“It was an incredible feeling of pride for what
we had all accomplished,” said Macenczack.
The accomplishment – successfully emerging
from Chapter 11 within 19 months – has
become an instant case study for business
schools across the country. But the road to
recovery did not come without some challenges.
“Bankruptcy is a vicious and ugly process and it
had negative impact on a lot of people, from our employees
and retirees to some of our vendors,” said Macenczack.
Additionally, he said that while Delta knew the direction it
needed to go, one of the more challenging propositions was
keeping everyone focused. “There were so many distractions
that needed attention, it was sometimes difficult to keep
moving ahead,” he said. “At the time that we were forced to
file, we had already begun to restructure the company, but we
needed to rekindle the spirit of our people and the passion for
service because we knew that if we didn’t have that, we would
not be able to succeed.” Perhaps one of the more significant
distractions that worked in the company’s favor was the
hostile takeover bid by US Airways. While this could have had
a negative impact on morale, Macenczack said that it actually
worked to bring the Delta family closer together and more
determined to stay an independent carrier.
REINVENTING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
In order for Delta to win back customers and regain their
loyalty, the company had to reinvent itself. “We knew that it was
vital to our success to transform the customer
experience, because if we deliver in our everyday
operation – booking tickets, getting the bags there,
and improving our on-time performance – and
we do those things reliably, then we’re going to
win customer loyalty over the long term,” said
Macenczack.
Office of Communications and External Affairs
Robinson College of Business,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Tel: 404-413-7080; Fax: 404-413-7076; E-mail: External Affairs
“Bankruptcy is a vicious and ugly process and it
had negative impact on a lot of people, from our employees
and retirees to some of our vendors,” said Macenczack.
Additionally, he said that while Delta knew the direction it
needed to go, one of the more challenging propositions was
keeping everyone focused. “There were so many distractions
that needed attention, it was sometimes difficult to keep
moving ahead,” he said. “At the time that we were forced to
file, we had already begun to restructure the company, but we
needed to rekindle the spirit of our people and the passion for
service because we knew that if we didn’t have that, we would
not be able to succeed.” Perhaps one of the more significant
distractions that worked in the company’s favor was the
hostile takeover bid by US Airways. While this could have had
a negative impact on morale, Macenczack said that it actually
worked to bring the Delta family closer together and more
determined to stay an independent carrier.
In order for Delta to win back customers and regain their
loyalty, the company had to reinvent itself. “We knew that it was
vital to our success to transform the customer
experience, because if we deliver in our everyday
operation – booking tickets, getting the bags there,
and improving our on-time performance – and
we do those things reliably, then we’re going to
win customer loyalty over the long term,” said
Macenczack.
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