A letter to Delta Airlines

I heard there are two types of baggage: "Carry-on" and "Lost".

 

Overheard at a ticket counter:

"Yes, I'd like this bag to go to San Jose, and this one to go to Phoenix, but I'm traveling to Las Vegas."

"We can't do that sir."

"You did last week!"

-- Gallagher

I'm not a road warrior, but I routinely fly 25 to 30,000 miles a year with United. When I can, I travel with just carry on, but that's hard to do if you have to take a suit. I have had my luggage lost or delayed a few times over the years, and it seems to happen going into certain airports ... Buffalo is one, as the bags never seem to make the connection, even if I spend 3 hours in O'Hare on a layover.

I don't think being a frequent flyer gets you any better treatment in the "lost baggage" department, but it does on the little things that can make it more bearable ... being able to get seats in United's Economy Plus section where there's another 8 to 10" of leg room, boarding first so you can always get room in the overhead compartments, and priority rescheduling if a flight is canceled.

A great site to see what the seats you will be sitting in look like is SeatGuru.com ... put in the type of aircraft on the airline you are flying and it will tell you about that seat ... if its cold from the exit row behind you, if it has a window next to it (some "window seats" don't have a window!) or if a line from the bathroom will bother you (always avoid seats near the bathrooms ... there should be a sign "Danger - Flatulence Area!")

The things I hate about flying usually are the other passengers ... experienced women fliers who nevertheless still pack more in their bags than they can lift over their heads (because of my back, I can't help them), the obnoxious guy who stands in the aisle to talk to his buddy, bends over and sticks his butt into your face (I poke it with a pen), and the people who insist on using your headrest as a steadying device as they walk forward or aft. Also, the guy in front of you who releases the seat back lever and thinks its a race to see how fast he can recline, with the net effect that your drink or laptop gets crunched between the tray and the seat back.

I try to avoid other airlines, but sometimes fly Southwest, which has "festival seating." One tip to avoid anyone taking the center seat on a less than full flight on Southwest is to pull out the air sickness bag, open it, and just hold it in your lap. I used to rock back and forth moaning, but that alerts the Flight Attendants.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Apr 16 2007, 09:03 PM) [snapback]424371[/snapback]</div>

Yep. I'm only doing carry-on from now on. And I've got come fabulous luggage from Swany. I highly recommend it. It has four wheels, you can lean on it like a cane (up to 300lbs) and sit on it (up to 200 lbs) and it follows beside you like a dog on a leash. I am so grateful I carried it on both going and coming from England on British Air. (Never fly British Air.)

I almost left my luggage in LAX coming back from Guatemala because American didn't bother to tell me I had to pick it up and check it in again for my flight home. It was checked through going and I expected it to be checked through coming back. I only happened to see it descend to the carousel as I was going to the next gate. Pure fluke. I thought...that's my luggage, what is it doing here? It's suppoed to be chekced through. So I picked up both bags (both now with broken locks thank you American baggage gorillas) and checked them in. When I complained I was told I was supposed to check them through. I told the...well, nobody told me I just happened to see them by sheer luck. So I almost had lost luggage, or at least very delayed.

Stupid (and careless) American Airlines.

 

My experience is that if I change airlines during a trip, there is a 50% chance that either going or returning, my luggage will be delayed (usually a day). I am not exaggerating. Since I do active vacations (hiking, snorkeling, etc.) there is no way I can carry on all my essentials. Alaska and Northwest have both delayed my luggage when I did NOT change airlines and when according to their own scheduling, there should have been enough time for the bags to make it. In all other cases, it's been delayed flights causing short connection times, or a trip that required changing airlines.

Both in Fargo and in Spokane, most trips involve a change of airlines.

But now that I am in Spokane my major summer hiking trips are by car. That's one of the reasons I chose Spokane.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 16 2007, 08:49 PM) [snapback]424436[/snapback]</div>

What's wrong with British Air? I thought they were supposed to be good.

Here's a tip: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS look at the tag they put on your luggage as you check it in, to see what city it's tagged to.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Apr 17 2007, 12:14 AM) [snapback]424466[/snapback]</div>

Remember Jet Blue? Well, not quite as long but the weather was great.

I was supposed to have a six hour layover in London before catching my connecting flight.

We circle Heathrow until we're low on gas and then we're diverted to Leuten. After we land and refuel, they find out they don't have a tow hook for the Airbus we're on. We wait for over 4 hours. Then they decide to put us on buses and drive us back to Heathrow. I barely made a connecting flight when I should have had a half day in London. My seatmate watched her connecting flight take of in Leuten. They wouldn't let her off to make her flight. She was supposed to land in London and go to Leuten to catch her flight. She watched it take off.

Coming back, pretty much the same deal with a shorter delay. No apology. No help. No nothing. I was lucky. I had my luggage as carry on and I made my connecting flight (with the mercy of the attendants at the service desk who checked me in AFTER the deadline for checkin.)

Ironic note: while we were waiting they passed out survey cards for us to fill out on how we liked their service.

My walkingbag luggage was a lifesaver. I was running from terminal to terminal at Heathrow and my luggage was right beside me the entire way.

Swany Walkin'bag

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 16 2007, 08:49 PM) [snapback]424436[/snapback]</div>

You can probably blame that on TSA as they no longer allow locks on luggage. If they want to check your bag and its locked they bust them off. Don't that just give ya a warm cozy secure feeling all over?

It seems weird to me that they can tell if your luggage is on an airplane but your not, causing the luggage to be off loaded and delaying the flight for everyone else. But they can't discover, before the flight takes off, that your on the flight without your luggage, go figure. <_<

On our last trip back from Paris, 24+ hours flight, some guy refused to sit in his seat on the last leg of our tortureous flight back, it was only a short 30-40 min hop from LAx to Fresno but he ended up causing us an hour and a half+ delay. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr, :angry: I was hoping TSA would Duckwalk him off the plane but no such luck.

Wildkow

 

Ok, so I don't tend to complain about what seem to be isolated incidents, I always carry my luggage with me if possible, and I try to sit patiently through delays or problems. I had a rough flight with Delta recently though so I'll drop a copy of the letter I wrote to Delta in here for everyone's infortainment.

Their response was to send my wife and me a $100 Delta voucher each, which cannot be used online or with a telephone ticket agent. They must be redeemed at a Delta ticket counter, and I can't imagine ever purchasing a ticket at the airport... maybe an upgrade, or I think I might even be able to use it in their terminal club/bar to get liquored up before a flight.

This won't stop me from flying Delta again, as I routinely fly to Salt Lake City and they're still the cheapest flight to that town. If it happens again I might reconsider though:

 

Oh man i hate the huge people when traveling. I honestly don't know why airlines don't have some sort of disclaimer attached that says "The seat you are purchasing is XX inches wide. If you are wider, you must purchase a second ticket, or risk refusal of service at the gate". Whats that saying i've heard... Your freedoms end where my nose begins. They have every right to their seat, but they don't have a right to 1/4 of yours.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 16 2007, 10:41 PM) [snapback]424477[/snapback]</div>

The above URL does not work for me. Googling "walkingbag" gets me nowhere, either. But I have seen the bags you are talking about.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ichabod @ Apr 17 2007, 05:52 AM) [snapback]424551[/snapback]</div>

I once got a $50 voucher from Alaska, which my travel agent said was more hassle for her to redeem than it was worth, and she was going to take the $50 out of her own pocket. I declined her offer and threw away the useless voucher.

The lavatory situation on your flight is inexcusable. I am putting Delta on my do-not-fly list.

Fat passengers are indeed annoying! I have a modest proposal: Charge all passengers by the total weight of passenger plus baggage. Over a certain weight of passenger, he gets two seats, since he is paying by weight for the space he will occupy. A less sympathetic alternative would be to always seat the fat people together. I am opposed to discrimination, but I'm also opposed to being robbed of the space I've paid for. On the other hand, this would not be a problem if the airlines didn't insist on treating us as sardines, and packing us into the plane as tight as they possibly can.

Airlines in general (with, perhaps, a few exceptions) regard passengers much as prison guards regard prison inmates: They view us as scum who have forfitted all our rights when we committed the crime of purchasing an airplane ticket, and who must be made as miserable as they possibly can in order to teach us a lesson. They do not need us, because if they go bankrupt the government will bail them out.

Delayed luggage should result in hefty fines, and incidents such as the lavatory one should result in multi-billion-dollar fines, and if the airline cannot pay it, it's stock should be confiscated and sold, and the responsible executives jailed. They'd clean up their act pretty quick.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ Apr 16 2007, 10:29 PM) [snapback]424387[/snapback]</div>

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Too bad, after 9/11, that they don't give you steak knives anymore!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Wildkow @ Apr 17 2007, 02:29 AM) [snapback]424515[/snapback]</div>

Or you can use one of these locks that are TSA approved:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/locks.shtm

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(The Annoying One @ Apr 17 2007, 11:00 AM) [snapback]424657[/snapback]</div>

TSA = morons.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Apr 17 2007, 09:51 AM) [snapback]424611[/snapback]</div>

Walkin' bag by Swany

They were designed by the CEO of Swany who travels a lot. He had polio as a child and needed a bag easy to wheel, that he could use as a cane and he could sit on. They come in a variety of styles and sizes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 16 2007, 08:49 PM) [snapback]424436[/snapback]</div>

Did you clear customs and immigration at LAX? Coming from abroad, it is customary to clear customs and immigration upon first landing in the US, with luggage in hand so that it is available for inspection if necessary, before it is put back on a conveyer belt to be delivered to the next flight.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Apr 17 2007, 03:36 PM) [snapback]424937[/snapback]</div>

I don't know what in the world this all has to do with a Prius,,, but everyone knows that Delta is an acronym for D (doesn't) E (ever) L (leave) T (the) A (airport)! Only marginaly bested by a
Areoflot!

Icarus

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(icarus @ Apr 17 2007, 03:54 PM) [snapback]424943[/snapback]</div>

Please take a look at this forum's description: