Delta Air Lines announced the departure of its chief operating officer, Michael Spanos, after just over a year with the company. Spanos, who previously worked at PepsiCo and Six Flags Entertainment, is set to leave next week to pursue another job. The reason for his departure was not disclosed, but Spanos will receive severance benefits as per the company’s plan for officers and directors. Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated that Spanos had informed him of his decision earlier in the summer, before the recent technology outage that caused significant flight cancellations.
Spanos played a key role in improving Delta’s performance during his time with the company. However, the airline does not plan to appoint a new chief operating officer to replace him. This decision indicates that President Glen Hauenstein is likely to continue overseeing the day-to-day operations at Delta. The departure of Spanos comes after Delta experienced a major setback due to a global technology outage caused by an issue with software upgrades provided by CrowdStrike for computers running on Microsoft Windows.
While many other U.S. carriers were able to recover from the technology outage relatively quickly, Delta faced significant challenges and ended up canceling around 7,000 flights over a five-day period. The airline struggled to reposition its crews and match them with available planes, resulting in widespread disruptions for passengers. The U.S. Transportation Department is currently investigating the incident, and Delta is seeking $500 million in damages from CrowdStrike and Microsoft. Both tech companies have denied Delta’s allegations and claim that the airline rejected their assistance and made misleading statements.
The departure of Spanos raises questions about the leadership structure at Delta and how the company plans to address the challenges it faced during the recent technology outage. The decision not to name a new chief operating officer suggests that the airline may be restructuring its executive team to adapt to the evolving business environment. With the ongoing investigation and legal battle with CrowdStrike and Microsoft, Delta will need to focus on rebuilding its reputation and ensuring the reliability of its operations to regain the trust of customers and stakeholders. Only time will tell how the airline navigates these challenges and moves forward under new leadership.
