I haven't flown Delta years and now I regret coming back to Delta. My flight to Palm Beach, Florida from Phoenix, AZ was delayed 5 hours in Atlanta because the planes landing gear 'locked' light was not functional. This was flight #1412 on Tue Jan 29. They attempted to repair it and have us in the air in no time, which turned into a full blown repair, which turned into unrepairable and put us on the next flight out. I lost 5 hours, but these things happen. A week later, I arrive at PBI airport, board my flight back to Phoenix. This is flight 1578 on Mon Feb 4 scheduled to leave at 7pm. They hold the plane on the ground for 40 minutes, filling up the empty seats with passengers from a canceled flight to LGA. Now, my connecting flight to Phoenix is at 9:30, flight 1605 Gate E06, and we land and I rush off the plane and race to my gate only to discover the gate has been changed and is now A19, so I rush to that gate, I see the plane is still on the ground, I present my ticket, I am out of breath, my arms and legs hurt from hauling my luggage for a half mile across the atlanta airport and they tell me the plane door is closed and I cannot board. In the mean time, the new yorkers, who my plane was delayed for, have a flight leaving at 9:40 at the gate right next door to where we arrived. They all make their connection. I was told to go to the ticket counter to get a ticket to the next flight out of Phoenix, which I am told is 12 hours away.

This is unacceptable as I have a dentist appointment that I will be billed for if I do not appear. I am given a discount coupon to stay at a local hotel. I am not prepared to stay over night. I am a businessman and I have work to get done and now Delta is stealing 12 more hours of my time on top of the five they already took without my permission.

Delta could have held the connecting flight to phoenix for five minutes, just as they held my initial flight for the passengers of the canceled Delta flight to LGA. Clearly this is discrimination. Those on the canceled flight were given preferential treatment and caused an artificial delay created by Delta which has turned my schedule upside down and is costing me more than you can imagine! The lady 'Nicole', a large black woman, started to tell me my flight was delayed due to weather. I explained to her the flight was held so Delta could fill all the seats with passengers from the canceled flight and the weather was fine. She says Delta never holds flights for other passengers. I explained I was on the plane and I saw beautiful weather and saw passengers board after the doors of the plane were scheduled to be closed for a full forty minutes. She continued to provoke me and suggest I write in if I don't like and insisted weather was the cause of the delay. I asked for a supervisor immediately. Eventually I was given a complimentary hotel room, but I am still not in Phoenix. I can understand a delay of a couple hours once in a while, but this has effected me on each leg of my trip coming and going. How will Delta reimburse me for the 17 hours I have now wasted because Delta did not keep their commitment with me? I am requesting reimbursement also for my missed appointment, which was scheduled a FULL DAY after I was to arrive in Phoenix.

They replied:

Thank you for your e-mail describing the problem you experienced. Your time is valuable, and operating on schedule is equally important to us. However, in the process of operating scheduled service over many different routes each day, occasional mechanical malfunctions, adverse weather, and other interruptions to routine performance plans are unavoidable. These are situations faced by all airlines and no air carrier can guarantee that all flights will depart or arrive on schedule. Nevertheless, we are sorry you were inconvenienced.

We regret we did not meet your expectations on this occasion, and I can understand your frustration and disappointment. However, we hope you will understand that we do not reimburse the expenses you requested and must respectfully decline your request.

Please accept our apology for the unfavorable impression you received in this instance. We appreciate your selection of Delta and will always consider it a privilege to be of service.
Sincerely,
Daniel Tancak
Online Customer Support Desk
http://www.delta.com

Then I replied:

I find your response unacceptable and will be sharing this story with the listeners of my radio talk show each weekday throughout the rest of this month. I'll be sure that all of our nationwide and worldwide listeners know that it took Delta 33 hours to get me from Phoenix to Palm Beach and did not offer an explanation as to why new york passengers were given preferential treatment that caused an excessive delay.

Please cancel my Sky Miles account immediately, as I will never fly Delta again. I am also going to share this story everyday this month on my nationwide radio broadcast so my listeners can decide for themselves if they want to risk repeating my experience should they choose to fly Delta.

Please forward this message on to your superiors and I will forward it on to your PR company personally.

Delta Air Lines Corporate Communications
Richard H Anderson, Chief Executive Officer
Kent Landers
Director External Communications (US)
Betsy Talton
General Manager National Media Relations
Anthony Black
Senior Manager Regional Media Relations
Susan Chana Elliott
Senior Manager Regional Media Relations
Katie Connell
Senior Manager Lifestyle/Leisure Media Relations

And they replied:

We are very concerned about the unfortunate situation you described. Flying with Delta should be enjoyable, and I am sorry for any role we may have played which caused your travel experience to be otherwise. The inconvenience you experienced does not support our goal of providing a high level of service and value to our customers. Customer service is very important to us, and we are working hard to transform our company.

According to the rules of the program, the credit earned in your SkyMiles account will remain active until December 31, 2010. SkyMiles will not expire as long as there is qualifying activity at least once every two years. Within two years of inactivity with a zero balance the account will be closed.

We value the relationship you have with Delta Air Lines and would be delighted to have another chance to restore your trust and confidence in our service.
Sincerely,
Loren Byers
Online Customer Support Desk
http://www.delta.com

And I replied:

Please be aware that I am reporting this abusive cancellation and delay of planes to the FAA. The four flights I booked were all about half-full.

But after Delta manipulated the planes, 3 of the 4 planes were packed without a single seat. The financial reasons for this are obvious, but on the 3rd flight, it was reported in the Delta computer system that the flight was delayed due to weather, rather then the truth that the flight was delayed to make room for other passengers. That delayed the plane by more than 40 minutes and resulted with me arguing with a Delta Customer Service rep named Nicole who insisted the flight was delayed due to weather because that’s what her computer said. When I corrected her why the flight was delayed, her response was "I'm just telling you what my computer says." And my response was "I'm just telling you the real reason" and her response was "Well, that's my computer says" and my response was "well, I was actually on the plane and I know exactly why it was delayed" at which point another customer service rep offered to step in and Nicole said to her, "Oh no, I got this one." As if I was challenging her to fisticuffs! I asked to speak with a supervisor before the computer system mis-information was recognized.

Clearly the FAA has rules about this and I am going to do my best to ensure these questionable business practices of canceling and delaying fights by 12 hours just to fill a plane to capacity at the inconvenience of the passengers are brought to the attention of the FAA and my entire listening audience. I have a canceled dental appointment and an extra day of covered parking and a full day of lost work, all resulting from this artificially created delay practiced by your company to fill planes to capacity. I know Delta will never do this to me again, because I will never fly Delta again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I look forward to your next boilerplate reply.

Final response from Delta:

Thank you for your most recent e-mail. We regret your continued displeasure with our previous "boilerplate" responses.
However, we appreciate your feedback and encourage you to forward any additional comments to our corporate offices at the address below:

Delta Air Lines
Customer Care
P.O. Box 20980
Atlanta, GA 30320-2980
Thank you for the opportunity to give this matter our final review. Any additional correspondence via e-mail will be kept on file.
Sincerely,

Joy Blessing
Online Customer Support Desk
http://www.delta.com

Used Delta Airlines recently for return flight to Sac., Ca. All 3 pieces of our lugguge was severely damaged, our (used on only 1 other trip) soft bag with wheels had 1 wheel completely ripped off and my son had to hand carry a 50 lb. bag. Told 'you can file, but it will be denied.' We went all over Europe and have had the 2 other hard case bags for 10 plus yrs., almost no wear on them, but Delta had them dented, big gashes, scratched up, etc. Most likely happened in Atlanta, Georgia, with plane changes. Will not ever use Delta again as there is no excuse for destroying property.

Last August 31st, I was flying to Toronto from JFK, with a departure time set at 5.33pm. A few minutes before the time of boarding, a delay on our time departure was announced. So, we boarded one hour later.

Getting out of the gate took longer that usual because of the traffic, but we got a place in the line to take off. We had been in the plane for about an hour, really close to take off, when we received an announcement from the pilot stating that we needed to return to the gate since the flight attendant was about to exceed her maximum time of work for that day. But we were told there was another flight attendant ready to board as soon as we get to the gate.

It took us a really long time to get out of the line and there were no available gates so we had to wait for about another hour. By the time we managed to reach one, there was no one waiting to replace our flight attendant, so we had to wait for another hour.

In the meantime, we received another announcement from the pilot, saying that the First Officer was also reaching his maximum working time for the day. Therefore, we needed another replacement, and this lead to another unnecessary delay.

When all the crew was finally on the plane, there was some paperwork to be done, refilling the fuel etc. Then, the line of planes was not reduced so we spent over an hour taxing and managed to take off after midnight and arrived in Toronto airport around 2 am, after an incredible seven-hour delay.


The weather was perfect that day, in NYC, Toronto as well as in between, as our Pilot confirmed. Even though there was air traffic, all the planes were taking off and landing.

What is hard to understand is Delta’s incapacity to manage its staff efficiently:

Susan, the flight attendant allegued she had given heads up that morning about the possibility of exceeding her working hours. And even if she hadn’t, considering the delays we were already suffering, it had to be obvious for Delta and the rest of the crew that they were going to exceed their working hours. How is it possible that they had to wait until being actually overworking to call a replacement?
None of this nightmare had happened, if Delta had gotten replacements before boarding.

Furthermore, it’s inexcusable the way he passengers were treated by Delta airlines, that showed no interest for the passengers’ comfort:

We were delayed for 7 hours, 6 of which we were held IN the plane (before taking off).

The condition of the restrooms was disgusting. Since we boarded, all passengers had to use perfume to be able to use the restrooms, since they smelled and had no sufficient sanitary conditions.

Although I requested Low sodium meals, we all passengers had salty peanuts, salty crackers and mineral water as only options. Only after we complained for over 4 hours, we received sodas.

The staff did nothing to satisfy my requests (and other passengers’) to organize something to eat (sandwiches etc). Since we were waiting (for the crew’s replacement) at the gate for 3 hours, a catering service could have been easily arranged.

I (as well as other passengers) specifically requested Delta’s crew to ask Delta Airlines for Delta representatives in Toronto to satisfy our needs once we get there. Many passengers had missed connecting flights, reservations at hotels, and I missed my pre-booked shuttle to Niagara Falls.

But when we got to Toronto there was only one Delta representative waiting for us, who didn’t do anything, impotent of helping us after a seven-hour delay. All the passengers were discouraged to try to get immediate transportation, alleging it would be faster to make our own arrangements and then ask Delta for a refund.

Therefore, my boyfriend (who had been driving from the US for over 8 hours and surprisingly still reached Niagara before I did) had to drive all the way from Niagara to pick me up in Toronto Airport.

Based on the paragraphs above, I think it’s proved Delta has no capabilities to fulfill schedules’ commitments or to treat passengers accurately.

I have just received a call from my finance who traveled to Mississippi this past weekend on Delta Airlines. After a terrible weekend dealing with family problems she arrives at the Jackson International Airport (Evers International Airport) to board her flight back home to Jacksonville,FL. Upon arrival she was told that she was 1 minute late for the check in and would not be allowed to board her flight. This sent her into a terrible fit of anxiety because she is supposed to start a new job in the morning, and a very big step in her career. I finally got her calmed down enough to think clearly and told her to ask to speak to someone in charge. Apparently at this ridiculous airport in Mississippi noone knows who is in charge, but after crying hysterically for 10 minutes they finally decided to let her board the airplane because it was running late boarding (then what was the big deal?) however, she could not take her baggage with her and there was not another flight until tomorrow and they would not be responsible. This led to her mother having to come back and get her bags and will have to mail them. With her enough belongins to be out of town for a week I am sure this postal fee will be at least $100 to overnight the bag. If Delta were all about their new customer satisfaction campaign as they claim to be don't you think they would be willing to let 1 minute late to check-in slide. Well you can bet your bottom dollar that her or I or any of our family or friends will be taking any more flights on Delta, the service has been horrible in the last 6 months anyway. I am just glad that I didn't make the mistake of buying the stock when they came back on the market, even though I was on a Delta flight that day and drank their free cheap champagne. We will be filing a formal complaint with Delta Airlines as well as with the Customer Relations at the Evers International Airport in hopes that they will begin to consider the reason that any of them have jobs is because of the customers that choose their airlines and they need to consider that in the future.

Thinking it was easier to book flights on line with Delta I fell into the trap. I booked two tickets on line for flights from Portland, OR to Cincinatti. I also booked hotel reservations with the Hilton which is a service available with the Delta on-line service. There was my mistake.

Before the travel dates I learned the client had already booked and paid for our rooms at the Hilton. I called Hilton and canceled the reservations I had made on line with Delta. I received the confirmation numbers for the cancellations. Then I received my American Express bill and found out "Delta.com" had charged me $378.28 for the hotel rooms we had reserved but canceled. I called Delta customer service "I'm sorry sir, you will have to talk to Hilton" then I called Hilton and they advised "we didn't charge you, Delta did, you need to call Delta."

Again I called Delta, and each and every time I got some one that could barely speak English, I could not understand them. I kept trying, finally someone answered that I could at least understand a little better. The Delta representative once again told me it was not their problem and referred me to their "outside vendor" who handles all their on-line services. I was once again sent to India to talk to someone I could not understand. That person once again sent me back to Hilton for the refund.

I challenged the charges with American Express, but Delta maintained the charges would not be refunded. I am once again challenging the challenge.
The Point of all of this is DO NOT BOOK ON-LINE you are 10 times better off to book with a travel agent who speaks English and can get these problems resolved. I cannot believe the time, effort and frustration of trying to get this fixed.

I will never, ever book tickets on-line with Delta. Cannot speak for the other airlines in this regard, but Delta has certainly found interesting ways to screw with their customers.