I think Delta has way overreacted.

In what was probably a decision made on "protect the brand" and legal advice, they've opened up a wound in their image that will be VERY difficult to heal.

Simonetti's already got a lawyer and a PR rep. She's got 5,000 hits on Google on her name.

Delta's already teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. How much cost assocated with an unnecessary wrongful-dismissal suit will there be before cranky shareholders say it's too much?

My two cents.

Companies have to understand that a lil naughty publicity like this can actually be good for them; cos while they are busy protecting their pretty images, others like Virgin are actually using their naughtiness(which is pretty normal... considering popularity of serials like Mile High) to their advantage!

thinking,
Werner

Good publicity, bad publicity -- either way it was FREE and Delta needs all the help they can get if they are to stay aloft.

Hands slapped and advice to lose the website with references to Delta would have been appropriate. Didn't Delta's human resource department realize the publicity that would follow firing the stewardess would not necessarily be flattering. Their timing is way off too, what with the negotiations taking place re their wage woes.

It's a good thing that Queen of the Sky didn't pen her handle as Delta Dawn, but then again if she had it would seem to me that she would be due royalties for a shrewd advertising campaign.

Firing someone for just those pics is unjustified, IMHO.
The only redeeming point would be, if this was part of a larger pattern of irresponsible behavior / attitude. We don't know if this is the case.

Its quite likely the execs at Delta have too many sticks up their A$$es.. They just saw red and acted in rage and arrogance.
At best they could've made positive publicity from it; at worst, they should've administered a slap on the wrist, explained their stand and have her to remove those pics.
She should've posed in street-clothes to begin with, rather than a uniform..

One thing is clear, when it comes to handling PR, Delta is defintely not a Fast Company.

As more and more of our lives and emotional and social attachments occur at work, it is inevitable that our personalities will become more visible as well. This is a good thing, humanizing the corporation, and making us better employees. To me it seems Delt a made a mistake, and hopefully a big noisy one. Keep trying to shove employees into little grey boxes and soon no one can think outside of one. What would Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines have done?

Just shows that Delta is run by a bunch of fools. Stupid people do stupid things. Delta overreacted and I hope they have to pay big for this as an example to other companies.

Regardless of what you may think of the photos, what lines should be drawn, if any, between your work and personal life? Considering how the two seem more enmeshed than ever, do you think Delta overreacted? What would you have done?

It's a good thing that Queen of the Sky didn't pen her handle as Delta Dawn, but then again if she had it would seem to me that she would be due royalties for a shrewd advertising campaign.

As more and more of our lives and emotional and social attachments occur at work, it is inevitable that our personalities will become more visible as well. This is a good thing, humanizing the corporation, and making us better employees. To me it seems Delt a made a mistake