Don't fly DELTA!

[kaytieeldr]

Oh by the way......every time I have flown Delta in the last 4 years......EVERY TIME........they have lost my checked luggage.

Lost? Or misdirected? JetBlue misdirected my luggage last trip, despite the Gate Agent calling Baggage while I stood at the counter, two hours before the plane I was being moved from even arrived at my airport - and yet still my luggage went, instead of BOS>LAS like I did, BOS>JFK>LGB>LAS... the next day.
Braniff departed Boston several hours late, had us board through the tail of the plane (!) and promised the connecting flights would be waiting... HA! On the other hand, the Continental flight they shuttled us to still provided meals at the time.
On the way home from the same trip, Braniff made several of us gate-check luggage because the plane we were boarding didn't have enclosed overhead bins, and promised the luggage would be in Boston when we got there; instead we were all in Lost Luggage at midnight, and my suitcase was delivered to my home the next day.
My brother checked his luggage for an AA flight exactly 45 minutes before departure... and discovered "at least 45 minutes" actually means 46 minutes or more. His luggage took 36 hours to make its way from LAS to BOS. Oh, and they wouldn't let him board the plane either (or he spent so much time arguing he missed the flight, I don't remember); it took him twelve hours and two connections for what should have been a five hour nonstop flight.
American canceled my flight the day of the flight and combined it with another one using a larger plane; interestingly, I got to keep the same seat number... but it was an entirely different seat (middle of the middle section instead of the aisle I need, and they couldn't/wouldn't do anything about it.
An AA flight with a stop in Washington DC was delayed several hours for mechanical reasons (I'd rather be delayed than crash).
Midway canceled every flight heading north from RDU once due to weather, except mine... the flight crew arrived late, boarded the plane... and Midway canceled the flight.
One of my Southwest flights was delayed so long we were going to miss the connection; after being told they would not hold connecting flights, it turns out they did. Good thing, since that was the last flight home that day.
Another Southwest flight connecting in Miami - the connection was at a different gate in a different terminal in a different city (not really - but it seemed like it). We got to that gate... and the connecting flight had been reassigned to a gate two down from where I originally deplaned.
Back in the days when planes could land in Boston in the middle of the night, a Delta nonstop was canceled and we had to connect in ATL. We got home around 3:30 AM, after leaving DFW at 5.
A JetBlue flight scheduled to depart at 10:20 was three hours away at that time; we took off around 2 AM. At least we were in the terminal. The passengers on a New York-bound flight were on the plane waiting for their pilot to be flown in on our plane...
America West rescheduled my midday flight west - I could go at 6 AM or 6 PM, but that was it.
Now, these are just the experiences that stand out. But I would not hesitate to fly any of the above airlines still in existence. Stuff happens. Oh, you know - I never had a bad experience on Song. I miss Song. And Midway

I don't know why 2 flights are ever scheduled if the plan is to combine them after tickets are sold

Well, no. The PLAN is to sell all the seats on both flights. The best-laid plans of mice and men...

Usually it is what is considered 'minor wear and tear' and the reality of flying. No suitcase will appear new after one flight, and even my high end durable cases look very worn after just a few flights.

Surprisingly, my not-very-costly luggage from Macy's has done pretty good over my last dozen or so flights. And the 28" fares even better (yes, because I have NEVER used it due to its size - but that's not the point - it's held up really well)

Before they knew we would have to get rid of it, my boys were joking and quoting the movie... some line about being able to use it as a club.

TSA wouldn't let me take a cane through security - because Disney had wrapped it really well, and it looked like a club.

 

[bavaria]

From Delta's site

Damaged Baggage & Repair Service
If we have damaged your bag, bring it to the Delta Air Lines airport baggage office right away so we can see it and complete a Damage to Property/Checked Luggage Report. For U.S. travel, you've got 24 hours to get the report on file and seven days if traveling outside the U.S.

In the course of normal handling your luggage may show evidence of wear and tear. In addition, the automated systems used by airlines may cause scratches or nicks during handling. Like most major airlines, we don't accept liability for damage to checked luggage such as:

• Broken wheels or feet
• Lost pull straps
• Minor cuts and scratches
• Damage resulting from over packing
• Damage to retractable luggage handles
• Fragile or perishable items damaged during transport
• Items unsuitably packed or unsuitable for transportation
• Damage resulting from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inspections

If the TSA has inspected your luggage, written notification will be placed inside the luggage or a seal will be placed on the outside of your luggage. Contact the TSA at 1-866-289-9673 if you believe your luggage has been damaged as a result of a TSA inspection.

There is very little damage which is excluded on that list. In my case, I went to a Samsonite repair centre twice within 6 months to have a handle replaced (I had travelled about 100,000 miles within those 6 months, so I felt it was fair). Samsonite advised me that that line had a known defect, and shipped me a brand new suitcase from a different line overnight (one which retails for over $600)

I was not about to blame the airline for the broken handle, nor would they have covered it.

 

[TruBlu]

TSA wouldn't let me take a cane through security - because Disney had wrapped it really well, and it looked like a club.

Now THAT'S funny!

 

[Laxmom]

I got an email from Delta that they had changed our flight Aug 30th for our upcoming cruise. We are driving to Indy, catching our flight there. Silly thing is, there is a layover in Cincinnati - where we live - but by doing this, we saved $150 per person x 6. Well, today they changed that schedule so we had a 37 minute layover. Now, even for Cincinnati, that is tight. So I checked the rest of the evening schedule. The next flights would not get us there until Midnight. Not acceptable. Laxdad called Delta, explained the issue. The CS rep agreed and moved us to another, earlier flight at no charge. We now have an hour, which is fine, but also more alternatives if we should be delayed leaving Indy and miss our connnection. This is just NBD to me. It happens. These are tickets I booked 8 months ago so I pretty much expected it.

 

[TruBlu]

From Delta's site


There is very little damage which is excluded on that list. In my case, I went to a Samsonite repair centre twice within 6 months to have a handle replaced (I had travelled about 100,000 miles within those 6 months, so I felt it was fair). Samsonite advised me that that line had a known defect, and shipped me a brand new suitcase from a different line overnight (one which retails for over $600)

I was not about to blame the airline for the broken handle, nor would they have covered it.

We've had broken/missing handles, broken runners and minor cuts and scratches to our luggage in the past. This is the first time I have ever complained about damage. My suitcase which used to be rectangle shaped now has a "V" on the long side with the handle that goes to the middle of the suitcase. I don't know how the zipper wasn't broken, but it held. This is the largest piece of a set of three that used to stack. It wont even stand up to roll now. But to quote my not-so-friendly Delta rep. "It is what it is."

 

[TruBlu]

Silly thing is, there is a layover in Cincinnati - where we live - but by doing this, we saved $150 per person x 6.

WOW! That is a huge savings! I'd drive a little extra for that too.

I'm glad they got your flight worked out. Hopefully it wont change again.

 

[pumpkinboy]

I got an email from Delta that they had changed our flight Aug 30th for our upcoming cruise. We are driving to Indy, catching our flight there. Silly thing is, there is a layover in Cincinnati - where we live - but by doing this, we saved $150 per person x 6. Well, today they changed that schedule so we had a 37 minute layover. Now, even for Cincinnati, that is tight. So I checked the rest of the evening schedule. The next flights would not get us there until Midnight. Not acceptable. Laxdad called Delta, explained the issue. The CS rep agreed and moved us to another, earlier flight at no charge. We now have an hour, which is fine, but also more alternatives if we should be delayed leaving Indy and miss our connnection. This is just NBD to me. It happens. These are tickets I booked 8 months ago so I pretty much expected it.

In your shoes I might have asked if you could board in Cinci instead of Indy, and keep your Indy fare. But that would not be in keeping with Delta's apparent desire to shaft Cincinnati residents. Most folks I know in or near Cinci fly out of other airports bcs Delta fares are so gosh darn high when you begin or end in CVG; Columbus, Dayton and apparently Indianapolis airports seem to be the beficiaries of Delta's strnglehold on CVG.

Still, we have found flying "regular Delta" to be pretty decent. Back when they had Song, it was downright pleasant (dare I say, delightful), but those days are long gone.

 

[Laxmom]

Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if it changes again. We still have 60 days for that to happen!

The way I understand it, Delta is just passing on the high gate fees that CVG charges all the carriers. It's the airport. Laxdad flies out of CVG for business but it is rare for us to fly from there on pleasure. We are in a unique position of being 45 minutes from CVG, 1 hr from DAY, 1 hr 20 min from CMH and 2 hr from IND. We could even do LOU or LEX in less than 1 1/2 hours although they are even higher than CVG in most cases. We were able to book last minute fare last week for our stay at OKW in a couple of weeks out of CVG though. We got nonstop to MCO for $225 pp. Not bad.

I heard that Southwest was trying to move into DAY. That will make things tougher for the Delta flights out of CVG.

 

[Kathy C]

Honestly, YES. A refund would have been nice, then I could have flown with a company with decent customer service.

Are any of us sure we will have a job tomorrow? That isn't a good reason to be rude to a customer. I was very nice to her. She was rude to me. And it doesn't change the fact that my suitcase was crushed in 50% on one side. Property damage is property damage. It should never be OK.

We took our two nieces to Disney in May and flew Southwest. One of my niece's (13 yrs) suitcases was crushed to the point we couldn't pull the handle up to roll it. They don't purposely pick your luggage to "crush". It happens and you know going in that your luggage could be damaged. We didn't complain or expect any compensation. We fly SWA whenever possible but once a year fly Delta into Sun Valley, Idaho and have never had a problem with luggage, cancellations of flights, etc.

Working with the public isn't easy - I had a cousin who worked for USAir years ago and asked after 10 yrs to be transferred to luggage so she didn't have to deal with the customers. She said what you have to put up with is unbelieveable.

 

[TruBlu]

It happens and you know going in that your luggage could be damaged.

I just don't understand why this is OK?!?!?!?! If the airline industry uses equipment that shreds/crushes people's belongings, then WHY don't they change the equipment. Why to we just have to sit back and say.... "OK, I just paid a couple of hundred dollars for my suitcase, but it's OK if you destroy it. I'm just glad you let me pay you to fly on your plane."

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, the airlines DON'T use equipment that shreds/crushes peoples' belongings. The airlines use very simple equipment: conveyor belts to move luggage from check-in to the baggage carts; large metal carts attached to a small vehicle designed to move the carts; conveyor belts to get the luggage from the tarmac into the belly of the plane; and people to do the actual labor.

What would tend to damage your luggage (except in cases like those above, where somebody's garment bag fell off the cart and was dragged behind it - yes, shredding the bag and its contents) is the weight of OTHER passengers luggage in the plane. Period.

 

[Laxmom]

In your shoes I might have asked if you could board in Cinci instead of Indy, and keep your Indy fare. But that would not be in keeping with Delta's apparent desire to shaft Cincinnati residents. Most folks I know in or near Cinci fly out of other airports bcs Delta fares are so gosh darn high when you begin or end in CVG; Columbus, Dayton and apparently Indianapolis airports seem to be the beficiaries of Delta's strnglehold on CVG.

Still, we have found flying "regular Delta" to be pretty decent. Back when they had Song, it was downright pleasant (dare I say, delightful), but those days are long gone.

DH has asked before. They won't do it.

 

[ameraumi]

I got an email from Delta that they had changed our flight Aug 30th for our upcoming cruise. We are driving to Indy, catching our flight there. Silly thing is, there is a layover in Cincinnati - where we live - but by doing this, we saved $150 per person x 6. Well, today they changed that schedule so we had a 37 minute layover. Now, even for Cincinnati, that is tight. So I checked the rest of the evening schedule. The next flights would not get us there until Midnight. Not acceptable. Laxdad called Delta, explained the issue. The CS rep agreed and moved us to another, earlier flight at no charge. We now have an hour, which is fine, but also more alternatives if we should be delayed leaving Indy and miss our connnection. This is just NBD to me. It happens. These are tickets I booked 8 months ago so I pretty much expected it.

In your shoes I might have asked if you could board in Cinci instead of Indy, and keep your Indy fare. But that would not be in keeping with Delta's apparent desire to shaft Cincinnati residents. Most folks I know in or near Cinci fly out of other airports bcs Delta fares are so gosh darn high when you begin or end in CVG; Columbus, Dayton and apparently Indianapolis airports seem to be the beficiaries of Delta's strnglehold on CVG.

We live within the triangle of Indy/Dayton/Cincy. I originally booked our non-stop flight out of Dayton, but it got changed to a stop in Cincy before heading to MCO. The times did not work for us with a very tight layover. So I called up Delta and was able to get on the non stop flight from Cincy without having to pay an extra fee. It worked out perfectly for us.

 

[Laxmom]

That is terrific! What I was stating was that they would not let us book our Indy ticket and board here. DH didn't even try to change ours to put us on the Cincy flight. We weren't sure if they would see the need for us to change or not so he didn't want to push his luck.

 

[TruBlu]

What would tend to damage your luggage (except in cases like those above, where somebody's garment bag fell off the cart and was dragged behind it - yes, shredding the bag and its contents) is the weight of OTHER passengers luggage in the plane. Period.

I have luggage with missing runners on the bottom, deep scratches in the fabric and missing handles. That damage couldn't come from the weight of other baggage. But, the weight of other luggage could explain the crushing. Either way, it bothers me that we are just supposed to ignore our property being damaged.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Respectfully, I challenge you to (a) prove your luggage was not damaged by other, heavier luggage on top of it, and (b) find and post ANY airline's Contract of Carriage showing the airline WILL accept responsibility for indeterminate damage.

http://images.delta.com.edgesuite.net/delta/pdfs/contract_of_carriage_dom.pdf

I. Baggage Liability
1. General Limitation of Liability For Loss of, Damage to, or Delay in Delivery of
Baggage
Delta’s liability for the loss of, damage to, or delay in the delivery of a fare-paying passenger's personal property delivered into Delta’s custody, including checked baggage and carry-on baggage tendered to Delta's in-flighpersonnel for storage during flight or otherwise delivered into the custody of Delta, shall be limited to proven damage or loss. Actual value for reimbursement of lost or damaged property shall be determined by the documented original purchase price less any applicable depreciation for prior usage.
Under no circumstances shall the liability for loss of, damage to, or delay in the delivery of baggage exceed $3000.00 per fare-paying passenger unless the passenger elects to declare a higher value in advance and pay for excess valuation as provided below. These limitations shall also apply to baggage or personal property accepted by Delta for temporary storage at a city or airport ticket office or elsewhere before or after the passenger's trip.
2. Option to Declare A Higher Value
At the time baggage is checked, the passenger may declare a value in excess of the maximum liability limit set forth above, subject to payment of the additional fees set forth below. If a higher value is declared and the applicable excess valuation fee is paid, Delta's liability shall not exceed such higher declared value.
Declared value for personal property, including baggage, shall not exceed $5,000.00. When a passenger holds connecting space from Delta to another carrier and declares excess valuation, baggage will be checked to the final Delta destination only.
Total Amount Of Declared / Value Excess Valuation Fee
$3000.01 to 4000.00...................... $40
$4000.01 to 5000.00 ......................$50
3. Damage From Protruding Parts
Delta shall not be liable for loss or damage to articles due to protruding parts, including but not limited to feet, wheels, pull straps and pull handles.
4. No Waiver
Failure by Delta to enforce the maximum limitations of liability at $3000.00 shall not be construed as a waiver of the right to limit liability at some higher amount.

 

[Laxmom]

DH travels every week for work. The only damage we have had to luggage was on the corners from the conveyor belts, we assume. The corners of the last 2 suitcases have worn; no broken handles, no crushing and no broken wheels. He has been traveling extensively like this for 11 years with no issues on any airline. What they heck are they doing to your bags? That luggage commercial with the gorilla comes to mind!

Ok, so I decided to share my worst airline trip with you after all. We flew NW to LAX. On the return, we board the plane, leave the gate and get to the point where they rev up the engines. The engines rev up. The engines rev back down. The pilot says we have a problem and are heading back to the gate. On the plane we sit. They fix problem. We head back out. The engines rev up. The engines rev down. Problem not fixed. Have to find a mechanic. Then have to find part. We sat on that runway for 3 hours. They didn't let us leave the plane. We're glad they decided to fix the problem but they could have let us off.

Fast forward to we leave. All is well except the entire plane has missed every single connection in Memphis. So they take the liberty of rebooking us. We get off the plane, go to the gate we were told to to get our flight info. They have rescheduled us on a flight that left before we touched down. Next flight is 6 hours. Nice. We wondered the airport and woke up the sleeping restaurant help to get some food. We then slept in the chairs for a while until a NW employee showed at the gate near us. DH wanted to try to get us seated together. More bad news. They overbooked the flight. Keep in mind, we left the hotel in California at 4:30 am PT. It is now 8pm CT. We have been enroute a long time. I don't know what DH said when they told him this but we ended up being upgraded to first class. Too bad it was only an hour long flight! At least they did that much.

Another trip on NW, we checked our seats the day before. When we got to the airport, we weren't sitting together. DH got that taken care of - it was a trip to celebrate our 25 th. We get on the plane and there are entire families separated, parties traveling together sitting rows apart. It is like they shook the whole plane and now one was in the seat assignments that they selected. That was a happy flight.

So see....it isn't just Delta. Stuff happens across the board.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Well, the airlines DON'T use equipment that shreds/crushes peoples' belongings. The airlines use very simple equipment: conveyor belts to move luggage from check-in to the baggage carts; large metal carts attached to a small vehicle designed to move the carts; conveyor belts to get the luggage from the tarmac into the belly of the plane; and people to do the actual labor.

What would tend to damage your luggage (except in cases like those above, where somebody's garment bag fell off the cart and was dragged behind it - yes, shredding the bag and its contents) is the weight of OTHER passengers luggage in the plane. Period.

Sorry to disagree - but I will.

My husband put himself through college working as a baggage handler at JFK airport 30 years ago.

Trust me......most don't care a POOP about our luggage other than it must be squeezed/smashed/crammed/wedged into the cargo hold of an aircraft in the least amount of time.

Now that there are LESS baggage handlers because of budget cuts....there will be more problems.

I have watched luggage fall to the ground as they unload at the airport...simply because there was only one handler at the end of the belt and couldn't keep up with it all.

Don't fool yourself. 30 years ago luggage was not treated with kidd gloves.....now with low morale and higher stress.....I doubt if things are any better.

 

[CarolA]

Speaking of the rev the engine story...

I once was on SW plane leaving West Palm Beach.

We go out to the jetway, put on the brakes rev the engine, and... the brakes won't release.

We sat there for over two hours while they BLED the hydrualic fluid out of the system on the jetway. (It was slightly warm even with the AC unit they brought out LOL!) There was NO way SW could have let us off where we were so we just had to wait it out. They finally got the breaks to release towed us in and started all over again! LOL! The FA's were nice and gave us free drinks but still....

Took me an extra 8 hours to get home.

(Of course on AA once it took me 2 extra days!)

 

[CarolA]

Sorry to disagree - but I will.

My husband put himself through college working as a baggage handler at JFK airport 30 years ago.

Trust me......most don't care a POOP about our luggage other than it must be squeezed/smashed/crammed/wedged into the cargo hold of an aircraft in the least amount of time.

Now that there are LESS baggage handlers because of budget cuts....there will be more problems.

I have watched luggage fall to the ground as they unload at the airport...simply because there was only one handler at the end of the belt and couldn't keep up with it all.

Don't fool yourself. 30 years ago luggage was not treated with kidd gloves.....now with low morale and higher stress.....I doubt if things are any better.

I always think of this when I read the posts on here on how much better it is to gate check your stroller etc as it will be "cared for" It's the SAME baggage handlers. MAYBE it winds up on top, but it sure isn't getting "tender loving care"


Now I have over the years filed lots of claims with airlines for luggage. (AA once finally just bought a piece off me after they had repaired it about four times. It was in Nashville and it was the SAME man at the baggage office every time and he finally said "what's it going to cost me to get rid of this thing") I have always have very good luck with damaged luggage claims so I am not sure what happened in the OPs case or other cases. Without photos etc it's just hard to say.....