Is Delta Planning to Erase Flight 253?

There has been speculation that Delta Air Lines could be scrapping Flight 253 -- the flight number, that is -- so as not to remind people of the Christmas day incident involving Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, who attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear on the Amsterdam-Detroit flight. The alleged explosive failed to detonate.

When asked by Ellen Creager of the Detroit Free Press whether Delta plans to retire the Flight 253 number, a Delta spokeswoman denied any immediate plans. However, a change would be easy enough, because before Oct. 24 the flight was known as Northwest Flight 67 and Delta could easily change it back.

Whether or not it plans to recall the flight number, Delta also announced it will give passengers on Northwest Flight 253 travel credits for future flights and extended gratitude to a Dutch passenger who threw himself on top of the alleged bomber. No word on if Delta plans on giving him more than a a few travel credits for his trouble.

I wouldn't fault Delta if it planned on scrapping a flight number to lessen the bad press an alleged bomber caused for the airline. Aside from industry watchers, the general public would barely notice and an easy erasure may prove more profitable than passengers' uneasy feeling when they look at their flight number.

I also think Delta was wise to do something to assuage any ill will that passengers could feel towards the airline by giving them travel credits. It would have been better press to give them to passengers at the end of the Christmas Day flight, but I understand with the holidays it's hard to get that kind of approval (although a terrorist act is usually enough to get the CEO on the phone.) In short, Delta is working on repairing the damage to its brand and its name and perhaps other airlines can learn from the experience.