Delta Airlines: Not Exactly “Flying High”
Image
Region
North America
Topic
Strategy & General Management
Marketing & Sales
Length
3 pages
Keywords
crisis management
service quality
service recovery
social media marketing
marketing
Copyright Holder
Journal of Critical Incidents
Student Price
$4.00
Target Audience
Undergraduate Students
This critical incident describes a situation in which Sarah, a frustrated Delta customer, spent over 16 hours stranded in the airport due to flight cancellations because of a Delta technology failure. During this time, Sarah and thousands of others took to social media to express their feelings toward Delta and Delta’s limited service recovery efforts.
Learning Outcomes
- How did Delta demonstrate, both positively and negatively, each of the five dimensions of service quality (reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and responsiveness) in this crisis?
- Based on the reactions of customers and the public, how well did Delta respond to this crisis? What could Delta have done to provide better service?
- What role did social media play during this crisis from both Delta’s and the customers’ perspective?