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Brand Strategy

Delta's 'No Fly' List: A New Standard for Reputation Management

October 5, 2021 | by Kristen Kalupski
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Delta Air Lines is setting a new standard for brand and reputation management. Click here to learn more.

Delta Air lines recently made headlines by publishing on its website a request for other airlines to share their “no fly” lists of unruly passengers banned from flying on their carriers. Delta said that it has more than 1,600 people on its own “no fly” list, and that if other airlines also shared theirs with each other, they could collaborate to protect the safety of passengers and employees regardless of which carrier passengers choose. This is an example of how a corporation can build trust through reputation management – with all its audiences, foremost passengers and employees. 

What Delta Announced 

On September 23, Delta published a post on its website announcing that it had sent two memos internally “as a reminder of Delta’s commitment to creating a culture of safety for every employee.” In the post, Delta published the memos in their entirety. Both of them discuss highly publicized incidents of passenger misbehavior occurring on airlines in recent months. Delta also spelled out actions it is taking to protect passengers and flight crews: 

At Delta, we now have more than 1,600 people on our “no fly” list, and we’ve submitted more than 600 banned names to the FAA in 2021 as part of their Special Emphasis Enforcement Program. We’ve also asked other airlines to share their “no fly” list to further protect airline employees across the industry – something we know is top of mind for employees as well. A list of banned customers doesn’t work as well if that customer can fly with another airline. 

This is a well-timed move. A recently published CNN article, “Inside the Violent World of Flight Attendants,” discusses just how physically dangerous the job of flight attendant can be thanks to passengers who misbehave. The article noted that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has issued more than $1 million in fines to unruly airline passengers so far in 2021. 

Even still, Delta needed to manage this communication carefully lest the carrier sound like it is declaring war on all its passengers. One of the employee memos mentioned prominently that “most interactions with our customers are positive and seamless” while stating without reservation that unruly behavior will not be tolerated. Delta went on to: 

  • Cite specific examples of how dangerous unruly passengers can be to the health and safety of employees.  
  • Identify steps the airline is taking to improve safety. In addition to encouraging other airlines to share their “no fly” lists, Delta said it will continue to band misbehaving passengers and work with law enforcement authorities to bring people “to ensure these incidents are investigated and prosecuted as the law allows.” Delta said it is also expanding mental health support programs to help employees traumatized by in-flight incidents. 

In doing so, Delta made its communication more credible. 

The publication of the memos taps into a larger trend of businesses pushing back when customers misbehave. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, hotels and restaurant employees are setting tougher ground rules for dealing with rude customers. Instacart workers recently threatened to walk off their jobs partly because of rude customer behavior. By striking a nerve, Delta sparked a wave of news coverage and public conversation about the health and safety risks that inappropriate customer behavior causes, an example being this sympathetic New York Times article that noted the number of passenger incidents in 2021 alone is on course to surpass the total reported in the history of aviation. 

Delta Air Lines Builds Trust 

Delta Air Lines is doing a masterful job managing its brand narrative in several ways, such as: 

  • Reputation management. Delta is proactively managing its reputation rather than playing defense. In our recently published report, Building Trust through the 4Rs: Responsibility, Reputation, Reach, and Recruitment, our own marketing and communications experts agree that businesses that go on the offense with reputation management fare better than those that lurch from one negative incident to the next. Delta is taking a stand rather than lurch from one negative story to the next (and there have been plenty of negative stories about unsafe conditions on airplanes recently). In addition, Delta is minding its reputation with passengers. Delta is really addressing most passengers who simply want a safe flight experience free of drama. In effect, Delta is saying, “We agree with you. And we’re taking steps to keep flying safe – and not just on Delta.” 
  • Recruitment and retention. Delta has sent a strong message that it values its people. Spelling out specific actions such as investing in more mental health resources shows that Delta will back its words with actions. At a time when employers everywhere are scrambling to attract and keep employees, Delta has sent an important statement: we value our people. As Luke Bishop, vice president of Strategic Growth at Investis Digital, said in Building Trust through the 4Rs, “Employers are learning how to be more mindful to their people, and they need to talk about how they are doing that so that job seekers understand the progress they are making.” 
  • Transparency: it is significant that Delta published two internal memos in their entirety. It’s so often the case that internal memos become public when employees leak them. Not this time. Delta’s own communications team did the job in an obviously carefully orchestrated outreach. Publishing the memos sends a message that Delta’s public stance is consistent with its internal culture and corporate values of “honesty, integrity, respect, perseverance, and servant leadership.”  
  • Management of its narrative. Publishing Delta’s stance on its corporate website is important. By using its website as home base, Delta extends more control over its story. In an increasingly digital-first world, websites are essential owned media for any brand to tell its story. Social media, public relations, and paid media certainly amplify the story – but a brand needs to establish its narrative first on its home turf.  Reputation management creates tremendous opportunities for a brand. It’s not just about responding to a crisis: it’s also about the opportunity to create a stronger connection with your audience by telling your story. 

Time will tell whether more businesses will follow Delta’s lead and take a more aggressive stance at a corporate level against unacceptable customer behavior. This action is not taken lightly, and businesses need to pay close attention to considerations such as tone and transparency. But proactive reputation management, when done well, is a powerful way to build trust. 

Learn more about effective reputation management in our report, Building Trust through the 4Rs. 

Contact Investis Digital 

Investis Digital helps businesses build trust with all their audiences through an approach known as Connected Content, in which we align all aspects of a brand’s narrative with its values and culture. To learn more, contact us.