer systems."

In a statement, the airline said customers should still expect delays and cancellations because of the more than three hour halt caused by a computer breakdown at its hub in Atlanta (BSE: 532759.BO - news) .

The firm also said there may be some lag time in the display of accurate flight status and that a travel waiver for customers travelling today through to 12 August is in effect.

Frustrated passengers stuck in check-in queues at airports have been expressing their outrage on social media.

Jake Chen tweeted: "1 hr.+ lines @HeathrowAirport for @Delta due to system outage oldschool manual ticketing."

Amanda Jackson said: "Chaos trying to check in @Delta Heathrow t3. Been in queue for 1.5 hours. You seriously need to open more desks to overcome technical hitch."

Blue Stone tweeted: "Delta lines backed up and not moving" as lines to check-in snaked through the terminal at Baltimore Washington International airport.

Customers are still being advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

A Heathrow spokesman said: "Check-in is currently operating using a backup system and airport staff are on hand to assist any passengers that are impacted by the delays."

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said their flights were departing as normal, but that some of their customers could be "booked on a codeshare ticket" with Delta.

The spokeswoman added: "If so, customers should check the status of their flights."

The airline began in 1924 as a crop-dusting operation. It now serves nearly 180 million travellers, according to its website.