Machu Picchu - Scenic Shot

Hey ‘Professional’ Travel Bloggers – Have you Apologized to Delta yet?

Once again the travel blogging industry was whipped into a frenzy recently after an image appeared on the Delta Airlines Facebook page.

Friday morning, Delta Airlines posted an image of a funny, or scary, Llama in front of Machu Picchu as a way to promote their Atlanta to Lima flights. The post generated positive comments at first, but then about five hours after it was posted, the travel blogger who took the photo chimed in with the following comment.

Delta Facebook - Erica Kuschel

 

Now that should have been the end of the story. They take their dialogue private, determine how their image arrived on that page, then move on and both live happily ever after. However it wasn’t, partially thanks to a tweet and Facebook post (since deleted / hidden) that the travel blogger sent out:

Travel Blogger Fury

 

I watched the Delta post turn into a one-sided battleground as the day progressed. Every story has two-sides to it, right? so I waited for Delta Airlines to provide a response of their own before making any judgements, others were not so patient.

It seems that ‘expect me to contact you shortly’ really meant – ‘I am going to unleash the wrath of the travel blogger community on you and smear your name in the mud’. Within 13 minutes of their post, other travel bloggers chimed in, crying foul and telling Delta they should be ashamed for using this image without permission, some people even accusing Delta Airlines of stealing the image.

A few of my favourite Facebook and Twitter comments are below, one thing I found troubling was that nobody seemed to bother to do their own research into the situation, to see if there was any way whatsoever that Delta could have used the image legitimately. Many of these comments are Founding Members of the newly formed Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA), who are supposed to act professionally and maintain accuracy with their information.

Sadly, it’s moments like these that can easily have professional journalists snickering at the travel blogging industry, not to mention companies and tourist boards re-considering if working with travel bloggers is really worth the hassle.

DeltaFB-Laura's Fury

DeltaFB-Kate's Fury

DeltaFB-Nomadic Matt's Fury

DeltaFB-Troy's Fury

DeltaFB-Amber's Fury

DeltaFB-Brendan's Fury

DeltaFB-Dani's Fury

DeltaFB-Lauren's Fury

DeltaFB-Aus Fury

Twitter-Craig's Fury

BMVSFB-Brendan's Fury

Twitter-Ryan's Fury

AKFB-Kate's Fury

trvlFB-Travelbllgr's Fury

 

The list of negative comments goes on and on (those last two crack me up, are Kate and Travelbllgr the same person?). Some of these people I don’t know and have never heard of, but others are well known in the online travel world, even respected by some. This is the part that saddens me most, especially the PTBA Founding Members, who are not upholding the code of ethics they are supposed to represent. Instead they’ve taken a lemming-like mentality that permeates our constant communication, instant gratification world.

Yes, the majority of the blame of course lies on the shoulders of Erica Kuschel over at Over Yonderlust, who failed to check into the issue before seeking vengeance. In reality it should have been a happy moment for Over Yonderlust and, if handled appropriately, may have resulted in them getting some extra exposure and credit from Delta. But, everyone else who came out with guns ‘a blazing has done their own part in giving potential industry partners the wrong signal.

If anyone took the time to think about the scenario, it should seem improbable that an organization like Delta would be so foolish to hijack or steal someone’s image. Maybe a bit of fact-checking was needed? Indeed, after some time, Delta provided the following response, stating that they had indeed purchased the image from Getty Images – check out the link yourself.

DeltaFB-response

 

Funny enough though, even after this response, the bashing of Delta continued both on Facebook and Twitter.

Now, it is four days later, and Over Yonderlust hasn’t acknowledged any wrong-doing whatsoever. They did remove their two Facebook posts however. These are some of their last mentions of the issue:

DeltaFB-Disconnect

Twitter-OY-ChillOut

Twitter-OY-Payment

 

Now, I’m no expert on Stock Photography, but if I sign an agreement with a company like Getty, who may license out my image to virtually any person or company out there, I would be pretty sure to do some due diligence before starting any kind of public bashing about someone using my photos. Some people are pissed off that Erica didn’t get any credit for the image, others are mad that she hasn’t been paid and many think she should have received both. Thankfully a few people saw it with a more level-headed approach:

It’s a troubling situation that almost every person who calls themselves a travel blogger is struggling to make money. This desperation is what, in my opinion, partially leads to these type of outbursts on social media and travel blog forums.

But, how often do you see a name credit on a stock photo? Almost never. How quickly do you get paid for stock photos? Not immediately. Take a look at the basic Getty producer agreement detailsIt clearly states that what they sell for you this month, will appear on your statement next month, and you’ll get paid in two months. I don’t know if this is the type of agreement Erica has with Getty, but I would hope she knows what her agreement terms are. Some other people share this same sentiment:

DeltaFB-Erik

DeltaFB-Martha

OYBFB-AlanandFelipe

BMVSFB-Brendan

 

Knowing that the people at Over Yonderlust have had an agreement in place with Getty for some time, their initial statement that Delta was using their image without permission has no credibility. Then following up on comments later, stating that the issue as they haven’t been paid yet is, again, not an issue – they’ll get payment when the terms of their agreement warrants it. It’s quite inexcusable to have your images available for purchase through an agency, then bash the end-users who pay for them.

Above that, we’re not just dealing with a new member in the travel blogging industry either, this is someone that has a following, just like many of the people who posted comments in the Delta Facebook post. In fact, Over Yonderlust are also a Founding Members of the previously mentioned Professional Travel Bloggers Association.

A month or two ago I considered joining the new Professional Travel Bloggers Association as its premise seemed solid. Giving legitimacy to the travel blogging industry by promoting professionalism and strengthening relationships with the travel industry. Their code of ethics is an inspiring treat to read and asserts that their members will always: strive for accuracy (not in this case), be accountable (perhaps if they all apologize), respect intellectual property (a bit too aggressively?), act civil and dignified without personal attacks (is it ok to attack companies though?) and be professional.

Ooops, sorry Delta, I guess the PTBA didn’t think you’d mind if their Founding Members publicly bashed you. Do you still want to join the PTBA as an industry member? No hard feelings, right?

If I were Delta, I’d be left with a very sour taste in my mouth after this entire fiasco. Giving them credit, the travel blogger who started it all does seem genuinely concerned about the outcome. While they did ask other travel bloggers to ‘calm down’, I think the wording of these messages (and deleting their Facebook posts) lacks accountability on their part.

The damage has been done. Even so, I only count two people who have seemingly sent any type of apology to Delta for this debacle. I guess most others are happy to just carry on as if nothing happened.

Twitter-Dani-Apology

DeltaFB-Cheri-Apology

 

I suspect few, if any others will apologize to Delta, and I’m apparently not the only one who thinks they deserve better. A few people out there agree that apologies are needed here. Kudos to a select few other travel bloggers out there too who kept a clear perspective and refrained from commenting until they had more information.

OYBFB-Lynn

DeltaFB-Alan

 

Perhaps the PTBA isn’t a total loss, but then what do you do with the members who acted against the entire foundation of the association? Do you ban them? Is this post an over-reaction to an over-reaction? Possibly. Does the PTBA release a public apology to Delta on behalf of their members who acted out of line? Or do they ignore the issue and pretend it never happened, sending a signal that it doesn’t really matter how their members (and Founding Members) act on their behalf, following their code of ethics is merely a suggestion.

I know I’ll be curiously watching how developments with the PTBA unfold in coming months as they have elections to create a Board of Directors. The results of such elections could heavily influence my opinion on whether or not the association can, and will, be able to achieve the goals it has outlined for itself.

Becoming a professional in any field isn’t something that should be taken lightly. You’re not just in it for yourself, you’re in it for the betterment of the entire industry. What you do affects others both positively and negatively. It goes far beyond putting another badge on your blog or a promotional line in your media kit when you’re pitching for a free press trip. So come on now guys and girls, it’s time for you all to swallow some of your pride and own up and apologize to Delta and your fellow travel bloggers.

As for Delta, you have to give them credit for being calm and concerned about the situation once it was brought to their attention. While they could have possibly reacted faster, they took the right path, something that the non-lemming posters on Facebook appreciated.

If you got ensnared in this debacle, feel free to drop me a line here and chat about your thoughts on how these types of actions and reactions impact the effectiveness of an organization like the PTBA. To anyone mentioned in this post who has since apologized for or retracted their comments, good on you!

32 thoughts on “Hey ‘Professional’ Travel Bloggers – Have you Apologized to Delta yet?”

    1. Hey Beatrice! It’s amazing how supportive the community is. When it comes to positive things, it’s such a great, responsive group…when it comes to potentially negative things, perhaps stopping to think is the best first step.

  1. I guess this is a giant lesson to all. With all the theft from content scraping sites lately and a couple of large companies using photos (of or taken by their product) – without credit – on Facebook, people in the travel realm are already amped up to lash out at ANY mention of theft.

    And yes, I did apologize to Delta immediately on Twitter, but feel like I should write them a personal letter apologizing as well. (Well, email. I’m traveling).
    Dani Blanchette recently posted..Semana Santa–Colombia

    1. Indeed, big thumbs up to you Dani for *apologizing for* the blogger backlash! I agree there have been some high profile scraping issues lately, it just would’ve been great if the initial reaction here had been positive…the end result would have been so different. (*edited, oops!)

  2. Okay I’ll bite. Obviously Erica made a mistake in this situation and is probably currently sorting it out with Delta. She may even have already apologized to Delta privately. You have no way of knowing what’s going on between her and the company at the moment.

    I agree there is a lesson here for a lot of travel bloggers (including me) about not jumping on the public shaming bandwagon. In the past such campaigns have worked successfully, such as the incident with GoPro and Matthew Karsten. Clearly this was a different situation and the outcome was less beneficial to anyone.

    Honestly though, I think this post is really just further shit-stirring. If you have a problem with these people, why not take a piece of your own advice, and go talk to them yourself?
    Steph recently posted..Italy in Instagram

    1. Hey Steph! Indeed I realized I may just be ‘stirring the pot’ more by posting this. I don’t have a personal problem with anyone listed here, I’ve met and worked with some of them and think they’re all solid people. Hopefully more people did apologize, that would be great!

  3. I wasn’t following this story so it’s interesting to hear how it played out. I’m not surprised people lashed out at Delta. As Dani noted, companies steal photos from bloggers all the time, so it’s easy to understand why bloggers would have a knee-jerk reaction to that. And you’re right that the knee-jerk reaction needs to change.

    Otherwise, though, this article really rubs me the wrong way. I’m sure Delta couldn’t care less what a few bloggers think, so it’s pointless to feel sympathy for them. Big airlines like that never work with bloggers, so your insinuation that they won’t want to join the PTBA after this incident doesn’t make much sense.

    I’m also bothered by the fact that you posted people’s individual tweets and Facebook posts here, in a clear effort to personally embarrass them. That seems rather unprofessional, if you ask me. If you truly wanted to make a point about blogger overreaction, you could have done that without calling out people by name. Not blacking out their names in the screenshots makes you look like you have a personal agenda against your peers.

    Speaking of agendas, I don’t get the inexplicable bashing of the PTBA. Saying the organization might be “a total loss” before it has even begun operations? Using scare quotes around “professional” in the title? Perhaps you should write another post about the problems you have with the PTBA, since it’s obvious that’s the real underlying issue here. Such an article could actually be very constructive and helpful.

    1. Totally agree Scott, I wasn’t surprised by the knee-jerk reaction either, just disappointed. I wrote this post this way on purpose, as a potential ‘over-reaction’ to an ‘over-reaction’. Whether it is Delta today, GoPro yesterday or another company tomorrow isn’t the point. Is it ok then to act this way if you don’t think a company will work with you? Delta joining the PTBA may be a stretch, but any other organization who watched this develop could have the same reservations about the PTBA.
      I admire what the PTBA is setting out to achieve, and hope they succeed in bringing stability and professionalism to a developing industry, but if this is an example of how their members are expected to act, then I have no interest in joining.
      If anyone feels offended by having their name included here, please let me know and I can black it out as Scott suggests. I’m just sharing content that was originally shared to an ever wider audience.

  4. Interesting article. Don’t expect the Professional Travel Bloggers Association to ask you to join anytime some 🙂 Maybe the problem lies in the fact many travel bloggers don’t have business backgrounds. I can understand that many bloggers will be annoyed you posted their tweets, but I think you raise some interesting points. Should bloggers use their following to shame companies….and over the use of just one photo? Time would have sorted this out without all the drama. Anyway, happy to have found your blog
    Mark Shea recently posted..The Way – Camino de Santiago Documentary Film on Youtube

    1. Cheers Mark. Good point about people not having a business background. That would be a big benefit of the PTBA, advising people on business ethics and communications – as a way to change their mindset. Perhaps I look at these issues differently than some as I see it from both sides of the story. I have this travel site and I also work with some travel companies where I am in a position that I can offer free trips to travel bloggers. In those positions I’d love to be able to trust that the PTBA members would be professionals.

  5. Great post Red and I couldn’t agree more.

    I know it’s easy to get swept away when you see something like that, acting without thinking (we’ve all done it) Maybe they saw this as a defining moment to release thier new found “professional” influence.

    What I am surprised to see is the names of a few big time bloggers who just jumped on board. These people have huge communities and the most important virtue of a blogger is truth in their information (in my opinion) I’ve blinded stuck up for a friend who was in the wrong before, simply because he was my friend & that’s my choice (or mistake) but calling on your community to “take up arms” is a bigger mistake.

    Truly happy to see some patience & objectivity from your perspective. Keep it up eh!

    1. Thanks Shaun. I’m no Angel and have had my share of knee-jerk reactions too. It would be great to see some kind of professional movement in the industry in which travel bloggers are accountable for their actions. Perhaps that is the PTBA, perhaps not.

  6. Ouch…Overreact much?

    I guess we should all just sort our issues out offline before taking the fight out in the public. That would have avoided a lot of embarrassment.

    It’s also in our human nature to jump on the bandwagon. I wouldn’t feel bad for Delta though, there’s no need for an apology. They’ve been around for long enough. They can take a bit of heat. 😉
    Natalia | Always Trekking recently posted..Climbing Mount Kinabalu in One Day – Sabah, Malaysia

    1. Thanks Natalia! Taking ownership of your actions, as an individual, or organization, is at the core of why this post was written.
      Not looking for fights here, I actually haven’t shared this post a single time on Facebook or Twitter so people are only finding this through a few comments on other blogs or other people.

  7. Ok, I’m going to have to side with Erica.

    Yes, maybe she could’ve handled it differently but you know what, walk a mile in her shoes. As a photographer, I can tell you images get scraped all the time.

    The real issue here lies with Getty. They have a responsibility to tell the photographer when an image is sold. If someone there had been doing their job correctly then none of this would’ve happened.

    Why is it so wrong for a photographer who feels their work has been stolen to fire back? Huge companies are known for stealing photos and profiting off of them, hence the community support. No one would’ve been surprised. If they had indeed stolen it, then this article would be bad mouthing them, not Erica.

    So why is Erica getting blasted when really it is on Getty’s shoulders? All she did was try to protect herself and her images. In fact, if anything it shows just how influential she is as a blogger.

    I’m certainly sorry that Delta received bad press but really this has nothing to do the PTBA at all, nor is it Erica’s fault. Getty is fully to blame for this lack of communication.
    Bethany recently posted..Join Us Wed. (4/3) on Pinterest to Talk Travel with @ViatorTravel on Pin Up Live!

    1. Hey Bethany, thanks for stopping by. I do think it is wrong for a photographer, writer, anyone to ‘fire back’ at companies if they merely think their work was stolen, instead of knowing for certain.
      I don’t believe Getty is at fault here either. Now I could be wrong here, and please advise me if I am. But is Getty obligated to immediately advise their producers of all sales? It seems they’re only obligated to provide a monthly statement. According to the information I linked to in this article they state the following:

      “How and when will I be paid?

      All sales in a particular month will be detailed in an electronic statement we make available to you approximately 20 days from that month’s end, with the corresponding payment arriving 60 days from months end. So for example, sales made in January will be reported on the February statement and paid in March. By default, you’ll be paid by PayPal. If PayPal is not available in your country, then you will be paid by direct deposit or electric funds transfer to your bank account.”

      I haven’t worked with Getty myself, but I feel you’re jumping to conclusions without knowing what the contractual terms were that Erica agreed to do business with them.

  8. Damn, I remember reading something about this but didn’t realize it had blown up like this! It’s unfortunate but easy, I think, for something like this to get blown out of proportion when it’s posted publically in enormous online groups. Good lesson for everyone not to jump in to take action on something until you know the full story.
    Cassie recently posted..Wild Boar Ramen Movie Night With ForageSF

  9. I was watching as the drama unfolded. I really could not believe it. I felt embarrassed by some of the comments.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Getty Images decided to terminate their contract with the blogger. You cannot go around calling “thief!” to a Getty customer and then expect to be respected. If it was me I would have cancelled her account right then.
    Cristina recently posted..Things To Do in Cape Town: Wildlife Adventures In and Around The Mother City

  10. I have no trouble admitting that I was one of the bloggers that went right after Delta. I’m sorry I did so without looking at the facts. And yes, I deleted my comment. The reason? I was already hot after having an image of mine stolen and used illegally by someone who then refused to take it down just days before. I had an image stolen last year too. I’m a blogger second and a photographer first and I make a living from my art work. To have my work stolen sucks. So when I saw a fellow photographer/blogger seemingly get ripped off I jumped before looking. I’ll own it. We ALL need to investigate first and then make a choice of action. I think that getting ripped off a few times makes you a little edgy tho. Thank you for the excellent write up about the situation.
    Jim O’Donnell recently posted..Living Close to the Land on One Acre – An Interview with Lee Bentley of Magpie Farms

    1. Cheers Jim… that sucks that you’ve had images stolen as a photographer. We all know there are plenty of schemes out there, as services like Tineye and drag-n-drop Google images get more popular at least it will be easier to uncover the real thieves. I’d love to know what approach you took to get your image issues resolved?

  11. Red, if you’d like a reply from the PTBA about any issue in the future before writing about the association, you might want to email us for our position. Our email address is contact@travelbloggersassociation.com.

    Ironic that the point of your post was that Erica didn’t do the proper follow-up with Delta before engaging in this campaign… then you did the same thing with the PTBA before trashing the association in this post.

    1. Thanks for commenting Michael! While I may have had some harsh words here, I’m sure you know I’m not trashing the PTBA itself, just pointing out that some founding members / members weren’t acting in a manner I would see fit of an organization with high standards. If I was a member of the PTBA I would have been ashamed.

      Perhaps you slapped them on the wrist behind closed doors, perhaps no action was taken. I do look forward to watching how the PTBA develops in the long term. If you want to add anything more that you think warrants an update to this post, shoot me an email as I haven’t been following the PTBA very closely the past few months.

  12. I’m responding here because it is 18 months later and a tweet about this post came up in your auto scheduling rounds. Im not sure I was made aware when this was posted to do so then.

    I was one of the ensnared ones above, and I’ll own my mistake of piling on. I think though that this post should be removed from the auto scheduled rotation. I thought it was a new issue.

    We’ve since started following each other on Twitter, and I’m happy to own up to my mistake. I also don’t regret posting to Delta. And I think everyone has moved on.

    That said, if I have to side with anyone without knowing the facts, it will always default to a colleague rather than a corporation, and that slight bit of extra support to them would likely mean more than the effect on a corporation. That said, I also think that an apology to Delta for jumping the gun was the right thing.

    So, you may keep my tweet up. It’s a good lesson for everyone to temper reaction while still offering complete support to colleagues when it seems they were wronged.

    Ryan

    1. Cheers Ryan. We’re all guilty of over-reacting sometimes. I think the biggest issue comes from how to be professional in such situations. Shaming people/corporations has become commonplace, but I don’t think there are many courses of action to take before going down that path.

    1. Cheers CLV….the PTBA is slowly improving, although I haven’t seen enough from them / their members to join yet as I still feel it is more of an amateur travel bloggers association…

  13. I was looking for reviews on PTBA before seeing if I should join in a few months. I’m still in pre-launch mode, but I’m definitely checking out proper associations to be a part of. I recognized quite a few of the names above and whoa. I’m sure PTBA is doing better now and I HOPE the travel blogging community as a whole learned from this fiasco. I don’t have a business background but I do know it’s not a good idea to publicly harass another business through the use of your loyal followers. I’m very much on the “Get ALL the facts first” team, and this just solidifies it.

    Also, if the original blogger is really well connected to travel associations, like I’m sure she is – why didn’t she check with those associations for a phone number or really good email address for Delta to resolve this quietly? No need to potentially drag corporations in the mud unless they were truly at fault. Travel bloggers have a hard enough time making quality relationships with both large and small businesses. Let’s not make it worse.

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