[richb01]

Here is a letter I sent to Delta:

Pretty much there reply was to offer my some $100 vouchers that don't work online. Delta really sucks.


Dear Sirs/Ma'ams:

I feel I need to write to you to let you know my level of disappointment in my recent flight with Delta.

My wife and I recently flew to Jamaica to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We upgraded to first class as part of our celebration. This was a regrettable decision on our part. First class is not a value at all on Delta.

1.Meals. Delta is the only major airline that does not provide First Class passengers with a meal. Continental, AA, British Airways, etc all offer meals to First Class passengers. I understand that you have new executives because of your recent emergence from bankruptcy. I'd like to have a personal conversation with any of them who feels that cheese crackers and oatmeal bars are a meal worthy of a Delta First Class passenger.

2.Service. During one leg of our flight, I wanted to request a drink from an attendant. It had been about 10 minutes since I had seen an attendant (most airlines have someone dedicated to the First Class cabin, apparently Delta does not feel its First Class passengers would like a higher level of service for the higher fee.). 5 - 6 minutes after pressing the service request indicator, an attendant rushed by and turned off the indicator. She did not ask what we wanted – she just hurried past. I'd like to have a talk with anyone at your company who thinks that this is acceptable service.

3.Policies: one advantage to flying First Class (on most airlines) is that the lavatories are dedicated to the people who paid to upgrade. This results in shorter lines. Delta allows coach passengers to use the First Class lavatories. Even though we paid for not having to wait in line, I was forced to wait behind 3 coach passengers who decided on a free upgrade to the First Class lavatories. My wife an I paid a good premium in order to not have to wait in long lines.

4.Noise levels: My wife and I were looking forward to a nice quiet trip back to the US. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by screaming infants (one in row 1 and one in row 3 – we sat in row 2). I know that Delta is not responsible for the rudeness of fellow passengers, but maybe airlines in general should put a low age limit on those traveling in the First Class cabin.

5.Baggage: in 4 trip legs, I had 2 bags damaged. This is inexcusable. Baggage handlers who are careless should be fired on the spot and the cost to repair their damage should be held from their final check. When other handlers see that airlines are serious about holding handlers responsible, I guarantee that they will become more careful.

6.Arrival Delay: We sat on the tarmac for about 15 minutes on one leg because there was a jet in our spot. How on earth does this happen?? Is it a surprise that flights are scheduled to take a spot at the gate?? This is just horrible planning on someone's part.

As you can tell, my wife and I are extremely disappointed with Delta. The best constructive criticism I can give is for some of your executives to fly on Continental or American. Until your service is on par with them, we will probably not be flying Delta. I have already applied for an Amex frequent flier card with American Airlines.
I welcome a call from any of your senior management team to discuss this. I do not want a call from some middle manager. That's just a waste of my time and the middle manager's.

My email address is and my phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Thanks.


Flight info:
June 8 - DL 422 AUS -> ATL
June 8 - DL 743 ATL -> MBJ

June 16 - 742 MBJ -> ATL
June 16 - 431 ATL -> AUS

Further: Your website needs a bit of work. When I try to enter this information, I get a page saying:
Required Fields Missing or Invalid
System Unavailable. We are sorry but this service is unavailable at this time. Please try again later.

Which fields?? What's wrong?? Is your system really down?

A company with a real IT staff would insist on good error handling of their site.

----------------

[dragonfire6.delta.com]

1. There is not a meal offered on this flight, so you should have known what you were paying for.

3. Now where doesn it say 1st class is for 1st class. Also Show me where you paid for no lines???

4. You sound like an old bag.

5. Airlines are not repsonsible for normal wear and tear on bags, everyone knows this.

6. OH GOD 15 minutes. Your flight probably arrived a little early.

[Silent Bob]

wow... just wow.... I think someone had some seriously high expectations of first class. This doesn't sound like a complaint in general towards a particular airline, namely Delta, but something every airline deals with.

1) You "expected" a meal, but your flight probably didn't get it due to the length of the flight. Just a tip folks, you can ask the gate or go to service center to find out if your flight has a meal, that way if you have to you can get something to eat before you board.

2) You didn't state if anyone else was offered drinks. But I digress, when the flight attendent came over shut of the call button and walked away, how many times did you press it before?

3) You didn't pay for no lines, you paid for a particular seat. I've stood in line with busines first and first class passengers, people who complain about the line, only to realize they are in line with people they will be sitting next to. And its no big deal you had to share a bathroom with coach passengers, could have been a bathroom was broken, or lines unusually long to get into them. If the bathrooms are there why not use em?

4) Noise levels... really? That should not be part of your complaint, crying infants are beyond delta's control. Again you paid for the sort, but guess what? so did the parents with the screaming baby.

5) This one goes out to folks who complain constantly about their luggage getting messed up. Get yourself some cheap luggage, that way if anything happens to the bag you don't worry about it so much. Because a lot can happen to it; it gets opened by tsa, tossed around by baggage handlers, stacked beyond stacked with other luggage, and on rare instances something in someone elses luggage can break spilling all over yours, it happens. If it has a few nicks and tears, let it go. worry about the serious damage.

6) you waited for a gate 15 minutes??? 15 WHOLE minutes? Sir, I've waited for a gate 1 hour, once and only once 1 1/2 hour, and lets not even get into those jet blue passengers who had to wait 9 hours just for take off. 15 minutes????? UGH!

[abutterfinger25]

Of course he did not want the rif-raf in coach using the first class lav. Afterall, those Delta first class lavs all are marble coated with frangrence soap!

In all seriousness though, many carriers do have a policy that passengers must use use the lavatory in the class of service that they paid for (Off hand - not sure what Delta's stance is, any Delta employees care to comment?). This stems from a TSA directive (or past TSA directive, they keep changing and it is kind of hard to keep them straight) that said that on international flights, passengers can only use the lavatories in the front of the aircraft if they are assigned to a seat in the front. Or basically - the lav located in first class is for first class passengers only.

If someone experienced this repeatedly on flights and then suddenly had a carrier not follow this pattern, I can understand how someone would expect that the bathroom is for first class passengers only.

As for the original posters other points, that sounds like someone who is still expecting pre 9/11 service in a post 9/11 enviroment. (Please note, I am not using 9/11 as an excuse, it just is a good reference point to mark the change in the industry.)

[ldl007]

What is the complaint about-economy passengers using first class toilet and crying infants?
Things could have been worse. I would sit next to a crying infant anytime-imagine what a baby goes through sitting next to a stranger who whines and complains.
Be tolerant, just relax during a flight. Bring a book or your favorite music. First class does not entitle you to luxury and look down on economy passengers.

[rnagel]

Once, a long time ago, when I was irritated by a baby crying my dad, who well known for a short fuse, advised me that as soon as I had one of my own it would stop bothering me. Darned if he was right. Goes in one ear and out the other.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

RICHB01: I have clear memories of the period before deregulation. Perhaps if your complaint was about a flight during that period, this could be easier to understand. If a given flight is entirely within North America (Canada, Mexico, US), or to/from the Carribbean, you need to accept the reality that, even in first class, the service you get is, essentially, an airborne Greyhound Bus. Indeed, your experience was very close. You were not seated near a drunk or a smelly homeless person, but you did have a non-stop crying baby to contend with. A larger seat; more legroom, and free baggage handling for 2 pieces, is the most anyone can expect from North America / Carribbean air travel. It could have been a LOT worse! You could have encountered one, or more, flight attendants on a power trip. At the departure gate you could have run into a gate agent that likes to play God. Your baggage could have been, outright, LOST, not just damaged on the outside. One, or more, things in your bags could have been stolen. If you were travelling with a laptop, a US Customs Inspector might have decided he wanted to rifle-though the electronic files, or threaten you with seizure of the laptop if you objected! Inter-continental travel, in first class, is an entirely different story--as long as you're not travelling on a US-based airline! Lufthansa is known for providing Business and First Class service of the type you were looking for.

[jimworcs]

Butch.. do you work for Lufthansa? I would hazard a guess they are recommended in every post you make!! lol

[countrynewsman]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Butch.. do you work for Lufthansa? I would hazard a guess they are recommended in every post you make!! lol

Hey...c'mon...I love Lufthansa! I flew their airline from Lima, Peru to La Paz, Bolivia and they were great! Oh wait...that was 1973.

[jimworcs]

Everyone was good in 1973! White linens, food, respectful staff... the good old days!