Delta Cancelled 3,000 Flights This Week...and People Are Pissed

Atlanta is one of the biggest airport hubs worldwide, and when severe weather hits the southeastern city, airlines and their customers can get totally screwed.

And because of a nasty thunderstorm battering the city this week, Delta Airlines has been forced to cancel some 3,000 flights, leaving scores of passengers stranded. The string of cancellations has continued from when the storm hit on Wednesday, with approximately 275 flights cancelled on Saturday morning, per Delta.

According to the Detroit News, Atlanta is Delta’s busiest airport, as 60% of its flights travel there on a given day. Because people love yelling airlines, Delta customers have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration, alleging poor customer service:

Last summer, the airline cancelled 2,300 flights when a power outage struck the airport, blindsiding  customers and costing Delta $150 million, reports Fast Company. Delta issued guidelines for customers dealing with this week’s cancelations, offering to refund tickets for those who opted not to travel on the airline. Many people had problems finding re-routed options, because most flights were already too full for additional passengers. The airline has also waived re-booking fees in light of the cancellations.

“We are grateful for your patience and want you to know that we, as always, learn from these experiences. While we can’t control the weather, we understand the resulting recovery has not been ideal and we apologize for that,” said Delta Chief Operating Officer Gil West on Thursday.  

The “unprecedented” storm, per West’s assessment, clearly caught the airline off guard. Although not on par with the financial calamity of last year's power outage, it seems Delta was ill-equipped to deal with the weather, and customers have every right to be a little pissed off.  

[Detroit News via Fast Company]

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Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist. He's also a martial arts and music nerd who appreciates a fine sandwich and cute dogs. Find his clips in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club and Vice. He's on Twitter @Blumnessmonster.