A single weather event. A ground stop at a major hub. An unexpected crew shortage. Within hours, what began as a routine operating day can spiral into thousands of stranded passengers, hundreds of cascading cancellations, and a contact centre fielding ten times its normal volume, all at once. Airline disruption management is unlike almost any other customer experience challenge because it escalates at an unexpected rate. And when it does, every second of delay in reaching a passenger compounds frustration, erodes loyalty, and multiplies the cost of recovery.