My husband and I have flown with Delta, prefer Delta and will fly with Delta in the future. However, we were Delta Victims!
We were one of the Delta victims on March 27, 2008 when over 200 planes were grounded by the FAA. We boarded a Delta flight from Savannah to Atlanta with the flight leaving at 6:something p.m. Delta knew before we boarded that plane that planes were going to be grounded. Delta representatives should have informed us BEFORE we boarded the plane in Savannah so we could make other arrangements.
We arrived in Atlanta early and had 2 hours before our Delta flight to Pittsburgh which left at 9:something. My husband and I grabbed a bite, laughed, talked about the visit to be with the grandchildren. Ten minutes before we boarded the flight, Delta made an announcement the flight was canceled - 10 minutes before the flight left.
Delta representatives were sending people to different gates to get answers or help. The lines were so long and I estimated about 2,000 people were stranded in the Atlanta airport. My husband and I decided to leave the terminal and go out to the main ticket desk. About 1,000 people had this same idea.
After standing in line for 2 hours, a Delta representative told everyone that all the hotels were booked in Atlanta. So the $50.00 vouchers they were giving out to victims were useless and we could not get our luggage. Oh, if the hotel cost more than $50.00, the victim had to pay the balance. After standing in line for 2 hours, we were told there were no more rental cars.
So my 63 year old husband and my 53 year old body was “a little inconvenienced” as Robin Meade put it as we tried to get some rest on the cold atrium facilities at the Atlanta Airport. Today is Saturday and my husband can’t go to the park with me and the grandchildren b/c his left leg is in too much pain from sitting on the hard surfaces for 12 hours along with the “hundreds” of other victims trying to find comfort on cold hard flat places (one reporter said there were about a dozen people in the atrium-yea right!)
My daughter was able to book us on a Air Tran flight the next morning at 8:00 a.m. We were one of the lucky victims and did not have to spend 2 days in Atlanta airport.
My gripe is with the media - HOW DARE THEM LIE FOR DELTA! Perhaps Robin should have joined us on the cold hard floor with no sleep and then go to her job in front of a million people. Perhaps the reporter writing that there were a dozen people in the atrium came at a time when people’s muscles were getting sore and they had to get up and walk around.
Why isn’t the truth being told - do they have stock in Delta? We had to pay for the ticket out of our pocket for Air Tran. Delta knew these flights were going to be canceled and they waited until it was too late before announcing flights were canceled. On the information board at the airport, Friday’s flights were listed as “on time”. hahahaha! The planes were grounded - how could they be on time??
The media did a poor job with it’s representation of this situation. My husband and I should never have been put in a position to where we would have been stranded in Atlanta. Delta lead us to believe our flights and travel to our destination would be good.
Is this personal, no it’s not. This is a lack of accountability on a companies part. Perhaps some laws do need to be put into place to protect the customers.
Will we fly Delta again, yes. I’ll just have a back up plan b/c I no longer trust Delta in making good decisions for their customers.
Subscribe to anyone
I have flown Delta several times in the past and each time I’ve flown in to Atlanta I’ve gotten stranded and had to spend the night in a roach motel. US airlines are the WORST in the whole world.
Why do these planes, built in the 70’s suddenly need upgrading?
Ray on April 14th, 2008 at 2:49 am | Link
I am totally fed up with Delta!! Always late and missing connecting flights..Today is Dec 19th and we are having a snow storm..I have reservations on the 21st and a huge storm is coming that day..I have tryed all day to get in touch with them…No answer!!! How can I check a flight!! Not posted on the web site! I would like to change the date I fly since I know my flight will be cancelled …No answer!!
Way to go Delta!
kathleen marshall on December 19th, 2008 at 3:51 pm | Link
Delta sucks and has always sucked! I have been flying for over 20 years and I have never had a good experience with Delta. They are always late and could care less about customer service.
There lack of accountability should be addressed and laws should be passed to protect the customers. The price that customers have to pay for such sorry service is uncalled for. Maybe the CEO of Delta should be required by the stock holders to fly some many times a month just to see the no-sense that goes on in the delta terminals and there sorry systems. How hard is it to update a flight plan? My 8 year nephew could do it!
Steve on December 27th, 2008 at 10:24 pm | Link
I couldn’t agree more with Steve’s comment that Delta sucks. I had a phone call on Friday 9 January telling me that the flight I had booked for my annual vacation in Tobago had been cancelled. They were offerening nothing but a straight refund and even that would take more than 5 working days. These tickets were fully paid for in June 2008, Delta have had the benefit of my money for all that time and they seemed to have no sense of guilt over effectively borrowing under false pretences. Even though it means driving to JFK there is no way I would use Delta to get to the replacement flight I have found with Carribean Airlines. I shall not go anywhere them willingly in the future.
Janet McClelland on January 12th, 2009 at 11:41 am | Link
I purchased a ticket 6 months ago. Delta canceled my flight to Mexico 30 days before it left. I called them, I was sure they would make things right. Wrong! I had a non stop flight. I only thing I was offered a flight with a 3 day layover. Unacceptable. I saw other good flights on expedia with only one short layover but they would not offer me those. They did not help one bit, most of the representives did not even speak english well. They would not give me any compensation or perk. They did not care they ruined my vacation. The only option was a refund. After 5-6 phone calls they said they would refund the money in 30-60 days. My trip is in 30 days! I will not have my refund in time to purchase another ticket. Ticket prices have went up now. Delta will not cover the additional cost, they will not arrange a different flight, they will not refund my money in a timely manner so I can buy a different ticket. Moral of the story. DELTA SUCKS, THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS, THEY WILL SCREW YOU OVER!!! THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS OR WANT TO KEEP THEM! I WILL NEVER FLY DELTA AGAIN EVER!!!!!!
PLEASE BOOK WITH ANOTHER AIRLINE AND SAVE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE..
steve on January 12th, 2009 at 3:11 pm | Link
These ere exactly our expeiences. The stupid woman who called me said they could fly us to Port of Spain which was only 51 miles away. She was entirely ignorant of the fact that it was on Trinidad and we were going to Tobago. It was not just a drive up the road in a hire car but a flight to a different island - a connection that could not be made the same day as Delta’a stupi flight arrived afteer the last one left for Tobago.. My reactions were like yours. Never to fly wth Delta again and to warn everyone I could to avoid Delta like the plague.
Janet McClelland on January 13th, 2009 at 6:07 am | Link
Coming from Scotland, I associate America with much that is advanced and innovative in the world.
December 19th 2008 sadly opened my eyes.
Delta senior and middle management left the least well able and articulate of their employees to look after peopl misssing out on holidays of their lives.
Shame on Delta!
Angus McDonald
Angus McDonald on January 13th, 2009 at 6:48 am | Link
Angus
I came to live in the US from England 18 months ago. Delta’s manageral approach stinks but it is not a great deal worse than many others these days. People with no authority are assigned to tasks, they operate out of procedural manuals and don’t even seem to be aware of how to escalate a problem to someone who does have the authority to do something sensible to restore customer faith. Delta certainly adopts this approach.
Janet McClelland on January 13th, 2009 at 7:10 am | Link
A voucher they changed the Details on:
I canceled a flight last year after talking to two separate people at Delta and being informed of the ramifications. Ramifications : loose part of the cost. receive a voucher and use the voucher within one year to fly any where they fly.
Just tried to use the voucher and now they say it must be used to go back to original destination. That is India. This is not what they said when we cancel or we would have surely not canceled the trip. I’m still holding out to find some one at Delta that will be more caring and customer oriented then the so called “customer care” that so far just seems to be saying “too bad.”
Is there any help and one out there that can do something about this. This is currently a case where Delta told us specifically one thing and is not honoring it in any way shape of form.
Could this really be happening?
Kathy Mikich Ivie on February 27th, 2009 at 7:56 am | Link
There are financial advantages to having a Delta flight canceled. As prevously noted we suffered that inconvenience. However they did make a full refund fairly promptly and we re booked our flight to Tobago us CAribbean out of JFK. They got us to Tobago in the same day and charged less than half of the Delta fare. We were able to stay the night before the flight at JFK, park the car for 2 weeks and stay the night of our return at JFK and still have change in our pockets. Guess how we travel next time!
Janet McClelland on February 27th, 2009 at 8:08 am | Link
Well I happen to love Delta they’re not the first airline to cancel flights last minute and definetly won’t be the last with all these plane accidents I rather being safe than sorry. Yes Iam a million flyer on Delta and I’m proud to say it. People often think about being inconvienced or compensated instead of thinking of there well being. Delta is a very safe airline they do there maintence work on all there planes everyday and will not fly there planes if there’s a hugh mechanial issue and if there fight attendants or pilot go over there schduled hours. Which means that they need a certain amount of rest time in order to continue working and once again I completely agree with that we all need to rest and regain energy even our computers and laptops needs to be rebooted time and time again. Now there are sooo many things in life to worry about that we take what we have for granted. I had my times with Delta where they messed me up but the service on the aircraft is wonderful nothing can compare Delta’s service.
SAM JEAN on August 12th, 2009 at 9:58 am | Link
I had a flight scheduled today at 3:15. I checked the flight status at 11am and it was “on time.” When I got to the airport, guess what? My flight had been cancelled due to the snowstorm in NE part of US. They need to update their website and call people to inform them their flight has been cancelled.
I_Agree on February 26th, 2010 at 7:33 pm | Link
The only People that get decent service on Delta are buddies and pen pals of the Executives at Delta and the board of directors. and if their flight gets delay, the buddies of the Executives gets a Fancy Room at Hotel vs a roach Hotel. talking about Discrimination. Think about it people.those that have no complaints and if delayed gets prefer treatment.
Pounch-o on February 28th, 2010 at 2:30 pm | Link
Error. only the buddies of the Executives at Delta gets prefer treatment. while other people here gets treated poorly. however, those buddies of the Executives may get better treatment on the Delta’s Executive Private Airplane. and it is those Executive that have never Experience bad experiences go figure. it is the Executives that are responsible for the bad treatment of the customers and their Employees.
Pounch-o on February 28th, 2010 at 2:34 pm | Link
I find it very strange that there are so many complaints about Delta Airlines, I fly almost exclusively on Delta, and with exception of weather delays, They have proven to be the best airline I have ever used.
veronica on February 23rd, 2011 at 2:39 pm | Link
Delta, the most inconsiderate, irrisponsible airline I have every flown.
Atlanta, the people that work there are angry and unhappy, it is definetly the worst city I have ever been too!
The flight attendants (from Atlanta) had major attitudes they are ignorant and lazy.
No surprise will pay the extra money for a real flight next time we go to New Orleans.
TANYA on May 1st, 2012 at 12:06 pm | Link