Talk me into/out of Delta

[karly05]

Disclaimer: I do not live on the East Coast or a major metro area and do not have access to some of the most popular airlines (no JetBlue, for one). SW is here now, but their routes/schedules are very limited so far and not what I want. I nearly always fly American, although I did fly AirTran to MCO this year and liked it - sadly, with the arrival of SW, we no longer have AT.

Looking at options for my next trip, I was checking out AA vs Delta (which I've never flown). No significant difference in prices, and schedules to MCO are both all right, but Delta has a MUCH better schedule coming home (7:15 am at the ME bus stop vs 5:15 am for American if I want to get home before dark - and I do).

Is there any reason not to give Delta a try?

 

[sam_gordon]

Disclaimer: I do not live on the East Coast or a major metro area and do not have access to some of the most popular airlines (no JetBlue, for one). SW is here now, but their routes/schedules are very limited so far and not what I want. I nearly always fly American, although I did fly AirTran to MCO this year and liked it - sadly, with the arrival of SW, we no longer have AT.

Looking at options for my next trip, I was checking out AA vs Delta (which I've never flown). No significant difference in prices, and schedules to MCO are both all right, but Delta has a MUCH better schedule coming home (7:15 am at the ME bus stop vs 5:15 am for American if I want to get home before dark - and I do).

Is there any reason not to give Delta a try?

Delta is known for changing flight times. The furher out you book, the more liable (but not guaranteed) there will be a change.

However, I prefer Delta. They offer free snacks (cookies, pretzels, or peanuts) and a drink (I am pretty sure AA doesn't. They have a decent phone app that allows you to use your phone as a bp and it can track your bags.

 

[goofyfigment]

I have flown delta 3 times since august and I'm booked on them for October. I haven't encountered any problems with them and if the price is right I'll be flying with them in December as well.

 

[OKW Lover]

Delta is no better/worse than AA. Yes, I know that's "faint praise". I fly them all the time (currently Delta Gold) and have had both good and not so good (but not terrible) experiences. No reason not to book on Delta if the flights work out better for you.

 

[SarahInMN]

We used to live in MN and flew Northwest and then Delta post merger almost exclusively. We love Delta! Both my DH and I have medallion status with Delta so we get extra perks - which is biasing my opinions.

We think their customer service is excellent and that they are very helpful fixing things proactively when flights are late or cancelled. We have not ever had a "disaster" with them - maybe some late flights but we have never had a trip where we don't get to where we're going.

We now live in OR and still fly Delta almost exclusively because we like their hubs when going back to the midwest or out east.

I don't know when you're traveling or how many people in your party but Delta is trialling Smart Travel Pack which you can buy for 199$ and is good through January 5th and use is unlimited - everyone who travels on your reservation (up to 8 people) gets 1 free checked bag, access to preferred seats (front of coach aisle and window OR exit rows for those over 16), and priority boarding (you get on the plane after medallions but before everyone else). Depending on how many bags you would check and how big your family is, the free bags+preferred seats may pay for the 199$.

 

[gmeh1]

Disclaimer: I do not live on the East Coast or a major metro area and do not have access to some of the most popular airlines (no JetBlue, for one). SW is here now, but their routes/schedules are very limited so far and not what I want. I nearly always fly American, although I did fly AirTran to MCO this year and liked it - sadly, with the arrival of SW, we no longer have AT.

Looking at options for my next trip, I was checking out AA vs Delta (which I've never flown). No significant difference in prices, and schedules to MCO are both all right, but Delta has a MUCH better schedule coming home (7:15 am at the ME bus stop vs 5:15 am for American if I want to get home before dark - and I do).

Is there any reason not to give Delta a try?

SWA owns AT now, that is probably why you don't see any AT flights. As to Delta, I used to fly them exclusively and never had a problem, but, SWA came along with great fares, free bags and a lot of really fun FAs, so, I switched.

 

[MillauFr]

Delta is no better/worse than AA. Yes, I know that's "faint praise". I fly them all the time (currently Delta Gold) and have had both good and not so good (but not terrible) experiences. No reason not to book on Delta if the flights work out better for you.

Exactly.

People always wax poetically about how great flying used to be but they forget that adjusting for inflation the fares were 4 to 5 times as much as you pay today.

You are likely to have a far better experience on AA or Delta than you will on Spirit.

 

[karly05]

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far!

Delta is known for changing flight times. The furher out you book, the more liable (but not guaranteed) there will be a change.

However, I prefer Delta. They offer free snacks (cookies, pretzels, or peanuts) and a drink (I am pretty sure AA doesn't. They have a decent phone app that allows you to use your phone as a bp and it can track your bags.

Delta's flight time changes are what I recall seeing discussed here. I don't like to book too far in advance, so hopefully any changes will be minor.

AA quit the snacks some time ago but they do still serve soft drinks/coffee/etc. I was so excited when AirTran served snacks, once I got off the plane I texted my sister, "AirTran rocks! They have COOKIES!" (Seriously.)

I don't know when you're traveling or how many people in your party but Delta is trialling Smart Travel Pack

Early February, and just me, but thanks for sharing the tip!

SWA owns AT now, that is probably why you don't see any AT flights. As to Delta, I used to fly them exclusively and never had a problem, but, SWA came along with great fares, free bags and a lot of really fun FAs, so, I switched.

Yep, I know about the SW/AT buyout/transition, and you're right, that's exactly what happened at my airport. Hopefully SW's options for getting from here to MCO will improve and I'll use them in the future sometime.

I'm not buying tickets for a while yet, so will keep looking at schedules and see what's going to work out best. I really appreciate hearing everyone's feedback!

 

[Tara]

I fly Delta a lot and my partner flies AA a lot (and has flown about 4 million miles with them). Lately he's had uniformly bad experiences. I wouldn't hesitate to book Delta over AA, especially if their schedule is better for you. People here talk a lot about schedule changes, but I've never had that experience beyond very minute changes. I'm sure it happens, though. (I also wouldn't book one over the other based on snacks, for what it's worth.)

 

[hinodis]

Delta is my favorite airline. They have always been on time. Yes, they do have minor flight time changes. However, they are extremely accommodating if you want to get on a different (better) flight. Another thing they are famous for is offering to let you check your carry on bag. We take advantage of this because we always have a checked bag anyway so its just on less thing to lug on and off the plane. I also like to be able to choose my seat for free when purchasing my ticket.

 

[MartDM]

I have nothing good to say about Delta. Flight changes, flight cancellations, flight overbooking, flight delays, lack of communication...I could go on. This has been my experience and that of many friends.

 

[Katelly]

We're flying Delta on our upcoming trip to WDW when we usually fly Southwest. (Only because it's the airline that flies out of our local Long Island airport, this time we fly out of JFK, ugh). My husband flies Delta all the time for business and has never had a problem. My teenage daughter has flown Delta transatlantic a few times and there's never been a problem. I wouldn't worry.

 

[Collette]

I only fly Delta also. I usually book very early and the last two times I have had minor flight changes. When the changes occurred, it made my connecting times too tight. As someone previously mentioned, they are extremely accommodating helping you get on another flight.

I also like upgrading to Economy Comfort seats. A little extra leg room and early boarding.

I think they are definitely worth a try!

 

[MaleficentRN]

Given a choice, I would not fly Delta. I've done it twice and never again. Flight cancellation delaying a trip a day, flight delays up to an hour. The kicker was the flight attendants that sat behind me in the galley and trash talked my home town for fifteen minutes.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

My dad flew Delta from Norfolk to San Antonio. The departing flight was delayed, which put he and my step-mother at the connecting flight in Atlanta 10 minutes before take-off. They made it to the gate in time, only to be told their flight was full, and there was no room for them. Delta offered to split Dad and SM up on different flights, but Dad told them in no uncertain terms that they were going to put he and SM on the same flight, seated together! They made the next flight out, but their bags went on the previous flight. Dad said he will never fly Delta again.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I fly Delta a lot and my partner flies AA a lot (and has flown about 4 million miles with them). Lately he's had uniformly bad experiences....

A 4 MM on any airline should be treated like royalty! Maybe he/she should ask another airline for a status match.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

A 4 MM on any airline should be treated like royalty! Maybe he/she should ask another airline for a status match.

Sadly a lot of them suffer from DYKWIA syndrome (do you know who I am). After being treated like trash by the elite flyers the airline staff tends to assume all of us will be rude etc.

Sometimes status just gets you grouped in with the other jerks. (want to are grown men act like 3 year olds. Tell then that they cannot have 3 carryons because they are "elite". Or watch they guy who is first on the upgrade list whine when he misses his upgrade. I actually had one man get on the plane and start quizzing passengers about how they got seated there ahead of him. Before the Flight Attendant shoved him to his seat the woman across the aisle from me told him "I am old and rich, I paid for this seat")

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

The truth is if you are looking for the airline that has perfect reviews you are not getting on a plane. I have horror stories on just about every carrier flying to MCO from within the US. (I have no horror stories on Spirit, but that is because I won't go if that is my only choice). I have had 6 hour delays on SW, 24 hour delays on AA, cancelled flights on USAir etc....

 

[gmeh1]

Sadly a lot of them suffer from DYKWIA syndrome (do you know who I am). After being treated like trash by the elite flyers the airline staff tends to assume all of us will be rude etc.

Sometimes status just gets you grouped in with the other jerks. (want to are grown men act like 3 year olds. Tell then that they cannot have 3 carryons because they are "elite". Or watch they guy who is first on the upgrade list whine when he misses his upgrade. I actually had one man get on the plane and start quizzing passengers about how they got seated there ahead of him. Before the Flight Attendant shoved him to his seat the woman across the aisle from me told him "I am old and rich, I paid for this seat")

That is NOT an excuse for poor customer service. People who react to others with that attitude have no business being in a customer driven business.

 

[KristaMV]

In my recent trip (just returned yesterday) my family flew Delta on the return flight (JetBlue down) and I have to say that I was not very happy with them.

We originally booked a 7:45 pm flight on a Saturday about 90 days prior to our trip, expecting to spend the day in the parks before having to head back for our ME bus in the afternoon. We booked a Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast that morning, and had just made our final payment 60 days prior to our trip when we were notified by Delta that our flight had been moved 4 hours earlier to 3:45! We felt that was an unreasonable change, and they no longer had any later flights. We were forced to either basically lose our last day vs. stay another night at an additional cost of $200. (or we could cancel and re-book with another airline, which would also cost us $200 so we figured we might as well get another night out of the deal).

I inquired with Delta regarding anything they could do for us (meal vouchers, partial compensation, upgrades, anything) and they basically said, "We can't possibly do something for everyone who complains, so to be fair to everyone we're not going to do anything for you." I've received far more in far less disruptive situations with other airlines (American, United, and JetBlue). In fact, JetBlue went above and beyond to help us out on our flight to Florida when the flight was delayed by 2.5 hours.

In addition, because they made some sort of mistake with the re-booking, we were unable to use the hotel's airport check-in service and had to check in at the airport, lugging our bags around instead of the full ME service.

There were no further problems, but the airplane was just decidedly shabby. There were no TV screens anywhere, so we didn't get a movie. There was no audio.

I would not fly Delta again unless it was the only option, and I would certainly choose a less desirable flight time or slightly more expensive option. I don't think that booking 90 days in advance is too early to expect that their schedules should be firm enough to avoid a 4 hour shift in the flight time.