When is a suitcase not a suitcase? It turns out that not all luggage is created equal—something that Delta learned the hard way, when they charged returning active duty American soldiers nearly $3,000 to bring their gear home from war.
Here are some of the comments from Delta’s blog:
“SHAME ON YOU DELTA! I do not care what your stupid contract says. THOSE 4TH BAGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED! They have been bought with blood and sweat and tears!”
“It is very sad and sooooo wrong that it took our soldiers doing a video to expose what Delta did to them and bring awareness of this situation to the entire world. It is even more sad that it is only now that Delta realizes how wrong they are and will address this situation. I realize there are rules and contracts but these should “go out the window” when our military is returning from the horrors they experience fighting for our freedom.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself. these brave soldiers are fighting for your freedom and safety. What is wrong with this country and its ungrateful attitude. What has happened to integrity and character in corporations?”
These are only fragments of hundreds of comments, each of which say much the same thing. Even after a policy change (Delta has announced it will no longer charge for a fourth checked bag for active duty military personnel) the problem has not been solved. This isn’t about suitcases and carry on bags. This is about Delta’s performance not being in alignment with what their customers (and the public at large) expect from them.
Brand Modeling Means Knowing Your Customers
Who knew there was a third rail in the air? Delta certainly found it by failing to give the American soldier—a group held in high regard by their customer base—what was perceived to be an adequate amount of respect. Asking more of people who have already given so much turned out to be directly counter to how Delta’s Brand Lovers (and check the blog comments to see how many people there are Skymiles members!) expected the airline to behave.
This disconnect sparked feelings of rage and betrayal. Many are claiming that they’ll never fly Delta again. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen. However, there is no question that this entire situation, including the negative media attention, was completely avoidable.
Dominant organizations understand, with a precise clarity that only Brand Modeling can afford, how their Brand Lovers see the world. They use this knowledge to guide decision making at every point in the organization, and empower their employees to “do the right thing.” Had Delta’s staff had the knowledge and insight of how their actions would have been seen by the airline’s best customers, chances are they would have waived the fees for this group of soldiers. The entire debacle never would have left the ground.
Perhaps Delta’s team even would have taken the initiative to let people further up the chain know that policies on the ground where out of whack with the sentiment in their Brand Lover’s heart. That type of responsiveness enables good companies to become great companies. AirTran seems to have gotten the message, loud and clear.