[ahubinger1]

MQT airport is a small rural airport that only Delta and American Eagle serve. It seriuosly has two gates. I had a flight this Sunday at 6AM to Detroit Metro and then LAX. Between Friday and Sunday it snowed constantly dumping over a foot of snow. It was a crazy drive to the airport, normally a 20 minute drive, turned into 35-40. The roads into the airport had cleared a single car path and there was a foot of snow in the parking lot.

I ran in at 5:28 am, the check-in people saw me: but had to quickly head to the bathrrom for a "bathroom emergency" . I was in the bathroom for 2 minutes but when I emerged the check in stff were gone; apparently performing ohter duties. The TSA security crew twice tried to get them to check me in. THe plane was not yet booarding and in fact more than 20 miutes passed before they began boarding the plane. Still the Delta staff refused to check me in...at 5:50 they began boarding and even called my name. TSA told them I was still waiting at the check in desk but they refused to do anything about it...by this time there were 4 other people who battled the weather, behind me. At 6 Am the check in staff finally arrived telling me I was late and they did not have to help me. Instead of displying empathy and trying to diffuse the situation they were rude and disrespectful. They were actually provoking my unhappy husband by engaging in a shout down. At 6:30 when we finally gave up and left the plane was still sitting at the gate, unreal!!! have spent hours trying to find someone to listen to me at Delta. I still have no refund for my baggage charge or my ticket. To top it all off, my daughter who was scheduled to depart on Delta Friday to pick up a cruise in Orlando Saturday was left high and dry. Her flight that was suppose to leave a 5 pm was a "mechanical issues" no show. She was then told it would come at 7, it did not, and then 9 and once again it was a no show. By that time there there were no flights she could obtain to get to her destination and missed the cruise. Unfortunately she made the mistake of not acquiring travel insurance and lost all her money. I would never recommend anyone fly Delta. Unfortunately it is all we have in Marquette.

[Matt_FLL]

I assume you were on DL3794 which departs at 6:00am out of MQT. Your report suggests that you arrived at the airport at 5:28am—before your bathroom emergency. Even if your time with nature was two minutes, unfortunately, you missed the documented check-in deadline before even stepping foot in the bathroom.

I know you’re angry, and I want to empathize with you as a road warrior. Especially because the agents saw you. However, if I were another passenger, I would expect an agent to be present at the gate at least 30 minutes before departure. That would be impossible if they were checking you in. It takes the agent at least 30 minutes to execute normal departure procedures. If he/she wasn’t there, they’d have to delay the entire flight. We’ve all had bad weather and bathroom emergencies. But it’s not fair to think that it’s a valid excuse to disrupt everyone else’s travel experience. I’m sorry—I’m sure that’s not what you wanted to hear, especially since you were just venting on a complaint site.

However, regarding what you described with your daughter on Friday: there is very good news. Assuming that your description is accurate, she is entitled to a full refund of the ticket price. If a flight is significantly delayed or cancelled for any reason, you are entitled to a refund to the original form of payment. You don’t need travel insurance. Further, if you write in to Customer Relations on delta.com, they often provide additional compensation (usually a voucher) when the delay was caused by mechanical issues since it was technically within their control.

Please make sure your daughter applies for that refund—she certainly deserves it.

Safe travels to you and your family,
Matt

[ahubinger1]

I can appreciate your viewpoint. You sound like you work for the airline since you know the details of my flight. No one would have waited for me to board that plan. I watched all the passengers sit there for 20 minutes waiting for the plane to even board. On top of that the Check IN staff were rude and nasty when they returned; no excuse for any of that. It was some of the worst customer service I haveever received.

Regardless I did finally receive refund. It took 8 phone calls and about 6 hours on the phone, primarily on hold.

As for my daughter she was refunded her Delta ticket but Carnavel Cruise line doesn't really care that Delta could not get her to the cruise. Cruise ships wait for none one. She has lost all of that money with no recourse. Unless you think will pick up that tab as well.

[Matt_FLL]

Hey there… no, I don’t work for an airline. I just checked out the flights using an app on my phone. I am a business road warrior but have never used MQT before.

You seem like a very reasonable person. Honestly, it doesn’t even matter that you were past the check-in deadline. I bet you would never have even posted on this forum if you were treated with some respect. It’s not like you woke up in the morning and decided that you were going to miss the check-in deadline. Airport experience aside, it should never have to take 8 phone calls to get a refund. And you deserve compensation for six hours of your time trying to get a refund. No excuse for that. Delta should be ashamed of themselves.

Along with everyone else reading this forum, I feel terrible about your daughter not being able to make the cruise. I’ve heard of people meeting a cruise at an intermediate point… but I am not aware of a cruise line giving a voucher for the value. It hurts just thinking about it. Please keep the forum updated. Let us know when you get your Delta refund posted to your credit card, and if the cruise company considers a voucher or refund.