Delta CEO to seek repayment of lost revenue in airport power outage

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said he found it "shocking" that it took nearly 12 hours to get the power back on at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport -- and he plans to seek compensation for the airline's lost revenue.

"We will certainly be seeking the opportunity to have a conversation, and then seek reimbursement," Bastian said during an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at a Delta 747 farewell event Tuesday evening. "I don't know whose responsibility it is between the airport and Georgia Power, but we're going to have conversations with both of them."

Fire officials said a failure caused a spark to some insulation that spread the fire

Bastian said the airline may have lost $25 million to $50 million of revenue as a result of the power outage that hit the world's busiest airport on Sunday. That doesn't include additional costs incurred by Delta, which canceled 1,400 flights and is reimbursing passengers for Sunday night hotel stays.

"We have a lot of people at the start of the business week that didn't take their trips" because of the outage, Bastian said.

MYAJC.COM: REAL JOURNALISM. REAL LOCAL IMPACT.

AJC Business reporter Kelly Yamanouchi keeps you updated on the latest news about Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Delta Air Lines and the airline industry in metro Atlanta and beyond. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

Never miss a minute of what's happening in local business news. Subscribe to myAJC.com.

— Stay up to date on the latest news on Atlanta airline travel by following Atlanta Airport News Now on Facebook.

About the Author

Atlanta air traffic controllers turning to DoorDash, Uber to make ends meet

Members of the air traffic controllers union are distributing leaflets about the shutdown’s effects at nearly two dozen airports to raise awareness, including Atlanta.

See video police say shows ex-PSC candidate Durand taking Georgia Power secrets

Patty Durand has long criticized Georgia Power for concealing information under the cloak of trade secret about various initiatives and requests of state regulators.