Delta Airline vent

[goofyernmost]

It works great when all you have is carryon bags. Not so much when you checked luggage.

True, but you wouldn't surrender your luggage until you were assured a place on the plane would you? I flew a few time Standby and another time I let the airline bribe me to not got on, but that was 50 years ago. Lot's may have changed since then. At some point in my life I needed to get places for a specific time so for the last 5 decades it has been via the reservation system.

 

[DLgal]

True, but you wouldn't surrender your luggage until you were assured a place on the plane would you? I flew a few time Standby and another time I let the airline bribe me to not got on, but that was 50 years ago. Lot's may have changed since then. At some point in my life I needed to get places for a specific time so for the last 5 decades it has been via the reservation system.

If you check a bag and your flight
is cancelled, you have to usually request your bag and then go fetch it from baggage claim, then go back through security after rechecking it. We have had to do this a few times when we were rebooked on alternate flights into a different airport than originally scheduled, due to weather. When a situation arises where you are either trying to catch a connection or have a cancelled flight and are trying to go standby, it's a LOT easier when you are only dealing with carryon bags, because you are more able to jump on a flight at the last minute.

 

[sam_gordon]

True, but you wouldn't surrender your luggage until you were assured a place on the plane would you? I flew a few time Standby and another time I let the airline bribe me to not got on, but that was 50 years ago. Lot's may have changed since then. At some point in my life I needed to get places for a specific time so for the last 5 decades it has been via the reservation system.

As mentioned, checked baggage is going to be handed over before you go through security. I'm not sure what happens if you are still on standby as you get to the airport. When I travel for business, I do carry on only, so it's easier to jump on an earlier flight (along with other positives of carry on only).

 

[LuvOrlando]

Thanks everyone for listening to my frustrations

So sorry this happened, it can be super upsetting. I hope you are now having a lovely time, do come back and share how his return flight goes.

Reading and hearing so many stories like this got me to shorten my WDW trip by 4 days just so I could do all traveling midweek and not end up miserable and in the news near Thanksgiving week. I haven't done 7 days with only 4 days in parks since my 20s. I hope whatever is happening with air travel is sorted out soon, such a nuisance.

 

[PrincessJo]

I've read in more than one place that there is a huge pilot shortage. Air travel is just going to get worse in the future, not better.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Where did you hear there was an increase with mechanical issues? That is the first I am hearing of any increase of mechanicals, esp with Delta.

Disclaimer that this isn't factual but rather anecdotally. I am on Reddit and Twitter frequently and both sites have seen increased reports of people flying both United and Delta where their flights were delayed or cancelled due to mechanical issues.

There are tons of reports about this per day on each airlines' subreddit. United especially seems to be having more issues and their (lack) of customer service isn't surprising to me to say the least.

 

[goofyernmost]

True, but you wouldn't surrender your luggage until you were assured a place on the plane would you? I flew a few time Standby and another time I let the airline bribe me to not got on, but that was 50 years ago. Lot's may have changed since then. At some point in my life I needed to get places for a specific time so for the last 5 decades it has been via the reservation system.

I quoted myself the make a correction based on a couple of informative posts that literally made a light go on. The first one was that 50 years ago there was no TSA so the baggage thing never had the same impact. The second was more of a question. How do you check in luggage for a specific flight if you don't have a confirmed reservation? Also how do you get past TSA without a confirmed reservation? Seems to me that I always had to show the boarding pass at TSA to get through!

 

[KrazeeK120]

We just flew delta last week. I live very close to a small regional airport with 2 flights to and 2 flights from Atlanta daily. We have a flight that gets in at 10:30 PM and goes back at 6 AM the next day.

The night before our trip, the plane didn’t come, and we were notified of a delay the next morning. We got a flight credit and Delta said the issue was a crew problem…I am guessing that to mean they didn’t have a crew to fly the plane because the weather all the way from there to here was fine. The issue came with having to reschedule our connection. We were flying first class and when we called Delta, they got us on an ATL to MCO flight but the seats weren’t together. The phone agent told me 100% the gate agent would assist with getting our 7 year old next to one of us. Well…that wasn’t true. The gate agent looked like she hated life and would not move anyone on the plane. I was so upset. I would have looked for a different flight or taken main cabin seats had the phone agent not promised me we could get it fixed. This was only our 2nd trip with our son via air (last time we missed our connection on the way home due to weather and had to stay overnight in Atlanta), so I’m not very experienced with how to handle flying with a child. Fortunately, there are a lot of people who fly first class alone and there were some guys who had absolutely no issues switching with us. I started talking to people before boarding and one guy was super helpful getting people re-arranged. I was so thankful for him.

Anyway, Delta obviously has a training breakdown somewhere because I got told opposite things by different people. I plan on emailing their customer service soon. And we’re going back to driving the 16 hours to Disney. I cannot take that kind of stress.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

My least favorite hub is Chicago. We have the worst luck, no matter what time of year.

 

[john7994]

My least favorite hub is Chicago. We have the worst luck, no matter what time of year.

Poor O'Hare .... they will get you out in a blizzard (eventually)!

 

[JulieBeeRN]

Poor O'Hare .... they will get you out in a blizzard (eventually)!

Blizzards, lightening. They have it all!

We were delayed in DSM for 8 hours bc of a thunderstorm at ORD. We could have driven there and stopped for lunch.

 

[fly girl]

Disclaimer that this isn't factual but rather anecdotally. I am on Reddit and Twitter frequently and both sites have seen increased reports of people flying both United and Delta where their flights were delayed or cancelled due to mechanical issues.

There are tons of reports about this per day on each airlines' subreddit. United especially seems to be having more issues and their (lack) of customer service isn't surprising to me to say the least.

Honestly, due to how awful summer travel has been I think you are hearing more stories commiserating on their woes. When it rains, it pours.

Mechanicals definitely are not welcome, but imho I don't think there is an uptick. You are just hearing more people complain about them. Especially if it is compounded with weather.

Legacy carriers have their faults, but I don't think lack of maintenance is one of them.

 

[fly girl]

Anyway, Delta obviously has a training breakdown somewhere because I got told opposite things by different people. I plan on emailing their customer service soon. And we’re going back to driving the 16 hours to Disney. I cannot take that kind of stress.

The problem was with the agent. The reservation agent was correct. With small children they absolutely should help. Definitely write it up.

Question, for my own curiosity, was it a Delta flight or a Delta connection flight? Usually the small regional airports won't hire true Delta Air Line employees, they are contract employees. Don't get me started ...

However, it doesn't matter. You were flying with Delta in the name and Delta needs to know.

 

[john7994]

Honestly, due to how awful summer travel has been I think you are hearing more stories commiserating on their woes. When it rains, it pours.

Mechanicals definitely are not welcome, but imho I don't think there is an uptick. You are just hearing more people complain about them. Especially if it is compounded with weather.

Legacy carriers have their faults, but I don't think lack of maintenance is one of them.

Not from this summer, this was from before the time that never was on Delta ...

I was sitting in my seat (with my belt on and my phone in airplane mode) post door close and we weren't going anywhere at 6A first flight out ...

The plane door pops back open and the door to the cockpit opens and the co-pilot comes out and asks us in the front row - do you want to see something crazy? I am like - ok - this should be interesting. I get up and look at where he is pointing and there is shattered glass everywhere in the cockpit.

Apparently, one of the windshield panels burst while they were going through the rest of their checklist - they were literally taking pictures and calling their pilot friends while maintenance was trying to assess what was going on ... the pilots swore up and down that nothing hit it and that it just spontaneously burst.

 

[KrazeeK120]

The problem was with the agent. The reservation agent was correct. With small children they absolutely should help. Definitely write it up.

Question, for my own curiosity, was it a Delta flight or a Delta connection flight? Usually the small regional airports won't hire true Delta Air Line employees, they are contract employees. Don't get me started ...

However, it doesn't matter. You were flying with Delta in the name and Delta needs to know.

Our originating flight was delta connection and nothing changed with that one, it just left later. The connecting flight (where the problem occurred) was a Delta flight from Atlanta to Orlando.

Truthfully, almost all of the Delta employees we encountered were fine, great even. That one gate agent was just scowling at everyone and looked like she would rather be anywhere else. I wasn’t super impressed with her behavior overall. And I’m kicking myself for not getting her name, I was so stressed at the time I didn’t think of it.

 

[fly girl]

Our originating flight was delta connection and nothing changed with that one, it just left later. The connecting flight (where the problem occurred) was a Delta flight from Atlanta to Orlando.

Truthfully, almost all of the Delta employees we encountered were fine, great even. That one gate agent was just scowling at everyone and looked like she would rather be anywhere else. I wasn’t super impressed with her behavior overall. And I’m kicking myself for not getting her name, I was so stressed at the time I didn’t think of it.

Oh. ATL agent. That is definitely an employee. I know they can look up all the info, but to make it easy document date, time of departure, flight number, destination, and as detailed of a description you can provide of agent. The more you give they easier it will be find out who it was. Provide facts without emotion, that is what they want.

Her attitude was unacceptable. We all have bad days, but she’s at work (in the hometown mind you) representing the airline. Her bad day can’t rub off to innocent passengers who need assistance.

Hopefully you’ll get a response with resolution.

 

[kymom99]

Return flight is tomorrow(Thursday) at 6:01 pm. He’s checked in. Strange thing his boarding pass snd flight aware say gate C5 at cvg. But there is no gate C5 to my knowledge

 

[china mom]

I quoted myself the make a correction based on a couple of informative posts that literally made a light go on. The first one was that 50 years ago there was no TSA so the baggage thing never had the same impact. The second was more of a question. How do you check in luggage for a specific flight if you don't have a confirmed reservation? Also how do you get past TSA without a confirmed reservation? Seems to me that I always had to show the boarding pass at TSA to get through!

You get issued a "security document" when you are not a confirmed passenger. It looks, feels and acts like a boarding pass except it is not actually one and must be exchanged for a BP at the gate.

 

[kymom99]

The young man has been dropped at the airport. All his flights are still a go. The first leg is delayed about 15 minutes, but that’s no big deal because he has a long enough layover in Detroit. Air travel is great most of the time.

 

[fly girl]

I've read in more than one place that there is a huge pilot shortage. Air travel is just going to get worse in the future, not better.

There is a pilot shortage, but it isn't as HUGE as it is going to get in the next 5 years. However, they keep extending the retirement date. It used to be 60. Then it went to 65. Now they are trying to pass 67. (I have someone in my house who is not pleased with this announcement.)

Also, airlines know how to get pilots to fly. Offer them overtime (which can be done legally per FAA) with double pay and they will show up. No doubt, for years airlines have been counting on pilots taking overtime. Win-Win for both parties.

The big shortage you will see will be with regional carriers. The legacy are hiring the regional pilots and leaving them with the void.

I quoted myself the make a correction based on a couple of informative posts that literally made a light go on. The first one was that 50 years ago there was no TSA so the baggage thing never had the same impact. The second was more of a question. How do you check in luggage for a specific flight if you don't have a confirmed reservation? Also how do you get past TSA without a confirmed reservation? Seems to me that I always had to show the boarding pass at TSA to get through!

You can check luggage as standby. You will get a pass that says STBY to get through TSA.

Return flight is tomorrow(Thursday) at 6:01 pm. He’s checked in. Strange thing his boarding pass snd flight aware say gate C5 at cvg. But there is no gate C5 to my knowledge

You are correct, there is no C5. Only A and B concourse. C concourse used to be Comair and was demolished eons ago.