In some fairness, I will say that all airlines seem to be shirking their responsibilities to their paying customers. At these exorbitant prices we pay we deserve the very best and very rarely get it. I don't really care how nice the attendants are...if I am not on the flight I was scheduled or excessively delayed...that airline has failed to provide decent service.

My experience was this past weekend flying back from NYC, JFK to Indianapolis. I was forced to book a connection flight as there were no direct flights (like the one I took out to NY). The first plane was 1 and half hours late arriving to JFK due to "air traffic". My connection in Washington only allowed an hour differential so there was no way I would make it. The delta service rep and I discussed this at length and it was I who had to press the issue and force delta to find me a later connection. The rep called over his supervisor who after what seemed much to do about nothing determined the next flight was one on Northwest...a partner of Delta's mind you. Yet I was told I could not be ticketed by Delta for that flight and would have to wait until I arrived at Washington Reagan and would have to go to the US Airways counter (my original connecting flight) and they would have to change my itinerary and ticket me for Northwest. I found this to be very dubious but they insisted US Airways had control.

To compound things my first, Delta flight did not board until 45 minutes after they said they would so overall the plane took off 2 and a half hours past the original schedule. Hmmmm... is that worth paying 400 dollars?

Needless to say, I got to Reagan airport where I found that US Airways and Northwest were literally on opposite ends of the airport. I followed the Delta attendants instructions ...got to the US counter only for them to deny they had any control over being able to ticket me for Northwest and that either Delta had to do it or Northwest but that in the system it did seem I was at least reserved for the Northwest flight...however, they said, if I didn't "happen" to be able to get a boarding pass for Northwest I would be sure to get a connecting flight with US airways for 2 hours later. This of course would bring my entire day to taking 10 hours to get home which should normally be a 1 and a half hour direct flight.

After hiking across the entire airport ...I got to Northwest counter who also denied being able to ticket me and get "control" of my itinerary. By now my patience was very very thin...my bullhorns came out and suddenly, my pushiness resulted in the service rep making a phone call to someone a few strokes of the keyboard and poof...they were able to ticket me...amazing after all that fuss (which included them telling me maybe I should just buy a ticket from them directly to get around everything and get reimbursed from delta later...yeah right).

Then of course, because I missed my original connection (um, due to Delta's tardiness remember)...I get the good fortune to have my Northwest boarding pass to be tagged so I can be frisked and searched at the gate.

All in all a really wonderful experience. NOT.

The thing that gets me the most is that it seems pretty straightforward to me that Delta could have just ticketed me onto Northwest (their partner) in the first place.

Of course, the fact that the airlines constantly find ways to make customers suffer even further for their own shortcomings (like being late and I get searched)...really burns me. Why kind of racket is this? Any other business is obligated to provide the best customer service possible and the customer is always in the right (I happened to be told by the Delta rep they do not have to provide any compensation for any monetary inconvenience I suffer as a result of air traffic or weather...I find the first one especially obscene).

My favourite part of this whole experience...the flight attendants telling the passengers...please sit back and relax and enjoy the flight. Can I get some fries with my plate of irony? Oh, wait...they don't serve food anymore either...well...unless you want to pay more that is.

We got in plane from Atlanta to Portland Or.

Out of 6 check bags only 5 arrived. After check with the counter a new tracking/file PDXDLXXXXX # issued to us. No one is will to help other then saying: we are sorry, we are sorry.

As of 5/15/2008 no one from PDX airport security or delta airline have any one checking the claim tickets once the bags arrive. So it is easy to pick up any bag and walk out with out any one checking or asking any question.

Airport security blames the airline and airline blames the airport while we as a tax paying citizens are getting shafted.

Delta airline do not have any kind of scanning systems like other airlines do. So once you bag is lost then there is almost zero chance for it to be found.

Do not fly Delta airline and do not check your bags.

I am too upset over the treatment by Delta agents over a recent flight change due to a recent death in the family which changed a prepaid and prescheduled flight. The return leg of the originally scheduled flight ended up being paid for 3 times because of the uninformed agents who forgot to explain the procedure, gave us misinformation and the heartless agents/supervisors down the line who just couldn't help...even though it was their employee who had given out the wrong information. We have avoided Delta for years because every flight has some problem but this one takes the cake. I could have sent my son to Europe and back for less than what I spent from New York to Tampa and Nashville back to New York. Would you believe $1600? I would take a Greyhound bus before I ever flew Delta again...and they wonder why they have problems??? I pity the poor people who live in Atlanta and have very few choices. JLM - Tampa Bay Never Delta Again..EVER

Delta.com has a best fare guarantee where they claim they guarantee that they provide the best fare. If the customer finds a better fare for the exact same itinerary, the exact same fare class at a different website and submits a claim form before the midnight of the day that the ticket is purchased, they claim to refund the difference plus issue a $100 credit towards future flights. On May 4th at 10:38 pm I purchased a ticket for $569.50. After reading the best fare guarantee I performed a fare search and found out that cheaptickets.com had the exact same itinerary for $433.47. I submitted the claim form on Delta's website within 20-30 minutes of purchasing my ticket. Delta has responded via e-mail to this claim form a day later saying that my claim was not submitted until 8:49 am in the morning on May 5th, therefore does not qualify. There is no way for me to prove that I submitted the claim form on-time. I asked them to query my ip address or check their systems one more time but I was denied. They don't even provide a phone number to reach them and discuss the issue. Delta's best fare guarantee is nothing but a scam.