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April 5, 2017: Delta cancels 300 flights due to thunderstorm

Old Apr 8, 2017, 1:28 pm
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Last edit by: Renes Points
Great explanation about Crew Tracking & Scheduling and what went wrong: Post #590

[Feel free to edit / add to the timeline of DL events.]

First waver ATL only and only 5-7 and by 11th: https://web.archive.org/web/20170406...perations.html

Second waver "all" hubs and 5-9 and by 16th: https://web.archive.org/web/20170407...perations.html

April 6th COO Gil West apology and blames "unprecedented" ( 5 hour ) storm / weather: http://news.delta.com/chief-operatin...cedented-storm

April 7 & 8 Five things to know list: http://news.delta.com/5-things-custo...tions-saturday

April 7th In midst of service fail Delta devalues SkyMiles with partners: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...000-miles.html

April 8th updates on operations: http://news.delta.com/operational-re...ontinues-today

April 12th will be $DAL earnings live and should yield more info: http://ir.delta.com/news-and-events/...s/default.aspx

April 9, 11:40 PM (EDT): What appears to be the last cancellation of the meltdown was made for DL2682/10Apr BOS-LGA (717 aircraft)

April 11th - Delta begins to pay out compensation for impacted travelers: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta-air-lines-skymiles/1835970-early-april-operation-disruption-compensation.html

Other coverage of the event:

Pilots board relating to this epic fail: https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/d...-atl-irop.html

Factors compounding delays/cancellations:
  • Weather in ATL April 5
  • DL terminating interline with AA
  • Delta's systems crashing/overloaded
  • DL's crew scheduling system crashed [rumor?]
  • Rumored short-term power outage in ATL A concourse caused by airport construction some time around Tuesday-Wednesday

Current delay statistics: Flightaware's live flight delay and cancellation statistics

News coverage:

BuzzFeedNews: Delta Has Canceled Thousands Of Flights And Everyone Is In Hell - No spring break is safe. (Posted on April 7, 2017, at 11:59 a.m.)

The Southampton Press: Cancelled Flight Dashes Disney Dream For Hampton Bays Marching Band (April 7, 2017 11:30 AM)

USA Today: Thousands of Delta flights canceled days after storms (Published 8:53 a.m. ET April 8, 2017)

CNN - Delta meltdown: Pilots are on hold, too (Updated 6:52 PM ET, Sat April 8, 2017)

The Wall Street Journal - Delta Struggles to Recover From Last Weeks Storms (April 9, 2017 12:23 p.m. ET)

AJC.com: Delta woes stretch into Sunday with more cancellations (11:57 a.m. Sunday, April 9, 2017)

AJC.com: Why one day of thunderstorms turned into a five-day Delta meltdown (12:01 p.m Sunday, April 9, 2017)

Detroit Free Press: Headaches continue for Delta fliers in Detroit (Published 2:26 p.m. ET April 9, 2017 Updated 5:54 p.m. ET April 9, 2017)

CNN - Delta tries to 'normalize' as flight cancellations continue (Updated 4:06 PM ET, Sun April 9, 2017)

New York Times: Storms, Though Over, Still Disrupt Delta Flights (APRIL 9, 2017)

NewsChannel5.com - Nashville Man's Body Stranded After Delta Flight Chaos (4:24 PM April 9, 2017)

CBS North Carolina: Raleigh parents upset after sons body stranded during Delta flight chaos (April 9, 2017, 8:14 pm Updated: April 10, 2017, 5:35 am)

AJC.com: Delta reassures customers as delays continue through weekend (5:53 p.m Sunday, April 9, 2017)

AJC.com: Hundreds of stranded bags left at Hartsfield-Jackson in aftermath of Delta flight cancellations (9:29 a.m. Monday, April 10, 2017)

Bloomberg: Delta Delays Drag On, Testing Passengers' Patience (April 9, 2017, 4:10 PM EDT Updated On April 10, 2017, 10:13 AM EDT)

BuzzFeedNews: Delta Suffered "Failure of Crew Tracking Systems" During Cancelled Flight Fiasco - "I feel like we are lost in the system." (Originally posted on April 11, 2017, at 3:28 p.m. Updated on April 12, 2017, at 10:38 a.m. )

Reuters (posted on BusinessInsider): Delta's profit drops 36.3% (Apr. 12, 2017, 7:20 AM)

AJC.com - Accused child rapist caught at airport when flight is delayed (7:39 p.m Thursday, April 13, 2017)
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April 5, 2017: Delta cancels 300 flights due to thunderstorm

Old Apr 9, 2017, 12:18 am
  #496  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 629
Originally Posted by dfwnative
He was front and center on the first IT meltdown. Seems like this time he's putting the COO out there to make sure he's the fall guy when the board needs a head.
Ed ain't got time for that. He's been hanging out in D.C. endlessly complaining about Emirates.
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 12:20 am
  #497  
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 2,881
Originally Posted by sleuth
Ed ain't got time for that. He's been hanging out in D.C. endlessly complaining about Emirates.
Haha. In all honesty I think the August outage was Ed's deal because it was a major overall failure. This event is Gil's deal because it's more narrowly an operations failure, so the COO should take the lead.
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 12:25 am
  #498  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: LAX
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Originally Posted by kettle1
Give me a break.
Not meant with any sort of political motive. The point is, if your brand is spilling over into popular culture as a byword for incompetence then you are in a precarious place. I have no doubt Delta will recover but they'd better hope there isn't another meltdown in the near future.

It's all anecdotal but I've got friends (occasional flyers) who were caught in last August's or January's meltdown who are still pissed at their treatment and won't step foot on a Delta plane. Yes, they'll forget that the first time they have a problem with AA/UA/WN etc but it still not a good thing.

Look at the tarmac delay rules -- it didn't take long after attention was focused on a few egregious examples before there were new rules in place.

And I sure hope somebody is smart enough to pull those ads where they were tooting their own horn about on time performance...
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 12:36 am
  #499  
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 2,881
Originally Posted by TheMadBrewer
Not meant with any sort of political motive. The point is, if your brand is spilling over into popular culture as a byword for incompetence then you are in a precarious place.
For airlines (and the TSA), I think no news is good news. Delta's on the front page of CNN.com.
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 1:51 am
  #500  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
I status matched to DL last year from UA and was generally impressed with my experience, particularly staff attitudes. Unfortunately, after this week, I think I am done.

In the third hour of a mechanical delay on my CDG flight, I deplaned and had a friendly employee in the SkyClub rebook me on VS with a connection to an African airline in LHR. There was a better connection with EK, but the DL employee said they don't work with EK. At all. Nevertheless, I was happy to have an alternative that preserved my original schedule, even with a painful LHR terminal shuffle.

Th VS flight was lovely and the LHR terminal transfer was relatively smooth. I get to the transfer desk and the agent can't find my ticket. I show her the itinerary print out from the SkyClub with DL confirmation and ticket numbers. Still can't find it. She calls her ticketing desk, which says to call Delta. She calls Delta at LHR. No one answers. She calls VS, which says they can't help because it's a DL ticket. I try calling the Medallion line, but the wait is 9 hours. After more calls between various offices, they finally see the ticket, which is pending because DL didn't process it right. Since neither DL nor my corporate travel department will pick up, my only option to get on the connecting flight is to purchase a ticket.

Oh, and my return itinerary with a 006 ticket on AF-operated flights was cancelled. I like friendly employees, but an inability to get things right and recover from problems is unacceptable.
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 4:13 am
  #501  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Between BDL and PVD
Programs: RapidRewards, SkyPesos, whatever flies where I want to go.
Posts: 270
So the one time we fly on DL BDL-DTW to get a direct flight (and they were cheaper this time) we get #deltameltdown . Our flight Friday evening was delayed several times, then cancelled after they couldn't find pilots. Saturday flight was cancelled before we went to the airport. Gave up and rebooked on WN.

During the 4-hour delay on Saturday, we went planespotting south of DTW, and it was weirdly a little quiet. Over the course of an hour or so, we saw only 2 or 3 domestic mainline DL aircraft. We saw tons of regionals, mostly CR7/9, and some other airlines flying, but there was a weird lack of DL flights going anywhere. From over a mile away, it appeared that almost every gate at MacNamara had a parked DL jet.

I'm still not convinced that they really have a clue what's going on with crews. There still seems to be a lack of DL traffic, although quite a bit of stuff came in overnight.

EDIT: If we had any clue that #deltameltdown was this bad on Friday, we would have rented a car and driven back or booked WN then.

Last edited by BiggAW; Apr 9, 2017 at 4:14 am Reason: Add'l into
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 4:39 am
  #502  
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: PNS
Programs: DL PM / 1MM "Enhancee" (Frequent Flyer) Since 1990
Posts: 1,156
I think the DL mess is is 50% automation/50% communication.. the wednesday weather was merely a blip before the meltdown really kicked into high gear..

Like the Fukishima Nuke Plant in Japan during the great earthquake of 2011, the workers did what they could to cool the reactors, but they were overwhelmed.. meanwhile a huge tsunami was washing across the landscape.

In Delta's case, it did what it normally does to manage weather delays, but when the IT meltdown occurred, it proved too much to handle, like the nuclear reactor. Meanwhile the phone systems failed, as the tidal wave of passengers tried to call DL to no avail. The communication issue was exacerbated by DL's inability to contact its crews.

Maybe a goofy analogy, but has some similarities..
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 4:56 am
  #503  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: AA, DL, WN
Posts: 21
Already 100 cancelled for Sunday. Delta, get your act together fast!
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 5:37 am
  #504  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Programs: DL Platinum, Marriott Life Plat, HHonors DM
Posts: 116
Decided against it...

Last edited by MinnTee; Apr 9, 2017 at 6:57 am
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 5:43 am
  #505  
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http://www.ajc.com/news/local/delta-says-some-flight-cancellations-likely-sunday-passengers-question-airline/aLzIxOacteSNtNPvQi13jI/

Interesting....

In the article they claim no technology issues this time, but isn't the crew system software busted/down right now?
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 6:29 am
  #506  
 
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Oh burn! https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 6:46 am
  #507  
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Originally Posted by WWads
If I'm AA and UA, might I be considering a major PR opportunity here? I don't know how much excess capacity either have at this point, but imagine if they flew wide-bodies to ATL to pick up stranded DL pax, and routed them to their respective hubs for the purpose of getting them home, all for free.

Probably (actually almost certainly) unrealistic, but damn, what the optics of that would be.
I don't think there is any excess capacity at any airline these days. And UA and AA shouldn't address this issue from a PR standpoint lest someone bring up their own past failures - or bring it up the next time they have their own meltdowns.
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 7:05 am
  #508  
 
Join Date: May 2015
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119 cancelled, and 368 delayed so far today.

0908: 122 cancelled, 426 delayed. This is just US flights. More if you include all of North America.
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 7:31 am
  #509  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: AA, DL, WN
Posts: 21
Originally Posted by WWads
119 cancelled, and 368 delayed so far today.

0908: 122 cancelled, 426 delayed. This is just US flights. More if you include all of North America.
lol, i hope it doesn't go above 200.
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Old Apr 9, 2017, 7:32 am
  #510  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: ATL
Programs: DL PM; SPG Platinum; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Diamond; UA Silver
Posts: 32
Originally Posted by Widgets
Can people report: estimated Twitter response time, and estimated Res wait time including Medallion status?
Just called PM reservation line: waiting time between 1h6min and 1h41min
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