Delta Airlines: Not Exactly “Flying High”

Authors
Cheryl B. Ward, Diane R. Edmondson, Lucy M. Matthews
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
  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. What role did social media play during this crisis from both Delta’s and the customers’ perspective?