Delta will have to “Keep Climbing” out of this mess.

In today’s ultra-connected world, mishandling a public crisis can have a damaging, long-term impact on a brand. That will be the toughest penalty Delta Air Lines ultimately pays following the recent global tech issues.??

The crisis was set off when cybersecurity company CrowdStrike sent a faulty update to millions of Microsoft computers around the world. While most airlines were back up and running within hours or a day or two, Delta continued to flounder for nearly a week, stranding half a million customers (including our COO) with no direction.??

Is Delta to blame for a global technology outage? Of course not. We don’t even blame them for their overreliance on a single system for crew scheduling, which seems to be the reason they couldn’t rebound as fast as other airlines. That may not have been the best business decision, but that’s not our issue.?

What is our issue (especially for our colleague, whose family was left stranded for 3+ days) is their utter lack of a crisis plan.??

Delta’s inability to manage its operations created chaos at airports and a nightmare for customers that included standing in line upwards of four hours (again, based on personal accounts) or on hold on the phone for over six hours. Even the pilots and flight crews could not get through on the phone, which has led to union involvement. ? ? On top of finding no flights, customers also dealt with being stranded overnight with no access to their luggage and no vacancies at area hotels because of the overflow.??

While we believe Delta’s claims of “working feverishly” behind the scenes to correct the problem, what’s concerning is the seeming indifference and lack of action at the airport to assist customers.??

If this was the scenario on day one only, it would be understandable and most customers would easily forgive the inconvenience. But this situation stretched into day three, four and five — a colossal customer service failure caused by what appears to be a lack of any contingency plans and an effective crisis plan.??

What, among other things, did these frustrated customers do? They took to social media to vent and share their dreadful experiences. Images and videos of overcrowded airports, long lines stretching beyond the eye can see, customers sleeping in crowded airports along with long rants of complaints flooded social media. This amplified their blunder exponentially, dealing a severe blow to customer trust and significantly damaging Delta’s brand image.?

This incident underscores the critical need for having robust crisis management plans in place. Rebuilding brand trust and overcoming negative sentiment is a tall order which takes time and money. Apologies and empathy only go so far.???

Delta must invest in new systems, improve crisis management, operational and communications protocols, and prioritize customer care. If Delta wants to win back its once-loyal customers, it’s going to take generous compensation (not just free SkyMiles) and, just as important, an effective way to communicate its plan for avoiding such a crisis in the future.??

How costly this mismanaged crisis will be for the Delta brand long-term is yet to be seen, but it’s a stark reminder that in today’s connected world, a misstep can have far-reaching and lasting repercussions. One mistake and the brand loyalty you've spent years building and nurturing can be quickly destroyed. Not to mention, that mistake can live in eternity on social media.?

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