Don't fly DELTA!

[TruBlu]

And here I am trying to decide if I should jump on $627 for all 3 of us, nonstop from bos to mco. 330 days out.

Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place! Surely this rate won't still be available in January when SW opens up for May. And what oh what will the fares be then? Will SW still be offerning $64 dings? and do I want to be married to my laptop waiting for it?

$209 rt is hard to turn down!

Talk about a dillema

Yikes! That is a hard one. I hope whatever you decide works out well for you and you have a Magical Trip!!!!

I wish Disney would start up an airline. It would be nice to have their amazing customer service at the airport too.

 

[TruBlu]

Are you speaking of schedule changes, or cancelled flights ie cancelled on the day of departure? Based on what you said earlier in your discussion with uva185, I thought that you were referring to schedule changes, not flight cancellations.

Only one of them was on the day of departure after we'd gotten to the airport. The other two were canceled in advance, and we were put on other flights. Would that be considered a schedule change? The flight numbers and airplane type changed both times.

 

[bavaria]

Those would be schedule changes. Every US carrier with the exception of SW makes schedule changes, usually quarterly (That is why SW only opens their booking window so late ie once schedules are finalized)

Delta tends to make more schedule changes than others, but every carrier makes them on a seasonal basis.

I know that doesn't make you feel better, but hopefully it does explain to readers what occured in your situation. Schedule changes are a reality of air travel, and one of the things we caution about for those who like to book their tickets far in advance.

 

[TruBlu]

Those would be schedule changes. Every US carrier with the exception of SW makes schedule changes, usually quarterly (That is why SW only opens their booking window so late ie once schedules are finalized)

Delta tends to make more schedule changes than others, but every carrier makes them on a seasonal basis.

I know that doesn't make you feel better, but hopefully it does explain to readers what occured in your situation. Schedule changes are a reality of air travel, and one of the things we caution about for those who like to book their tickets far in advance.

I wasn't trying to mislead anyone. The email from Delta called it a canceled flight. Sorry if my post was confusing.

But, canceled or rescheduled - either way, it messed up our last day.

 

[bavaria]

No, I understand - I was just trying to clarify your situation.

We really do try and help people here to understand as much as we can about air travel. That means defining terms if needed, and helping them to deal with schedule changes. uva185 gave you some good advice earlier in this thread which may help you next time you face a schedule change.

Best of luck

 

[safetymom]

I am a preferred flyer with Delta. I have had nothing but great experiences on Delta.

If you thought Delta was bad wait until you fly some of the other airlines. I could tell you stories about some of them. You have to roll with changes if you want to keep your sanity while flying. Would it really have made a difference if they would have said sorry about the toy gun?

As far as seat assignments at least you had seats. Did you call immediately when you found out they had changed planes to try for different seats?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Actually, I don't understand. I paid them for a service.

Yes, you did. You paid them to transport you from Point A to Point B on date C - which they did. Everything else - flight time, plane, seats - is merely a request, per the airline's Contract of Carriage.

One flight lost an engine and we had an emergency landing,

Yeah, you mentioned emergency landings in your original post; would you rather they didn't land the plane at the first available airport, but rather attempted to fly it to your destination?

 

[Laxmom]

We have flown other carriers and prefer Delta. They treat us better than some of the others!! We have had cancellations and they have always been very accomodating on getting us rescheduled on a flight that works with our plans. They have even changed airports to make it more convenient for us. We had booked with an airport 1 1/2 hours away for a cheaper fare but when they cancelled that flight, they moved us to the airport 45 minutes away to keep our vacation schedule intact. They have lost an occasional bag and it is always delivered to our doorstep within 8 hours. We have had more issues with NW than Delta.

What the op has experienced is a sign of the times, imho. Just read the threads on Airtran that are going right now. The airlines are hurting and they move thousands of people every day. There are just going to be incidents and the frequency is bound to increase as frustration with employees over jobs and travelers over prices grows. This am the news is covering the story of higher fares for fewer flights as cuts are made. Delta is cutting flights to MCO. You know what that means! Yep, higher costs and higher frustration for all!

 

[safetymom]

I was on a US Airways flight that lost an engine. It was one of the smaller prop planes. We had to turn back and land. The pilot was great. I wasn't impressed with the gate agents. I contacted customer service and they made it better.

Sometimes stuff happens. It's all up to you how you handle it. It can happen on any airline.

 

[goofy4tink]

Actually, I don't understand. I paid them for a service. I also paid Southwest for the same service on the flight down. With Southwest I was actually treated like a customer that they would like to return. With Delta I was treated poorly. I work very hard for my money. I chose to spend it with their company. I should be treated with respect. Southwest didn't cancel my flight or crush my luggage. I didn't fly home with them because I wanted a flight time they didn't offer. I will not make that mistake again.

It should not be OK to destroy someone's property or treat them with disrespect - especially while charging them to do it.

Actually, you paid them to get you to Orlando, on a certain day...that's about it. If you read the contract of carriage (and few people do, myself included until I became part of this board!!) you will see that the airline contracts to get you from point A to point B, on that given day, but everything is subject to change...times, seats, etc.
Delta has changed every single flight I have been on. I realize now (and have for a number of years) that I have to continually check my itinerary to see if changes have been made. Generally speaking, Delta does not alert you to the change until closer to your flight date. They do alert those who are flying close to the date of the change...but they will notifiy you, it just takes awhile. I have found Delta to be pretty good about changes..my only complaint is that I don't always understand the CS rep on the other end of the phone. But, that's because usually that rep is in India and I have a really hard time understanding an Indian accent on the phone.
But....there is never any good reason for rudeness or disrespect on the part of an employee. I think the baggage person could have handled her end of things with a bit more aplomb. Courtesy goes a long way. She may not have been able to solve your problem but at least you would have walked away feeling a bit better if her attitude was more pleasant.

Yeah, for future reference whenever there is a schedule change you can get a full refund. I have been able to get a refund for changes as little as 30 minutes but others have posted they don't get refunds for changes under 2-4 hours. Once you officially accept the change you cannot go back and change your mind about the change.

Not a given.....a lot of airlines will not consider giving any kind of credit until the time change is over 3 hrs, and even then some balk at it. As said previously, they have contracted to get you from point A to point B, on a certain day. But, again, most flyers don't read the fine print before booking those non-refundable fares.

And here I am trying to decide if I should jump on $627 for all 3 of us, nonstop from bos to mco. 330 days out.

Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place! Surely this rate won't still be available in January when SW opens up for May. And what oh what will the fares be then? Will SW still be offerning $64 dings? and do I want to be married to my laptop waiting for it?

$209 rt is hard to turn down!

Talk about a dillema

I booked Delta for $239 pp, r/t from Boston to Orlando for April vacation a week or so ago. Yes, I realize that my flight will probably change. But, I just couldn't pass up that fare...the day after I booked, it went up to $353 pp!!!!

 

[TruBlu]

Would it really have made a difference if they would have said sorry about the toy gun?

As far as seat assignments at least you had seats. Did you call immediately when you found out they had changed planes to try for different seats?

Yes it would have made a difference. I made a stupid mistake - there was no reason to be nasty to me about it. I felt bad enough to have to throw away a toy that he was so excited to have. I always try to be nice to people. I was nice to her when I walked up. She could have said, something like "I really wish I could help you, but our regulations wont allow it." That wouldn't have been that hard, and I would have walked over to the trash can thinking that Delta cared about its customers. I knew it was my fault. I made a mistake. I don't understand someone having such a negative attitude about it. I didn't ask them to bend any rules or do me any favors. I just thought I could check it. Would it have been so hard to just say "Sorry, you can't."?

I did call about the seats, but the plane was completely full. It was hard because I am recovering from surgery and it would have made the flight more comfortable to be able to recline. I didn't know that we were in a non-reclining row until we got on the plane. It was too late to do anything about it by then. On the plus side... at least we were close to the bathroom. DS6 took advantage of that.

 

[CarolA]

Well based on this story...

Don't fly at all.

Sorry, but I have had everything EXCEPT the toy gun happen to me on just about EVERY airline.

I must admit I am a little surprised about the suitcase. But a lot depends on what is meant by "crushed" and what type of suitcase it is. (USAir once dragged my garment bag BEHIND the cart which pretty much shreeded it, when it came off my clothes were literally falling out and the agent asked "are you sure it didn't look like that when you checked it?" )

(And yes I have had several hour delays on SW and lost luggage on them before someone comes up with the SW is wonderful speech. Now the delay was not as big a problem as the fact that they closed all the counters and went on break so you had to CALL the 800 # to find out what was going on! Of course that was better then the time I had to call USAir's 800# because the agent told me "we lost the plane" I found out where it was and told her!)

I fly DL the most and rarely have a bad expereince. Sure I have had one or two but considering the volume of flights it's a low percentage. Same for most of the major airlines....

I still fly all of them. As I often say on here ANY of them can have a bad day! I find if I smile it seems to help the entire situation. (As soon as you annouce "I am NEVER flying you again" all your bargaining power is GONE! Same thing for "wait until my attorney hears this" "this is the worst airline in the world" and most other things we have the urge to say!)


Of course reading this board I am not sure how folks are going to get to Orlando anymore.

Delta is horrid
Airtran is horrid
MidWest is grounding the planes that fly to MCO
SW is too high.

That leave Sprit as the only airline that doesn't seem to have the above complaints and I don't trust them at all.... You can't surivive on thier fare structure!

Start driving!

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Actually, I don't understand. I paid them for a service. I also paid Southwest for the same service on the flight down. With Southwest I was actually treated like a customer that they would like to return. With Delta I was treated poorly. I work very hard for my money. I chose to spend it with their company. I should be treated with respect. Southwest didn't cancel my flight or crush my luggage. I didn't fly home with them because I wanted a flight time they didn't offer. I will not make that mistake again.

It should not be OK to destroy someone's property or treat them with disrespect - especially while charging them to do it.

I agree.

If Southwest can maintain customer service, so can the other airlines....they simply do not any more.

I understand they have cut back employees at every level so their stress level must be very high. Now that the new bag fees are beginning.....the responsibility falls on the staff to inform and collect from unaware passengers - that can't be fun. This is in no way an excuse....I just feel sorry for them.....lets not forget that the carriers who were in bancrupcy a few years ago cut salaries up to 45% for these same people.

How do other airlines manage to have at least a whiff of customer service when some have none?

Oh by the way......every time I have flown Delta in the last 4 years......EVERY TIME........they have lost my checked luggage. When I travel for work on Delta, I wonder if my luggage just naturally flew to Orlando where it's always HAPPY!

 

[EpcotQueen]

We've flown Delta, US Airways, United, Northwest and Continental. Depending on the day, the route, the time of day you fly you'll get either great service with ontime arrivals and departures or 'the trip from....'. My husband and I fly alot for business and cannot say one airline is better than the other. My husband flew United, and I've read nothing negative on this post about them thus far, to Seattle with connection in Ohare. He spent 18 hours in that airport trying to get to Seattle....canceled flights, full flights, missed connections...a nightmare of different reasons. It was beyond his control. United did offer a $100 voucher for his frustration. As others have said, it's only going to get worse! That's why I'm trying to talk him into taking the train from PA.

 

[TruBlu]

As soon as you annouce "I am NEVER flying you again" all your bargaining power is GONE! Same thing for "wait until my attorney hears this" "this is the worst airline in the world" and most other things we have the urge to say

I didn't do any of those things. I ALWAYS aproach people with a smile - it is just my nature. My DH always jokes about my goofy grin. That is why I was so surprised by not one but two very negative, nasty attitudes by people in a service industry. I don't like being treated like that.

Because I don't fly very often I didn't realize that this has now become the norm in the airline industry. How sad. I guess next time I'll just expect it and be happy if it doesn't happen.

 

[RMulieri]

Although I can appreciate your emotions, the flight changes are bound to happen, whether it is with Delta or another carrier. The airlines are looking to make the best use of their planes and if your flight was underbooked, it made sense to cancel it and rebook you on another flight.

Would you rather they just cancelled your flight and didn't rebook you?

Regarding your crushed luggage, although I'm sure the airline representative was not as emphathetic as you would have liked, you have to understand that although it was ultimately a problem with the service you had with Delta, it was not directly her fault. She is under a lot of pressure right now and I think giving some of the airline personnel some slack is probably a good idea because a lot of them don't even know if they have a job tomorrow. Do I think she could have handled it better, absolutely, but I can also look past some of the attitude. Remember its better to kill them with kindness then it is to argue your point.

Again, I'm not trying to discount your emotions, but some of it is just the nature of the beast that the airlines are right now. Be happy that you made it there and back safely, you were able to spend time in one of the most magical places in the world.

Consider that if this was the biggest problem you faced, that in the end you're more fortunate then 99% of the people in this world.

I've learned to deal with change, it happens. You do the best to avoid it, but even with the best made plans, things sometimes mess up. I want the most for the money I spend, just like the next person, but sometimes, even the best spent money doesn't go as far as it should.

Wonderfully put...

 

[Vjale]

We always fly SW to Orlando and we never had problems. SW is number one in customer satisfaction for a reason. I know the airlines are hurting, but that is no excuse to treat your paying customers poorly. If they aren't there, you surely will be without a job. My friend's family just flew Delta down to Arizona, and they had a terrible experience. They usually fly JetBlue, but took Delta, because of the fares. Well, they said next time they will spend the extra money. The airline closed down the luggage checkin counter an hour and 20 minutes before their flight and just said anyone on the 8 am flight, you are out of luck. You will have to take the 3:30 instead. No other explanation.

 

[goofy4tink]

You know....way back when, right after 9/11, we flew PanAm out of Worcester Mass into Sanford. Now, they didn't allow any carryon, nothing, zip, nada. You could have a book or magazines and your purse but that was it. So....I called PanAm several times to see if my dd would be allowed to bring her Corduroy bear on the plane. Yep, no problem I was told. I was told this about 3 times, by different PanAm agents. We flew out of Worcester with no problem at all...Corduroy was scanned but he went through just fine.
But....when we were at Sanford, checking in for our return flight, the PanAm agent was adament...no stuffed animals on board. Now, I can understand if it was a 4' stuffed animal, but not one that was about a foot high. My dd was already freaked out by the body wanding she was seeing, and subsequently went through. She was a nervous flier to begin with and Cordy had flown on every flight to date with her. So...now we have this agent yelling at my dd, telling her that the bear has to be checked...can not go on the plane. I tried to tell her that PanAm had said the bear could be carried on...she didn't care. Her terrific response to my comment? 'I'm here, not them....what I say is what happens!' Nice. So now I have a crying child, I'm upset, everyone is embarrassed to say the least. Yes, I know that a child of 8 should be able to fly without a stuffed bear. But, up until that flight it had never been a problem...and hasn't been since. Cordy has more ff miles than most adults I know.
My biggest issue was with the attitude of that agent...she was just downright nasty. So, yes, I can understand your feelings about the attitude of the people you had to deal with. There is never any excuse for bad attitudes. I've worked retail and customer service for an insurance company (man, you want to talk about upset people on the phones!!)...I know about keeping a good attitude. Yes, sometimes it's hard but that's your job, that's what you are paid to do.

 

[ckay87]

You live in NC? Why don't you drive to WDW?? I'm not being a smart-alec, I'm perfectly serious. As you've noticed, flying isn't exactly easy or fast anymore. With your own vehicle you set your own schedule, transport whatever comforts you need, including snacks and drinks ..... AND toy weapons!

We drive to FL from PA just about every year now. It's long, but I don't think I could do it on a plane. We love the freedom and we love carrying all of our crap with us (no crushed suitcases for us!). And even with gas prices, it's still waaaaaay cheaper than flying.

 

[TruBlu]

You live in NC? Why don't you drive to WDW?? I'm not being a smart-alec, I'm perfectly serious. As you've noticed, flying isn't exactly easy or fast anymore. With your own vehicle you set your own schedule, transport whatever comforts you need, including snacks and drinks ..... AND toy weapons!

We drive to FL from PA just about every year now. It's long, but I don't think I could do it on a plane. We love the freedom and we love carrying all of our crap with us (no crushed suitcases for us!). And even with gas prices, it's still waaaaaay cheaper than flying.

I have two kids that get VERY car sick. There is NO WAY I'd do that drive with those two!

We also really enjoy not having to drive. We like using Magic Express and believe it or not - Disney buses scared1: ).