Delta’s meltdown stings MSP travelers, but they’re still loyal

Twin Cities travelers are usually lucky to live in a hub for Delta, but the airline's ongoing meltdown has been extra painful at MSP Airport, where the airline has a 70% market share.

Why it matters: Delta flyers pay a premium for an airline that's supposed to shield them from big problems, but that's not the case for countless Minnesotans who in the past six days have been stranded in other cities, slept in terminals, searched for luggage, and called off vacations.

The latest: Delta's CEO told employees on Monday that it could take until Thursday before the worst is over, according to Reuters.

• Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation has opened an investigation into the airline to make sure it's following the law and taking care of its passengers, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.

By the numbers: Delta had canceled more than 5,000 flights as of Tuesday morning, which is more than it did in all of 2018 and 2019 combined, according to Thrifty Traveler.

• While most other airlines are back to normal after Friday's IT glitch, Delta is still dealing with a crew scheduling software problem and canceled 1,159 flights on Monday and 467 by Tuesday afternoon, according to FlightAware.

State of play: MSP has seen more cancellations since Saturday than any other airport besides Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Delta's home base.

Zoom in: Kelly Beadle was stuck in Boston for three days after her Sunday afternoon Delta flight back to MSP was canceled. She told Axios she was lucky enough to have friends to stay with, but booked a backup flight on Sun Country just in case her rescheduled flight on Tuesday was called off.

Between the lines: Delta has faced a challenging 12 months of publicity after overhauling its rewards program last fall, frustrating loyal customers who now find it more difficult to earn status and miles.

Yes, but: Don't expect the recent events to prompt Delta loyalists to jump ship, said Kyle Potter, editor of Thrifty Traveler.

• "There are more choices than ever at MSP, but Delta is still the biggest game in town. By far."

What they're saying: While the meltdown made Beadle question Delta's internal operations, she's sticking with it.

• "Being a huge airline cuts both ways — you can get lots of places but when problems happen, there are huge impacts."

Joel Chechik's Sunday evening flight to Phoenix was delayed several times before he finally canceled. Now he's hoping to get there today for a mandatory work trip.

• The longtime Delta business traveler said it's impossible to beat Delta's volume of direct flight options at MSP so he will remain with them.

The bottom line: Delta has been the most on-time airline in the U.S. for several years in a row.

• As Chechik noted, almost every competitor has had some kind of meltdown in recent years.