Delta Air Lines Faces Federal Probe After Ground Incident at Atlanta Airport

Delta Air Lines is facing a federal probe after a ground incident that took place at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Delta directly addressed the issue in a statement posted to its website on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The airline claimed that the wing of an Airbus A350 "made contact" with the tail of an Endeavor Air CRJ-900 while on the runway. No one was injured in the collision, and customers were subsequently returned to the gate where they were placed on other flights.

"Delta is cooperating with the NTSB and other authorities on this incident," the airline stated. "We apologize to our customers for the experience. No customer or crew member injuries were reported, and operations continued as normal at the Atlanta airport. Delta’s TechOps teams have relocated the aircraft to maintenance hangars for evaluation."

Reuters has confirmed that federal investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been dispatched to investigate the scene.

Delta's Latest Federal Investigation

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is accusing several airlines, including Delta Air Lines, of undervaluing the points that its customers have accrued through their loyalty programs.

According to Bloomberg, there is criticism directed toward the rewards systems also offered by American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. The DOT has sought reports and extensive information on the airlines' programs in order to comprehend how customers "are impacted by the devaluation of earned rewards, hidden or dynamic pricing, extra fees, and reduced competition and choice," the statement reads.

“Many Americans view their rewards points balances as part of their savings,” Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the statement. “But unlike a traditional savings account, these rewards are controlled by a company that can unilaterally change their value.”

With American Express Co.'s credit card partnership, Delta claimed $6.8 billion in revenue in 2023. It expects this sum to increase by 10% this year and reach $10 billion in the future. American Airlines disclosed that in 2023, it received $5.2 billion in cash from its co-branded credit card and other partners.

Buttigieg stated in a May joint meeting with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that he was concerned about co-branded credit cards and reward systems that allow passengers to earn points for purchases.

The two main issues he raised at the time were that airlines were changing their reward programs to make it more difficult for customers to accrue points, which backfired on Delta when it was forced to reevaluate a 2023 revamp after receiving a flurry of complaints, and that the programs might be administered in a way that was meant “to block the entry or growth of smaller airline competitors.”