With Atlanta’s latest snow and sleet encounter over, weary travelers whose flights were canceled are getting back in the air Thursday and on to their destinations.
But airlines’ work to rebook passengers begins days before a storm ever hits.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and Dallas-based Southwest, the two largest carriers in Atlanta, start planning in advance of storms and issued “waivers” before this week’s arrived, encouraging travelers to reschedule travel before or after without a change fee. Getting the waivers out early enough enables some travelers to fly a day early and beat any cancellations.
Airlines years ago began “proactive cancellations” of flights to help managers better prepare for a storm, keep travelers from going to the airport and allow for smoother recovery to full operation.
Delta started planning about three-and-a-half days before this week’s weather, issuing waivers and canceling flights ahead of the storm, spokesman Morgan Durrant said.
A proprietary software system known inside Delta as “VIPER” — which stands for virtual inconvenienced passenger expedited reprotection — communicates with other systems, including the airline’s booking system. It shows what flights are available, and VIPER runs a query to figure out what itinerary is best for each customer.
Shortly after VIPER launched in 2013, Delta CEO Richard Anderson told employees, “Our goal is to get [customers] to their destination as soon as possible.” The system also recognizes and transfers “special service” remarks made in reservations for things such as wheelchairs and re-assigned seats, he said.
In the case of a storm in Atlanta, many passengers scheduled to connect at Hartsfield-Jackson are rerouted through another hub. If that’s not possible, VIPER “really comes up with some interesting routings,” including connections at cities that are not Delta hubs, Durrant said. If there is still nothing available on Delta, VIPER will look to other carriers that will re-accommodate Delta passengers under agreements designed for such situations.
VIPER communicates the new itinerary to Delta’s customer notification system, which can e-mail or call the flier using contact information on file. Travelers who book flights through online travel agencies like Orbitz may not have that information on file. They can file their information with Delta separately, or check online to see if their flight was canceled and what their new itinerary might be.
If the new itinerary doesn’t meet a flier’s needs, many phone Delta call centers, and complaints often light up Twitter about long hold times. Durrant said travelers can handle their re-booking online or request a call back, though some customers may have an urgent need or complex itinerary that requires a conversation.
All told, more than 500 Atlanta flights were canceled Wednesday, with about 100 more Delta flights canceled Thursday morning. Durrant said customers should be re-accommodated by the end of the day Thursday.
