A Delta pilot has sued the airline for a massive $1 billion, claiming it stole his idea for a communications app he developed.
After a system outage Captain Craig Alexander pitched the QrewLive app to Delta bosses, allowing crew to easily communicate during disruptions.
After showing interest the airline turned him down and then launched an ‘identical’ app a few years later.
Alexander said he had several meetings with executives.
Delta later launched its own Flight Family Communications app two years later.
The pilot still currently works with the company. Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant told Bloomberg in a statement:
"While we take the allegations specified in Mr Alexander’s complaint seriously, they are not an accurate or fair description of Delta’s development of its internal crew messaging platform."
"To add insult to theft and injury, Captain Craig Alexander must use his stolen QrewLive text messaging platform every day while he works for Delta," the lawsuit said.
"Each time he looks at the FFC app, he is painfully reminded that Delta stole his proprietary trade secrets."
The $1 billion damages the lawsuit is seeking is based on estimated cost savings that the app will generate over time.
