I'll never volunteer again...
 

I was flying from Birmingham, AL to Philadelphia thru Memphis on Friday on Delta. Flight was overbooked and they were looking for volunteers. Gate agent tells me she can get me to Philly almost 2 hours early if I go thru Atlanta. I say sure. I did not ask for $$$ nor did they offer any. The extra time was reward enough. They hold the Atlanta flight. I'm the last passenger to board. They actually close the door behind me and I sit and put my seatbelt on and then hear the captain announce that there's a ground hold for all Atlanta flights due to weather. We're told that due to the weather delays our connecting flights will be delayed and there will be no problem making our connections. I wait 90 minutes and finally get to Atlanta at 7:59 and my 7:55 flight leaves on time while while I try to change gates. They automatically rebook me on the 9:35 flight which we sit on until 11:15 as they wait for passengers of other flights that have been delayed. I get to Philly after 1:00AM ... about 3 hours later than if I did not volunteer.

No way the gate agent should have routed me thru Atlanta with a weather situation developing.

I submitted a complaint to Delta on their website and am waiting to see if they will now compensate me for helping them and getting there so much later.

It is Delta, this is how they treat their customers. Most you will get are some minimal miles. Far better off switching carriers.

Absolutely agree with jimworcs.
I am used to flying great carriers like the ones that fly to Asia.
Delta is the single worst experience I and my family from Japan have ever had on an airline.
Delta is an embarassment to American business.
By all means, never ever fly Delta.

Sorry to nitpick but plenty of U.S. carriers fly to Asia and they are not great. I'm guessing you mean actual Asian carriers such as Asiana and Singapore Airlines. 2 of the very best in the business, bar none.

Asian airlines are where the best standards of service can be found for sure... Singapore, Malaysia, Asiana and Cathay Pacific to name a few. I would NEVER fly a US based airline to Asia, even if it meant having to change planes. The standards of service have falled way too low and the embattled and embittered staff make the experience even worse.

So the gate agents are supposed to be weathermen too? No way they could know that flights would be delayed in ATL several hours AFTER they were talking to you. It is misfortunate that you got to PHL later than planned, but there was no way for you or the gate agent to know that was going to happen.