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Delta sends a private plane after American Airlines cancels student group’s flight

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American Airlines cancels flight a student group had booked to continue their trip toWashington DC. Delta employees heard about the student’s predicament, contacted Delta Headquarters who sent a spare plane to pick up the group (www.businessinsider.com) Altro...

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SpaceRanger
Delta's marketing slogan at one time was "Delta is ready when you are." Perhaps they should start using it again, because they certainly were ready this time! Good job, Delta!
scott8733
scott8733 45
Love it. Perhaps this can be modified to: "Delta is ready even if American isn't."
jbsimms
Ha Ha LOLOLOLOLOLOL

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

TorstenHoff
It also was "Delta gets you there" at one point. Very appropriate in this case.
scott8733
scott8733 39
Opportunities like this start at the top with culture embedment. Doug Parker's a bean counter, while Ed Bastian is an opportunist who empowers his co-workers to pounce on any and all opportunities for good PR.

One of several reasons why DL's stock trades at nearly twice what AA's does.
MSUSparty
MSU Sparty 39
Delta gets it. A Home Run! Helping stranded school kids for goodwill, getting great PR, and making their incompetent competition look more incompetent.
sgbelverta
sharon bias 15
Oklahoma City isn't that far from Dallas, an American Hub. American would likely have had spare planes there. Delta probably had to send a plane from Detroit or Atlanta, maybe SLC. This was not an inexpensive endeavor. But they probably gained customers for life. Hats off to Delta.
MSUSparty
MSU Sparty 13
American has their largest maintenance hub in Tulsa!!! Could it be any closer?
Kingairca
Not am expensive endeavor is a good play in words because it was actually Delta’s regional “Endeavor” that operated the flight 👍
jimquinndallas
Jim Quinn 25
American dropped the ball here. If AA had sent another aircraft they would certainly have avoided this PR win for Delta. What a great episode of guerilla marketing on Delta's part. In addition to doing a great service for these young people they gave AA a huge black eye in the process. Kudos!
scott8733
scott8733 6
Well put. It takes a long time to build a good reputation, yet it can vanish instantaneously with one bad PR episode. It's apparent senior Delta management has subscribed to Coffman's book "Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast".....and implemented pages from Herb Kelleher's philosophy on how to win airline Customers and keep them loyal.
TorstenHoff
Well done, Delta.
nasdisco
Chris B 9
If helping others in need is american, then Delta is a true American Company.
SmokedChops
yeah, Delta will most likely benefit far beyond this. Good PR quietly keeps on giving. Would love to hear AA's explanation of a cancellation and 'refund' option, my guess is that there will be some uncomfortable questions at the next shareholder meeting to same effect. Here you go AA <hands them stick to get proverbial dog-log off of their shoes>, as they stepped in it, properly.
ToddBaldwin3
I suspect there will be some folks doing the carpet dance.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 2
This was a tough call for AA. Their employees followed the protocol the company laid out for them and no one would have foreseen Delta’s actions. Hindsites always 20 20.
But I do hope this is a wake up call to all airlines that their customers need to be looked after better. The competition is always watching and looking for an opportunity to steal your customers and this time Delta not only did a great service for the kids but hopefully woke AA up.
patpylot
this was not a tough call for American Airlines. These are real people, young people on a memorable trip, who now have a worse opinion of American AIrlines and a real regard for Delta. Over the next few decades, i bet American will not get the majority of business from these kids, their families, their acquaintences. Short sighted, stupid, inexplicable, and a good case study for MBA students in customer relations.
stuberk625
...Hindsight's*
omrigaron
Ryan Hodges 21
I have already started avoiding AA but this seals the deal. Very well done Delta, you just gained 42 new customers.
KobeHunte
Kobe Hunte 6
Delta strikes again! Well done...
doctorstol
Southern hospitality beats Dallas efficiency. A whole planeload of customers just switched loyalty!
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 6
I am glad this ended well for the kids. There is a lesson here for every business, if you won’t look after your customers your competition will.
rwf1001
what a way to step up and help out their fellow airline, all to help out 41 stranded students! WTG Delta!
patpylot
for people who fly both airlines, they should not be surprised which company would be capable of better behavior.
bigred2007
My son worked for DELTA for 39 years he would be so proud of Delta And I am sure he would have been part of the employee group that made this happen.
n1gke
Going the extra mile for just one passenger, great. Doing it for a group, priceless!
teslataildragger
You can bet AA Management are conducting some heated meetings behind closed doors this week trying to figure out how to manage damage control.
jmadunleavy
John D 28
There is part of me that wants to believe this, but there's the another part that says AA doesn't really care. Every time I pass through DFW, I see long lines at the AA Customer service counter. It's really depressing.
I've observed that AA (and not just AA) will cancel a flight at the drop of a hat. I have also observed that most Delta flights will fly assuming it is safe and there is a crew, no matter how late.
coastalrap
Rich Pasco 10
I was in one of those CS lines a few weeks ago. AA put one CS rep the counter with about 100 people in line, after about 2 hours, 2 more reps came to help. Flights canceled were all AA, so maybe they are extra cautious. About a week later my brothers flight out of ORD was canceled, weather. This past week our local airport had thunderstorms in the area and when I checked, the only airline that canceled was AA. They can’t control the weather but it’s what they do to control the situation that makes all the difference.
yr2012
Especially the ones not completely full.
jmadunleavy
John D 1
What's that ? LOL :)
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 4
We got trapped by a storm a few years back. We didn’t have to go to a Customer Service desk, Delta’s Customer Service came to the waiting aria, set up and started working through the customers. They had lots of people But they called us up by section and seat number, very organized and it seemed like they were actually concerned about us. Might have just been an act to smooth over the customers but if it was it was a damn good act cause they took each customers personal circumstances into account.
tew3622
Why not! Parker is just a bean counter and couldn't care less about his customers. Why oh why after the merger he became CEO instead of American CEO is a complete mystery to me. If he had his way the Airline would be called US Scare!
stuberk625
US Scare is what I called that now-defunct airline for years!
SmittySmithsonite
American Airlines has to be the worst airline out there. I thought it was just me, after my brother had an excruciating 8 hour delay getting to his destination, and a better 4 hour delay on the return flight back, both flights with American. Guess that was just a little snippet of how they operate.

Just fold already, if you can't handle day to day operations!
jbsimms
Made the ABC Nightly News, looked to be a Regional Jet. Also said it was due to weather but it’s still a coup for Delta
stuberk625
RJs work fine for 41 passengers...
ExPatHere
ExPatHere 4
So proud of Delta....Well done! We have flown Delta around the world many times over and they are still our airline of choice. Their Customer Service even calls me directly, if I ever have a comment or concern. Obviously, they get it.....Their employees are top drawer and I agree with previous comment, that Delta’s corporate culture is set at the top.
PeggyBennett
Having already experienced the lack of customer service displayed by AA several times, I will never fly with them again. This past weekend my family (a group of 10) experienced similar lack of caring from Southwest, who departed more than 2 hours late due to crew issues. This caused a misconnection. The WN agents could not have cared less. They continually passed the blame on to someone else, and in the end our option was to sleep in the airport, reroute to a different destination, then rent a van and drive 5 hours to get home. We will not fly Southwest again. It seems from this article that Delta may be the last remaining airline that cares, so we will be booking our travels with them from now on.
watersw1
American needs to replace top brass now. This airline is the pits, no legacy carrier status anymore. Great work DELTA. American you keep dropping the ball.
Ratorres
Would like to know the details of how Delta pulled this off. Who at Delta said "do it"? Where was the spare plane when decision was made? How was it that Delta employee was inspired to try to help the kids?
rebelx4xchrist
Paul Smith 3
I am pretty sure the flight cancellation had more to do with the crazy weather in DFW (the station they were connecting through)... Delta has great PR... Sucks this happened but when there's tornados spinning around the metroplex there is not much that can be done. Given the smaller outstation there probably was no way to re accommodate that group either especially since the operation had grinded to a halt for a few hours....
simonmoncrieff
I have never considered using Delta. I certainly will now

hanlonr
Ron Hanlon 3
Brilliant
abowland
It is a nice story...but does anyone have the track log?
davidrbarnes
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/EDV5550/history/20190602/1633Z/KOKC/KRIC
finest8603
Dean Jones 3
AA has been on the bottom of my list forever. I have been working in aviation since 1973 and fly DELTA EVERYWHERE (since EAL trashed all 59000 of us). NEVER EVER AA, nasty folks.
Gentilo
Good job Delta !!
chrisq5835
Delta gets it. I flew Delta to Dallas earlier this month. That makes no sense whatsoever without knowing the history of my experiences with the major U.S. air carriers. At this point in my life, that's what guides my air travel decisions.
pthompso99
It's good to hear sometjing great about an airline. Way to fly, Delta!!
reverendtex
Kudos to Delta - that’s what real leadership and care does!
Relics
Relics 3
Love me some Delta!
craiglgood
Craig Good 5
So American had weather and Delta didn't?
EMTNytHawk
I'll answer with another question (one I've already seen posed but not answered) -- Where was the group connecting through on Delta? Given the departure from OKC and going to Virginia, I'm betting they connected through Atlanta (especially as Delta closed it's DFW mini-hub years ago, and Minneapolis and Detroit are most likely farther from OKC). It's already been stated that American was connecting through DFW, which had storms.

Some of the wonders of the hub-and-spoke airline system.
Viperguy46
When did the CRJ flight get canceled nation wide? The afternoon of June 10 th I think!
jhudrlik
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.
tmpanther
I fly AA alot and Delta far less. AA service has deteriorated markedly, especially since the merger with USAir. Delta has never let me down whereas disappoints often.
julianjim
I love how people say,"I'll never fly XYZ Air again"! The next time a sale is on XYZ Air, I'll bet they will be on it!
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 2
True. Also sometimes the destination and available seats dictate the airline. Never say never.
indy2001
indy2001 5
Too bad Delta doesn't treat their own passengers this well! When our flight was canceled a few months ago, initially due to weather as was the case here although it somehow morphed into "technical issues" with the aircraft, they did nothing to help us. No help arranging hotel rooms for the night, no information about rebooking on Delta (other than the first two flights the next day were full), no help rebooking on other airlines. We got 2 $25 meal vouchers that were next to useless since the only place we could buy food at the airport was closed for the night. At least their shoddy performance was democratic -- those of us in first class were treated as poorly as our coach brethren. We finally rented a car and drove the 350 miles to get home. We're still waiting for the reimbursement that was promised by Delta. So in my view Delta is no better than American (or United or Southwest) when it comes to helping passengers when there are problems. As members of the frequent flyer programs for AAL, DAL, and UAL, we select flights based on fare and schedule. We've learned to expect no difference from any of them.
mellon81
chuck beal 2
Same thing happened to us last Sunday at MSP but this one was all mechanical. Our flight scheduled for 10:45pm left the gate at 7am--the next day. One $10 food voucher and some thin blankets and pillows were our bonuses.
billtanksley
Great to see my old employer back in the saddle! This reminds me of the Delta I worked for. They called it the 'Delta Family' back then. We all were taught the words of Delta's founder, C.E. Woolman - "Get just one more passengers". Way to go DL!
pdhoyt1
Paige Hoyt 1
I drove 700 miles to avoid booking with American airlines to start an overseas trip because American was the only airline that serviced the airport I was starting my trip with my elderly father. We then flew over with Delta and had ZERO issues.
rvasic
AA: "...which was the result of inclement weather that was out of our control" How come this weather was not a problem for Delta?
ShuKoha
ShuKoha 1
[9th Rule of Acquisition] Opportunity plus instinct equals profit.
denelle
I don't understand how Delta was able to fly through bad weather but AA couldn't?
Viperguy46
I have refused to fly Delta for a number of reasons. However, after the way I was treated on my latest AA flights, I will give them a try again!
American seems to care only about one thing. Filling the airplane to the top and profits! Nothing wrong with profits except when they get in the way of customer service!
Wonder if the AA flight was cancelled same time most of the CRJ's flights where cancel due to a computer glitch? My friend was to dept DFW @ 3:30 but after severall cancels later, they got home in Indiana @ 1:25 AM or so!
Auay
Does anyone know the reason American gave for cancelling this flight??
blitzebill
at this rate, AAL is going to easily rise to the top of the worst...

https://www.transtats.bts.gov/HomeDrillChart.asp
newsguy
Typical AA. They have the cred of Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We endured their crap for 14 years in Amarillo, with lies about weather and mechanical that cancelled flights. We always suspected they didn't want to fly because of low bookings. A pox on AA.
Ricovandijk
Next news article: AA recovers and delivers all lost luggage after Delta Homerun flight :D
KobeHunte
Kobe Hunte 3
I highly doubt that would happen Rico. We are talking about AA here.

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

jmadunleavy
John D 8
I’m not seeing people complaining about late flights, They are discussing canceling flights.
Please keep your vulgar comments to yourself. No one here is impressed.

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

KobeHunte
Kobe Hunte 23
They should buy you one, it'll keep you from making stupid comments on FlightAware.
zacky53
zacky53 0
😄😄😄 🖖
rangerflyer
Bob Yurek -2
All dumb comments below. AA is fine.

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