ROMULUS, Mich. – Delta Air Lines has issued a waiver for Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) passengers who were affected by the ground stop on Friday morning.
UPDATE: Ground delay lifted, no active alerts at DTW
Computer problems at DTW made it difficult for travelers to check into their flights as early as 5 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.
A ground stop was issued shortly afterward and lasted until around 8:45 a.m., when the Federal Aviation Administration changed it to a “ground delay.”
Most Delta flights were delayed an average of 2 hours and 40 minutes, according to the FAA.
Delta confirmed that the connectivity issue was resolved around 9 a.m. and that normal operations had resumed.
Delta issued a waiver to give customers traveling to, from, or through DTW on Dec. 5 and/or Dec. 6.
“We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers and thank them for their patience as Delta teams work to safely return to normal operations. Customers should continue to monitor the status of their flight via the Fly Delta app and Delta.com , where they can also make adjustments to their itineraries.”
What the waiver means
When customers who were affected by this ground stop on Friday or Saturday have to make flight adjustments, Delta will waive the price difference.
The new flights must be reissued on or before Dec. 9, 2025, and the flight itself must also be by that date.
When one of the affected customers re-books travel before Dec. 9 in the same cabin as the original flight reservation, the fare difference will be waived, Delta said.
Any difference in price might remain if the rebooked flight is after Dec. 9, or when the waiver is class-to-class restrictive and the original booking class isn’t maintained in the rebooked itinerary.
If the flight is rescheduled to a date beyond Dec. 9, the change fee will be waived.
If travel can’t be rebooked within these guidelines, customers can cancel their reservation and apply credits toward a new Delta ticket for one year from the original ticket purchase, Delta said.