Holland America Line will open up grand voyages and pole-to-pole sailings to travelers hoping to book just a segment, making it easier to explore some of the coolest regions on Earth.
23.08.2024 - 20:27 / thepointsguy.com / Ed Bastian / Delta Air Lines / Allison Ausband
Delta Air Lines on Friday said that Mike Spanos, its chief operating officer, will depart the airline for a new job at the end of August.
In a memo to staff viewed by TPG, airline CEO Ed Bastian said that Spanos had said earlier this summer that he was exploring another opportunity.
Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter.
The departure comes just weeks after Delta canceled more than 7,000 flights amid a major technology outage that affected airlines across the world, including rivals American Airlines and United Airlines. Unlike the other carriers, Delta struggled to get back on track after the outage was fixed and continued canceling flights for several days. The airline said it used the affected system, CrowdStrike, in more of its internal systems and processes than the other carriers.
A Delta spokesperson said Spanos had begun discussing an exit prior to the July tech meltdown. He had been in the role since 2023 and did not have previous aviation industry experience. According to a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday morning, Spanos will receive benefits under the airline's severance plan for officers and directors.
Bastian previously told The Wall Street Journal, which first reported Spanos' departure, that despite his role as head of operations, Spanos was not the one who led Delta's response to the outages.
"He wasn't the person that we were relying on to make the decisions," Bastian told The Wall Street Journal in an interview earlier this month, noting Spanos' "newness to the industry."
Delta does not plan to replace Spanos, Bastian said in Friday's memo. Instead, two senior leaders who previously reported to Spanos will report directly to the CEO: John Laughter, who oversees various operational areas like flights, maintenance and pilot staffing, and Allison Ausband, the airline's head of customer experience.
Related reading:
Holland America Line will open up grand voyages and pole-to-pole sailings to travelers hoping to book just a segment, making it easier to explore some of the coolest regions on Earth.
Americans are gearing up for a record-breaking Labor Day holiday weekend with nearly 23 million seats booked, and some days and airports will be more crowded than others.
Two passengers aboard a Juneyao Airlines flight from Guiyang in southwestern China to Shanghai on Saturday locked a crying toddler in an airplane bathroom.
Despite 481 orders from airlines around the world, Boeing can't sell US carriers on its new widebody jetliner.
Attention, travel enthusiasts: Delta SkyMiles has launched a limited-time SkyMiles promotion on both domestic and international fares. However, don't wait to plan your trip — you must book by Aug. 29 to snag one of these lucrative deals.
Delta Air Lines has launched a new rewards program specifically for frequent business fliers, called Delta Business Traveler.
The flag carrier of Mexico is growing in Miami with an all-new route to Cancun, Mexico.
Spain’s beach towns are at a bursting point. Protests have filled streets from Barcelona to Malaga this summer, with residents demanding that tourists go home.
As earnings season draws to a close, we’re taking a closer look at the most lucrative arm of many major U.S. airlines: loyalty programs.
In July, a global IT outage caused massive flight delays and cancellations, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded. Unfortunately, Delta Air Lines passengers were among the hardest hit, with more than 5,000 flights canceled during the outage.
When my husband and I got stranded in Paris during the global Crowdstrike meltdown last month, we decided to make it a lemonade out of lemons event. We were on our way home, flying with Delta Air Lines from Istanbul to Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a connection through Paris following a two-week Mediterranean cruise.
If you hold elite status in a major U.S. airline loyalty program, JetBlue is offering you to try the benefits of elite Mosaic status in its TrueBlue program even if you've never stepped onto a JetBlue aircraft.