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Delta wants its money back after Atlanta airport blackout

Posted at 11:07 AM, Dec 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-20 11:07:06-05

The big power outage at the Atlanta airport cost Delta as much as $50 million -- and the CEO wants the money back.

CEO Ed Bastian told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he wants the airport or Georgia Power to reimburse the airline. The blackout crippled the world's busiest airport on Sunday and forced the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights, including hundreds of Delta flights.

"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," Bastian told the newspaper on Tuesday.

He estimated Delta may have lost $25 million to $50 million in revenue. Delta confirmed Bastian's comments to CNNMoney on Wednesday.

Mayor Kasim Reed has said the outage started with a fire in a Georgia Power underground electrical facility. The outage crippled the airport for nearly 11 hours. Thousands of travelers were stuck in dark terminals or stranded on the tarmac.

The airport and Georgia Power did not immediately respond to requests from CNNMoney for comment.