Summary Delta Air Lines COO Mike Spanos is leaving after just 15 months, prompting $500 million in losses from recent disruptions. Spanos helped reduce staff injuries at Delta, but the airline is now seeking compensation due to the CrowdStrike outage. The airline will not immediately replace Spanos, with TechOps President and Chief Experience Officer reporting directly to the CEO.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines will see its current Chief Operating Officer leave by the end of the month, the airline confirmed in a securities filing on Friday. The current CEO, Ed Bastian , noted in an employee memo to the airline employees that Mike Spanos, the current COO, is taking a new job at another company. 15 months with the carrier Spanos' departure comes after he spent just 15 months on the job at the SkyTeam carrier and only weeks after the airline suffered a meltdown following the massive CrowdStrike outage in July.
Delta Air Lines is already estimating that the disruptions have caused around $500 million in losses, and it plans to seek compensation from both CrowdStrike and Microsoft. Bastian has been open about Spanos' imminent departure, noting that the COO had confirmed earlier in the summer that he was considering opportunities outside Delta Air Lines. At present, Delta does not have immediate plans to replace Spanos, and the President of TechOps (John Laughter, and Chief Experience Officer, Allison Ausband, will now report directly to the CEO.
Spanos, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, joined the Delta team in May 2023 after serving as Chief Executive Officer at Six Flags Entertainment and 25 years in leadership roles at PepsiCo and Pepsi Bottling Group.
The initiative is designed to relieve younger passengers' boredom while they wait for their flight. Get all the latest airline route news right here Departing by the end of August Spanos will depart Delta effective August 31 and is expected to receive the benefits provided to all officers and directors within the severance and compensation plan. Last year alone, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer , Spanos received $8.
6 million in compensation, mostly in stock rewards. Under Spanos' leadership, Bastian confirmed in the company memo that Delta has seen a significant reduction in staff injuries throughout the first quarter of 2024, reiterating his contributions to the airline's prioritizing of safety.: “Since joining Delta, Mike immersed himself with our frontline teams, prioritizing safety first and always.
Under Mike’s leadership, he has helped to advance Delta’s performance over the past year, and we continue to lead the industry across all operating metrics.” Did you know we also have an aviation YouTube channel here? CrowdStrike meltdown Delta will seek $500 million in damages from CrowdStrike and Microsoft following July's IT meltdown. The airline was forced to cancel around 7,000 flights over five days.
Delays and cancellations were unavoidable as the airline struggled to reposition crews and repatriate stranded passengers while ensuring the availability of aircraft. The US Transportation Department is thoroughly investigating the meltdown. However, tech companies have continued to insist that Delta refused help and is making misleading claims .
The law firm's investigation follows several lawsuits and legal actions that began after the week-long operational meltdown at Delta Air Lines..
