Skift Take
The social media misstep by the world’s busiest airport is a reminder of the challenges faced by brands big and small when communicating online. Could greater oversight of the offending post and its subsequent fallout have minimized the impact?
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is facing sharp criticism for its social media response to a deadly accident.
On Tuesday, two Delta Air Lines staff were killed and another seriously injured after a tire explosion at a maintenance hangar near the airport. The Associated Press reports that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation.
Posting on its official X account in the hours following the accident, a message from the airport read: âOur prayers are with the families affected by the tragic incident at Delta Air Lines’ Technical Operations Maintenance Facility this morning. We send condolences to our partners as they continue to âKeep Climbingâ during this difficult time.â
The use of Deltaâs âKeep Climbingâ corporate slogan within the airport’s condolence message was met with disbelief and accusations of poor taste by many social media users.
Atlanta is home to Delta’s company headquarters and is its largest base. There is no indication that Delta was involved in the publication of the airport’s message.
As of 11am ET on Wednesday, the X post received more than 130 comments, with the vast majority disapproving of the content.
A Huge Spike in Views
The post – which was deleted from Atlanta Airportâs feed around 11:30am ET on Wednesday – was viewed more than 500,000 times. For context, a typical X post from the airport receives between four and six thousand views.
Even messages shared during periods of severe disruption typically receive views in the tens of thousands. For example, a post published during the peak of Deltaâs CrowdStrike meltdown in July has been seen 51,000 times – just a tenth of Tuesdayâs original post.
âCould ya keep the corporate sloganeering out of the condolence message?â read one response, while another asked âThink if McDonald’s released a statement about employee deaths and said âI’m loving it.â That’s what you did, Atlanta Airport. WTF?â
Ain’t no way you just used a pun in a post about two of your employees dying
— Jorge (@Jorgemycete) August 28, 2024
A further user queried if AI could have offered a more fitting response to the tragedy: âI’m sorry but it is highly inappropriate to put a slogan right next to the condolence message. If you’re this lazy, at least a ChatGPT check would have saved you.â
This is a horrible post. You should be ashamed. Two men went to work this morning and won’t be returning home to their families. To use this slogan in the way you did is horrific. Shame on you.
— Jack Moers (@Jack_Moers) August 27, 2024
For its part, Delta shared a short statement on Tuesday following the accident: âThe Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of two team members and the injury of another following an incident this morning at the Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility. We have extended our full support to family members and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.â
How Have Atlanta Airport and Delta Responded?
An updated X post has been published by the airport, removing the reference to Delta’s slogan.
In a statement to Skift, Elise Durham, the airport’s assistant general manager, Marketing and Communications said the original post was “an effort to convey sympathy; while also noting the obvious resilience it will take for the Delta Air Lines team to come back from a tragic accident such as this.”
Durham described the use of the Delta slogan as a mistake, acknowledging that the reference was “offensive to some.”
“We view ourselves as one team at the busiest airport in the world, and I am sure our partners understood the sentiment. However, I missed the mark on this one and take full responsibility,â she added.
A Delta Air Lines spokesperson told Skift: “Sometimes during a crisis it’s difficult to find the perfect words, and while acknowledgement is important, actions are even more important. Huge thanks to our friends at ATL [Atlanta Airport] for their rapid response during our employees’ critical time of need.”
This story has been updated to reflect that the original X post has been removed.
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