Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, flew to Paris for the Olympics even as his airline is under investigation as it struggles to recover from the effects of a global tech outage last week.
Bastian arrived in Paris on Wednesday morning for the opening of the Olympics. Bastian flew to Paris on a Delta commercial flight---which is the official airline of the US Olympic Team, according to CNN Business, citing a statement from the company.
Bastian's flight to Paris happened as Delta struggled to recover from a five-day meltdown caused by a tech outage due to a faulty security update rolled out by Crowdstrike. The meltdown led to thousands of canceled and delayed flights, leaving half a million customers stranded in airports.
It also came after the US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it launched an investigation into Delta over "unacceptable customer service conditions" and continued disruptions.
"[The DOT] has opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. "All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly and I will make sure that right is upheld."
What Delta Said About the Trip
In a statement, a Delta spokesman said Bastian "delayed" the trip to Paris until he was confident the airline was "on the path to recovery."
"Ed delayed this long-planned business trip until he was confident the airline was firmly on the path to recovery. As of Wednesday morning, Delta's operations were returning to normal. Ed remains fully engaged with senior operations leaders," the statement read, per ABC News.
In response to the statement, the Delta Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) organizing committee slammed Bastian for flying to Paris instead of taking accountability. AFA is a union seeking to win the right to represent flight attendants on Delta's mainline flights. The union currently represents flight attendants on Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air.
"While Ed was flying to Paris last night, crew were sleeping in airports across the country. Flight Attendants expect an apology and accountability. We provided a roadmap to recovery and care for the affected crew members," the union said in a statement, as cited by CNN.
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