Delta Cancels Media Day after Turbulent Passenger Experiences
Joe Cortez May 08, 2017
Abrupt postponement comes after embarrassing airline gaffs call carriers to Congress.
After all three American legacy carriers’ poor passenger experiences went viral, Delta Air Lines decides to stop plans to host their annual show-and-tell event with the media. On their website, the Atlanta-based carrier announced the sudden cancellation of their Delta Media Days, originally scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, in New York.
“With the recent focus by Congress on airline customer service issues that have gone viral on social media, we decided that the timing is not right to showcase Delta’s product innovations and global strategy,” Ned Walker, senior vice president and chief communications officer for Delta, wrote on the website. “We are reviewing our plans to reschedule the event and will keep you informed.”
According to USA Today, the 2017 edition of Delta’s annual press jamboree was set to focus on the in-flight experience, including changes to aircraft interiors and new airframes joining the fleet. Previous versions of the annual program gave members of the media a look into the airline’s future, along with the opportunity to ask questions of key executives.
However, the carrier dumped their plans to move forward with the event after several embarrassing incidents featuring airlines at their worst went viral in April and May, including three aboard Delta aircraft. At the end of April, a video depicted a passenger asked to leave a Delta aircraft after using the lavatory prior to takeoff, followed by an incident where a pilot appeared to strike a woman and a video showing a flight attendant threatening a family with arrest. In the last case, the airline released a statement apologizing for the situation and offering additional compensation to the family.
In of itself, the cancellation is a show of poor customer experience, as the airline acknowledges the abrupt cancellation is “taken at the last minute when your travel plans have already been confirmed.” Walker apologized in his statement to those affected by the decision for “the inconvenience caused by this.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
You’re Reading
Exactly.
"Idiocracy" was oh so right! 1) Using the lavatory made the plane lose its spot in the takeoff queue and delay the flight. A grown man should be able to hold it for a while. 2) The family was trying to scam the airline by using a son's ticket for another son. 3) Turns out the pilot was breaking up the fight. Perhaps the snapchat moron would have like to see those women fight to death.
So sad that airlines have suddenly become pushovers.
Maybe DL can throw some worthless SkyPesos at the journalists whose plans were dashed. As some point, public tolerance of the US cartels will end.
I guess this really just highlights that airlines don't know the meaning of the word "inconvenience" when it comes to travel plans! I wonder if they refunded any flights booked on Delta!