Delta Airlines Consumer Reviews - Page 6

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- Delta airline has no regards for its customers flying International (Houston-Atlanta-Lagos and Lagos-Atlanta-Houston). This is my experience flying Delta Airline for the first time: On my trip to Nigeria I had arrived at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston TX, checked in 2 suitcases which was the maximum per customer, my carry on luggage was measured at the counter at check in and it passed the required dimension check. I set out to security, and then arrived at the Gate where my flight to Atlanta was to depart from.

It was finally time to board and to my greatest surprise I was told by one of the ladies at the gate that my carry on luggage did not meet the required dimension just by her looking at it. Now how possible is that when I was cleared at the front desk and not to mention "this is a carry on luggage I have used to travel for over a year with other airlines without any problem." I told her it was measured at the front desk and it was cleared. She called the front desk and they confirmed what I had said. Rather than allowing me board she still insisted I was not going to travel with my carry on.

At this time all passengers had boarded the aircraft so I then said to her "what if they checked it in?" She said that would not be possible as I have already checked in my maximum number of suitcases. I pleaded with her because I did not know what next to do. She then said I will miss my flight.

I then asked for an airline bag (You know those bags that airlines offer to customers with excess luggage, of which you pay for anyway). She said I had to go to the front desk for that and if I did that I will surely miss my flight. At this time the gate had been closed and all my family members were on board the aircraft (I thought to myself how inconsiderate and mean can someone who is supposed to be a customer service representative be?).

Now I was confused and had no option than to rush down the hallway. Luckily I saw one of the cleaners from whom I collected a garbage bag. I then rushed to the gate and asked if I transfer the contents into the garbage bag if that will be OK and she said yes. So I did just that, the gate was opened for me and I dashed out leaving behind my carry on luggage which was actually a birthday gift from my wife.

On arriving at the Atlanta airport where we board our connecting flight to Lagos, I had to buy a new carry on luggage, of course at "airport price" - $150.00 for a regular carry on an expense not planned for. At the gate in Atlanta after so much delay it was now time to board. Then a customer service representative or whatever they call them now made an announcement saying that most carry on luggages would have to be checked in this time because the aircraft was small. Of course mine was checked in along with half that of other passengers.

It was at this time I was really upset and I asked the lady at the gate "why is it OK for you guys to check in carry on luggages now despite the fact that we had checked in our maximum of two suitcases (because that was the reason why the lady at the Houston airport refused to check in my carry on)" and all she could say was that they are different individuals. This did not go down well with me as airlines make the policy and not the employee.

The flight to Lagos was a different experience with half the flight attendants being unfriendly. On arrival to Lagos one of the suitcases did not arrive however, there were passengers who did not receive either of their suitcases and every one had to file a complaint for missing luggage. Mine came in the 2 days later. On returning to America I shared my experience with some friends, who happen to have similar if not worse experiences with Delta Airlines and have vowed never to fly Delta Airlines due to their horrible and poor customer service.

More so, we all think it will be best for some other airlines to start fly direct to Nigeria from America that way the monopoly by Delta Airline is broken and there will be room for competition after all the America-Nigeria route is a highly profitable one so why should the passengers be treated with disrespect. As for me "I will not fly Delta Airline especially on international flights."

ALANTA, SOUTH CAROLINA -- I am looking for information concerning how to go about requesting payment for my 2 day delay on getting out of Atlanta. I flew into Atlanta on Sun to transfer to a Florence, SC flight (coming from Lexington, Ky). Because of the storms in Atlanta; I was delayed 3 times leaving LEX. The agent at the LEX airport changed my Florence Flight to later in the evening, the seat was confirmed. On finally landing in Atlanta, I was greeted by 100's of 1,000's of people who were all so stuck in the Atlanta Airport.

After standing in line for over 2 hours and finally getting close to the front of the line and seeing a Delta agent, who took my ticket and scanned my ticket, at which point I was told that my fight would take off at 9:45 and my SEAT WAS CONFIRMED. I left the line and went to my gate. I waited there for another hour to find out my flight was indeed cancelled. In order to book another flight I had to return to the line that is now spanning to the back of 'D' concourse (approx. 16 gates).

I was so upset I called my husband who booked me a room. I found a smaller line (at a gate that was not opened but the agent was there) and stood in line again to ask what I had to do to rebook my flight. She was very helpful and gave me the 1-800 number to call. My husband called and I could not get out of Atlanta until Tuesday. I would like my room paid and the money I spent on food reimbursed. This is not including the taxi to get to the airport or the one I had to take to buy the things that were in my suitcase that I would need for a 2 night stay.

Before I left Northern Kentucky for the LEX Airport no one called to inform me that my flight was delayed for 3 hours. What I find funny is that some people did receive room vouchers and food vouchers. Why? There were 100's of 1000's of people in the Atlanta Airport, but very few Delta Employees. The line I stood in for over 2 hours had only 3 employees working to help customers. There were no employees walking around to help direct people or answer questions.

GENEVA, NEW YORK -- When I booked a ticket to visit my daughter I inadvertently listed an incorrect last name on the ticket which I purchased online. (I sometimes use a hyphenated last name and inadvertently used my maiden name to book the ticket.) When I realized what I had done, I immediately called Delta's customer service line and asked how to get the name corrected. The CSR (who - big surprise - did not speak clear English) told me that he was unable to make the change there, that I would have to make the correction at the ticket counter.

I asked if I would have any problems checking in and he said no, he was going to make a note on my reservation that the ticket agent would be able to see. I again expressed fear that there would be problems and he again assured me that he was noting the reservation and it would be corrected at the ticket counter. My flight left at 6 AM - I live an hour away from the airport. I got there a little early, 4:45, and proceeded to the counter to get the correction made. Yup, you guessed it, they told me they couldn't change the ticket. That I had to produce government issued ID showing my maiden name.

I told them that I had my checking account with me which showed my hyphenated name, my business cards and even some mail in my purse that was addressed to me with my hyphenated name. They said I had to come back with my birth certificate or marriage certificate. I pointed out that I lived an hour from the airport and that there was no way to get back before the flight took off. I admitted that I made an error and asked them politely to help me correct it. They said there was nothing they could do.

In disbelief (and with a massive line forming behind me because there were only two ticket agents working and they both were talking to me) I asked again what I had to do to get on that plane. She told me I had to buy a new ticket! I told her that I was unable to do that - that I wanted to talk with someone who could assist and she said that she was the supervisor on duty. Panicking because the time was ticking away, I reluctantly agreed to buy a new ticket and she told me it would be $497. I explained that the ticket I had purchased was only $197 and she said that rate was no longer available.

I tried to reason with her that I would be sitting on the same plane and likely in the same seats but she said she was not authorized to offer any rates other than those on the screen. By now I was furious, the line was a mile long behind me and I was running out of time to make the flight. (The reason for my trip was time sensitive so there was no way I could book a later flight.) So I took the $500 ticket that was worth only $200 out of desperation. When I arrived at my daughter's house, I went online and sure enough, there were still $197 tickets being sold for THAT DAY'S TRAVEL!

I called the Atlanta phone # and was told someone would call me back in 2 hrs. Yeah, right. Two days later and I am still waiting for that call! What can I do?? Who can I appeal to?? This is just wrong. I don't have this kind of money to throw around. I had to have a yard sale just to get the money to go to see my daughter in the first place. What are my options now? I really hope someone has good news for me!!!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- I am writing this letter after taking 7 days of agonizing attempts to gather the energy to write Delta Airlines. Writing this letter is one of the most difficult things that I've had to do because it requires time, energy, resources, and re-visit to the horrible day and chain of events that exhausted me while leaving me depleted emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.

On Memorial Day, and a monumental day it will always be, I was prevented from completing my travel route to Costa Rica where I would serve teaching yoga to adults and children at a retreat center outside of Puerto Viejo. It had been a long journey prior to the 23 hour lay over in Atlanta. Life re-arrangements were required to make this expedition possible. From resigning from my post, spending over a thousand dollars for necessities, to the stress of having to sublease my house, to explaining and helping my 10 year old son understand that he will not be able to reach his mother for the entire summer.

Having arrived in Atlanta, to discover that the hotel that I booked (through hotels.com) which should have been 2 miles away from the airport according to their website and booking agent was actually over 26 miles from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, demanding additional expenses when shuttles between airports and hotels are normally free.

Waking up well ahead of time the morning of Memorial Day to be ready for the shuttle bus (which I confirmed the night before arrived 20 minutes after every hour), I soon learned that a reservations was needed. No thanks to the Atlanta Shuttle driver who never informed me of that one piece of information and the Hyatt Regency'€™s hotel'€™s employees who failed as well. What I learned was that the holiday threw everyone off and that normal working days required no reservations.

Meanwhile, my luggage had spent the night at Atlanta Hartfield's Airport without my prior knowledge. I was wrong to assume that my suitcases would go to San Juan, Costa Rica since it was my final destination. And no thanks to your ticket agent who did not advise me or inform me as a passenger of Delta Airlines. (All travelers are not created equally.)

I did arrive at the airport 1 hour and 15 minutes early. The signs indicated that international flights needed 60 minutes of check-in time -€“ at the very least. I have never been in line at an airport whereby passengers with the most immediate departure time were not taken care of immediately. There were other angry, frustrated passengers in line who left later than I but refused to allow me to step forward. In addition, the screaming and "€œdown talk" from your employee was nerve wrecking and frankly crude and far away from what quality customer service should represent and symbolize.

Given the fact that the airline industry has declined drastically and that the homeland security laws are an added burden to the comfort and safety of paying passengers, I have never seen such horrific and poor customer service organization and support from any other airline as I have seen with Delta Airlines. Your airlines ruined my summer job/vacation and refused to put me on the next flight to San Juan without demanding a $450.00 change/cancellation fee that was well hidden when I purchased my ticket. It was my understanding and according to the written terms that I would need to pay a $100 fee in the event that I cancelled or changed my reservations.

When I called the reservations line to book for the next flight, I was advised of the $100 dollar fee and was told that given my circumstances it would be wise to ask to speak with a supervisor at the airport counter. Again, no $450 fee that includes the $100 fee was mentioned by the reservations sales rep. I was prepared to pay the $100.00 fee but not $450.00. Doing so would have caused my mortgage check to bounce as well as other financial disruptions on my home front.

What an inconvenience! Not everyone can afford to pay astronomical unexpected charges that are slapped on to travelers for the sake of profit and gain. Where does compassion, respect, consideration and a positive approach to customers come in with Delta Airlines? I have yet to see it.

What is even more disturbing is that this is not the first time I have had a horrible experience with Delta Airlines. Returning from Liberia, Costa Rica 4 years ago left a very sour and bitter after taste during my return trip to the US via Delta. And please know that I have bitten myself for forgetting the ordeal and going back to after all that happened. In a nutshell the flight crew during my return trip was insensitive and downright rude. Traveling with me was my (then 6 year old) son. We sat a row or two after the first class cabin and in economy. The bathroom closest was in first class.

My son and I needed to use the rest room urgently. Stretched in the back was a long line to the other bathroom. It would only make sense to use the nearest rest room but this effort was met with resistance by a flight attendant who so brusquely tried to prevent my child and I from using the lavatory.

I know that many flight attendants have no children and thus the maternal instinct may be in delay mode but who in their right heart and mind would prevent a mother and child from utilizing the toilet on a plane that is thousands of miles high in the sky. I was prepared to return to my seat and have my son piss right on the floor. Why would a simply attempt to answer nature'€™s call create a disaster in the air?

How did I forget that ordeal, I keep asking myself? But the biggest question that keeps coming up is WHY did I forget? Did I need to re-affirm, re-confirm that over the years Delta Airlines has only gotten worse and that there are others who need to know and become more informed consumers in order to make choices that support and dignify their rights as humans.

As a consumer, as one who was a passenger of your aircraft I speak up so that my pain, my frustration, my anger, my disgust over the experience that I had on Memorial day will not be forgotten, will not eat me away inside as such experiences have resulted in the stress related diseases and imbalances that human unnecessarily endure.

In addition, it is WE, the people, the passengers, the consumers who are mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, sisters, brothers who make Delta Airlines possible. What is an airline or a business without passengers and customers? It is our collective dollars that fuel your planes and pay your employees. Shouldn'€™t it matter that we, the passengers and customers are treated with care, respect - knowing that it really is a partnership? Partners treat each other with respect. If one partner is primarily focused on financial gain then the relationship is a one-way street to a dead end.

The damages I have suffered are all encompassing. The breakdown at the airport counter would only indicate a peak in my experience. I am still emotionally and mentally distraught and have sunk into depression as a result of this ordeal and prevention of carrying out my summer plans. I have receipts of the money I had to spend to make this trip possible. The damages and suffering I continue to endure are economical, physical, emotional and mental. Having re-awakened the ordeal from 4 years ago, it has been even more strenuous for me mind, body, heart and soul.

My summer job & vacation was destroyed by Delta Airlines. But I was not the only one that was inconvenienced as a result of the cancellation of my trip. The nature and yoga retreat center has been inconvenienced by my absence, the sub-renter of my house has inconvenienced; I have spend over $2,000.00 towards making this trip happen and only to have lost it all.

I started off blindly with trust and faith in Delta airlines, even after the less than humane treatment of my child and I during the last return trip from Costa Rica in the summer of 2004. I trusted Delta Airlines for the second time and all I got in return was a ticket agent supervisor saying "€œSo what are you going to do, when you leave this counter you lose the value of the entire ticket?"€ After taking three deep breaths, I was left with the only choice - to return to Washington, DC my point of origin and where I live.

AUSTIN, TENNESSEE -- I have been traveling for over 20 years and this was my worst trip ever. Using delta.com, I bought a round-trip ticket from Austin, Texas to Nice, France departing March 8th, returning March 12th. I was to attend a conference in Monaco that began on the 10th. Our company was to make a presentation on the morning of the 11th. Frankly, the problems began as soon as I arrived at the Austin airport to check in about two hours before my flight was scheduled to depart. There had been a series of winter storms on the east coast that had caused delays and cancellations of many Delta flights.

I fully understand that weather delays are out of the control of the airline but the manner that the Austin staff handled the situation left something to be desired. There were at least 200 customers, with baggage, lined up at the check-in counters with a total of three Delta agents on duty. The self-service kiosks were not functioning so each passenger had to be checked-in one at a time. Several times during the wait Delta agents would call for passengers from a particular flight to get out of line and form a special line as that flight was going to depart soon. Often they would not finish with that group before calling another flight number and creating another line.

Many passengers missed flights although they were at the airport long before the flights departed. There was only one agent looking after international bookings and I waited over 90 minutes before checking in. At check-in I was advised that my flight was delayed 45 minutes and I went through security for the first time. When I arrived at the gate there no aircraft and there were no agents to be seen. The original departure time was displayed on the gate kiosk. Over the next several hours the flight was delayed by another 30-45 minutes. During this period no announcements were made by the Delta agents.

The first communication was that the flight had been canceled and we were told to go back through security to the ticket counter to get re-booked. The gate agents refused to answer any questions at this time. I along with the other 90 passengers returned to the ticket counter chaos. Once in line we were advised that the flight had not been canceled and we were told to hurry to the gate. I was in the process of taking off my shoes for the security screening when a Delta agent told everybody the flight had been canceled and we needed to get back in the check-in line.

Once in line we were advised that the flight had not been canceled and we were told to hurry to the gate. I went through security again and proceed to the gate. At this point I waited at the gate to speak to an agent. I explained that I had a flight to Nice (DL 83) scheduled for 6:55 pm and wanted to know if I could expect to make that flight as I did not want to travel to JFK and get stranded. The agent (Moses) advised me that all the flights were delayed and if my current flight was to leave when they thought it would I could make the connection.

He also booked me on an Air France flight (Delta code share) to Paris, Charles de Gaulle International Airport, but he advised me that he could not confirm my connection back to Nice the following day. I was provided with an "€œinterrupted travel" itinerary showing confirmed seats on both DL 83 and DL 8603 (operated by AF 009). I was told that I would have to check-in again when I arrived at JFK for the Paris flight. At some point the flight was canceled again. I went out through security to the check-in counter to be told flight had not been canceled and we were told to return to the gate. My 11:10 AM flight departed at 5:24 PM arriving at 6:58 PM.

There was no gate available for our flight and it was over an hour later before I was off the aircraft and into the terminal. By this point my original flight to Nice had left but at that point I did not care very much as I believed had a seat on the flight to Paris. I was wrong. When I went to the Delta Customer Service Counter at 8:20 PM to check-in they had a problem with my reservation. The agent said that I had a seat on the flight but he could not get it to print my boarding card.

He then called over a Lead Agent (Robert **) who worked on my reservation, assisted by a Customer Services Supervisor (Vas) and telephone support from the "€œInternational Desk" for over an hour. The problem was that the system had attempted to book me a flight from Paris to Nice but for some reason it could not confirm the seat. That issue also prevented the agents from printing my boarding card. When they tried to re-book me the system "œlost" my reservation and gave up my seat on the Paris flight as it was wait-listed. The Delta Agents at JFK, in particular Robert **, were fantastic and found me a local hotel room and gave me meal vouchers.

Other customers with international connections who had flown with me from Austin were not offered any assistance in getting hotels. They acknowledged the fact that I was not going to be able to make the flight because of Delta Airlines was unable to print my boarding documents, even though I had a confirmed seat on that flight, up to the point the system lost the seat. The Air France flight did not depart until 12:45 AM four hours after I tried to check in.

As I said earlier, I recognize that weather delays are out of the control of the airline but everything that happens from this point on in my story is completely the fault of Delta Airlines. I was booked on a Delta flight to Gatwick the following day with a connection on British Airways to Nice. The next day, March 9th, I went to the airport early to check-in. After waiting for 55 minutes, I checked-in. I asked where my bags were and was told that due to the many delays from yesterday, they were doing their best to route bags correctly but most likely my luggage was not going to be on the flight with me. I then boarded DL1 bound for Gatwick.

I never made it to Gatwick as the flight was diverted to Brussels due to weather issues in the UK. As soon as we were on the ground in Brussels I called the local Delta Ticket Office to find out what my options were. I was advised to get off the aircraft as there was a connection to Nice at 12:45 PM. I was also told that I should not proceed to Gatwick as due to the many delays there were no flights to anywhere on the European continent or back to the US for several days. I asked one of the flight attendants if I would be permitted to disembark the aircraft, she replied that she would check and get back to me. I never saw her again.

I asked another flight attendant who referred me to yet another flight attendant who said that we would not be allowed to get off the aircraft as we would not be able to "€œclear immigration". A cabin announcement was made to this effect. After waiting on the ground for two hours, many other passengers also indicated they wanted go get off the aircraft. Many, like me, had final destinations in Europe, including a party of 8-10 first-class passengers who also wanted to get to Nice. I had the opportunity to speak with a local Delta employee and asked her why we could not get off the aircraft. She had a very different story. The issue was not immigration, but baggage.

She was unaware that some passengers wanted to get off and offered a solution: If you did not have checked baggage you could get off the aircraft. She took the record locator information and baggage tag numbers for several passengers and went to the terminal to confirm that we did not have bags on the aircraft. When she returned, I was advised that my checked bag was at Air France, Charles de Gaulle International Airport having arrived that morning on AF009. My bag made the flight I was not able to board. Several other passengers and I were taken by bus to the terminal.

By the time I had gone through immigration, found my way to the Delta ticket counter and waited to be re-booked my flight to Nice had left. This was a full four hours after I first spoke to the Delta staff and asked to be let off the aircraft. The recovery plan was to fly to Rome with connection back to Nice. The first segment was flown on an Alitalia Airlines code share operated by Brussels Airlines. The Rome-Nice flight was operated by Alitalia. I had a pleasant flight but we were delayed in landing and I only had about twenty minutes to make the Nice flight upon arrival in Rome.

Accompanied by another Delta passenger from DL1, I ran to the gate and arrived six minutes before the scheduled departure. I have been travelling on business for over 25 years, including many trips on third-world airlines and what happened next is something I will always remember. The gate agent told us to "€œrun-run" to the aircraft. So we did. The aircraft was on an old-style gate that had several swing-away jet-ways. When we reached the aircraft they were just beginning to close the door. I called to an Alitalia employee who was standing at the jet-way controls. He said nothing and just looked at us.

The flight was operated by a DC9 and the pilots were visible through the cockpit windows. I managed to get the Captains attention and he opened the direct vision window and asked what was going on. I said we wanted to get on the aircraft and he told the Alitalia employee to open the door. The Alitalia employee then said, in English, that we need to get off the moving portion of the jet-way. We backed up and he then pulled the jet-way off the aircraft and advised the ground crew to push the aircraft back. The aircraft entry door was fully open. The Captain just shrugged his shoulders as the aircraft was pushed back from the gate leaving 3 passengers on the bridge.

At this point the gate agent who had taken our boarding cards and told us to run appeared on the jet-way and got into a heated argument with the jet-bridge operator. She then asked us to follow her to the ticket counter. At the ticket counter my traveling companion tried to explain what had happened. We were asked to wait until another employee arrived. Soon a woman approached and introduced herself as the "€œAlitalia Manager"€.

We explained what occurred at the gate, and after she spoke to the gate agent, she turned to me and said in perfect English, in no uncertain terms, that in her opinion we were not Alitalia passengers. We had never boarded an Alitalia flight and regardless of what may, or may not, have happened at the gate we were wasting her time and if we did not leave she was going to call the police. Without another word, she turned and walked away as fast as one can in a tight skirt and stiletto heels. I went to the Delta Airlines counter but it was closed.

I called the local number and spoke to a pleasant lady who said she could not help me but she did connect me to the Delta Reservations office in London where I was connected to Mr. Miguel **. I explained my situation to Mr. ** and his response was mind-boggling. He absolutely refused to assist me with onward airline bookings, hotel reservations or alternate travel arrangements. He said that from the moment I got off the aircraft in Brussels I was no longer a Delta Airlines passenger. He spent considerable time quoting me IATA policy and regulations and concluded that I needed to be "€œmore assertive" with the Alitalia staff.

At this point, once again accompanied by another Delta passenger from DL1, I walked to the train station and bought a very expensive overnight train ticket to Nice. While waiting for the train, I placed a long-distance call to Delta Baggage Services in Atlanta. I waited 47 minutes before I was able to speak to an agent. After explaining my situation, the first words the agent, Barbara, said was: "€œI can't help you". She said I needed to open a claim at the Delta baggage office when I reached my final destination.

After some explanations that I was never going to get to my final destination, the Nice Airport, as I was about to board a train, and I knew exactly where my luggage was, she very reluctantly agreed to send a message to Air France CDG requesting my bag be sent on to Delta in Nice. I then boarded the train and had a pleasant trip to Nice. For reasons that were never quite made clear to me the train stopped at the French boarder and we were put on a local commuter train.

Fortunately, this train stopped in Monte Carlo and I got off, hailed a taxi and walked into my hotel at 9:15 am, basically three days after I walked into the Austin Airport to board my original flight. I had a shower, put on some clean clothes I had and much to the surprise of my colleagues, I made it to the conference in time for the presentation. Later that day I called Delta in Nice to try to find my luggage. I spoke to Olivier ** who took my information and said he would call me right back.

True to his word, less than an hour later, Olivier called to say my bag had arrived earlier in the day from CDG and as he understood I had some difficulties in getting to Monaco he had put my bag on the helicopter shuttle and it would be arriving soon at my hotel. It did. Whatever Barbara had done had worked, but if I had not been "€œassertive" with her she would not have done anything and my bag might still be in Paris today. During this entire ordeal I maintained my composure and above all sense of humor. At no time did I get angry or raise my voice as I know it does not do anybody any good.

I did not begin to get irritated until I returned to the US and contacted Delta Customer Care. I was given a telephone number for Customer Care at the airport. When I called I was told the very best Delta could offer me was a $200 travel voucher. Ironically I was waiting at a gate at the time and passengers were being offered a $400 voucher if they would wait 6 hours for a later flight that day. I asked or be connected to a manager or supervisor but was told that was impossible. I asked for contact name of the overall person at Delta responsible for Customer Care. I was informed that person is Ms. Daiquiri **.

I then tried to contact Ms. ** but it appears she does not have a direct line, voice mail or any method of direct communication with the customers she is responsible to care for. I was however connected to a person who identified herself to me as Susan **, who said she worked in the Executive Offices. After I told her my story, I requested compensation for the out of pocket expenses I incurred as a result of Delta Airlines service failures. Ms. ** indicated she would be able to "œmeet you half way" (her exact words) with respect to the expenses, providing I had receipts. She also offered me 20,000 SkyMiles as a goodwill gesture.

She provided me with her fax number and I asked for the correct spelling of her name and she replied **. I then faxed the receipts to her. Later that day, I received a form-letter e-mail from "Brenda **"€, Manager Customer Care. It stated that I had had problems with Delta Connection partner, Comair and offered me a $200 travel voucher or a credit of 20,000 SkyMiles. I then called Delta again and asked to speak to "€œSusan **" but was told that no person of that name worked there.

I then asked for "€œBrenda **" and was connected to the same individual I had spoken to earlier that day. Is it Delta policy for managers in the Customer Care department to use false names when communicating with customers? When I asked Ms ** why she had rescinded her original offer with respect to reimbursement of my expenses she denied ever making the offer. When I challenged her on that statement, asking why she requested me to send in the receipts, she became defensive and belligerent. Due to Delta Airlines spectacular failures to deliver the transportation services I paid for, I incurred over $1000 in out of pocket expenses.

Over and over I was told that Delta's only responsibility is to "œre-book you on the first available flight to your destination". Not only did Delta not get me to my final destination, at some point in the process Delta Airlines stopped trying. For this I am offered a $200 voucher? The attitude of the Delta "Customer Care" department shows a lot about the overall value the company gives to its customers: NONE!

VANCOUVER YVR -- On December 23rd, 2007, my husband, 11-year old son and I arrived at Vancouver International Airport to fly aboard Delta to Puerto Vallarta (our first Christmas away from home). I attempted to check-in from a kiosk at 4:50 am (our flight was to depart at 6:00 a.m.) and I could not gain access to Delta. I tried several other kiosks, with no success.

We stood in line at the Delta counter for 15 - 20 minutes while the one clerk spoke with two travelers. Upon arriving at the Delta counter, I submitted all my information and was stopped in my tracks when the clerk said, "You can't board - you're late!" "What are you talking about? What time is it?" "It's 5:12 am and you were to be here two hours prior to departure"

I initially thought she was kidding with me and I said "Oh come now - we've already been waiting in line for 20 minutes, and I know the two hour suggestion is for international flights. We're only going to Mexico." She returned my passport and information and said, "You're too late, we can't risk you delaying our flight because of custom's line-ups. You will have to rebook another flight. Here's the phone number for Delta." She then turned and busied herself with paperwork.

When it sunk in she was serious, I started to cry in disbelief. My husband was still in denial and stood there, waiting for her to hustle and attempt to resolve whatever issue she had with our tickets. I sat down to regroup, remembered that I had confirmed my flight in November after they contacted me about a change (and I had ordered and paid for the tickets in August). So I confidently reapproached the counter (after all a confirmed flight is like a golden Willy Wonka ticket, right?). Wrong!

She simply stressed between gritted teeth, "You were too late for your flight. I'm sorry but those are the rules. You will have to phone Delta as we do not have an office at Vancouver Airport." My poor eleven-year-old was so upset he attempted to talk to the counter lady (while Dad was on hold and Mom was on computer) and she shoo'ed him away from the counter when he cryingly asked her 'What we should do?' ("I already gave your mother the phone number.")

Then he became more upset when the Delta clerk leaned over to a new clerk, whom had just arrived, and they both burst out laughing. I had to assure him they weren't laughing at him (but how do I know?). In short, Delta's Reservations line (in Ontario) kept my husband on hold for 20 minutes, offered him a 'maybe' flight on the 24th or the 25th but it would cost an additional $1000.00. They also told him there were no available flights leaving on the 23rd.

All during his wait-time on the telephone with Delta Airlines, I was surfing Expedia.ca and noted not only were there flights advertised for that day but lots for the next day - why weren't they accommodating us? Why were they implying that seats were next to impossible to find?

Then it clicked. My husband point blank asked the Delta phone representative - "Are you telling me that Delta's 6:00 am flight does NOT have three bottoms planted in OUR three prepaid seats? Are you telling me that if people ARE in our seats - they haven't paid, again, for those prepaid seats? Or are you confirming that right there are three empty seats on the 6:00 am flight because I am obviously talking with you on the phone and Delta didn't think my family could clear customs?" The phone rep wouldn't confirm or deny this statement. Meanwhile, the flight still hadn't left Vancouver. (Talk about feeling powerless.)

We went to American Airlines who kindly suggested we ensure Delta didn't go ahead and sell our return flight seats - good thing as the Delta clerk had to scramble to get those seats back for us. I purchased three one-way tickets to Puerto Vallarta from an efficient and sympathetic AA clerk who made a point of walking over to the Delta counter to tell the clerk what we had been forced to resort to (meanwhile our original 6:00 am flight still hadn't departed).

We flew one way (very expensive) via American Airlines. It took us exactly 12 minutes to clear customs. While we were waiting for our flight, an American Airlines clerk paged us up to the counter to inform us that Delta phoned and had offered each one of us $445.00 in vouchers for the 'inconvenience.' Delta's personnel didn't have time to bring the vouchers to us personally as they felt they wouldn't reach us before the AA flight left. They would leave the vouchers with Delta.

(Hmm, I briefly thought. Maybe they aren't totally heartless even though they have made travel appear totally unappealing to my son.) When we returned from Mexico, I inquired at the Vancouver Delta counter about some vouchers left for us. Suddenly I had grown an extra eye and spoke gibberish because nobody at Delta had ever heard of me or knew what vouchers I was referring to.

It's going on two months, and we have still not heard anything from them. I am presently giving them one last week (until February 27th) before releasing the complete information to the media and requesting legal assistance. I'm sure Delta doesn't care - we are merely a drop in the bucket to them.

Yet I have to question - Can they do this? Can an airline refuse a passenger to board (without proper cause) because of tentative Customs' volume? Can Delta NOT refund or reimburse paid money when they are to blame? Isn't this Fraud or Theft? I have traveled for years and have never experienced anything like this. Sadly, Delta tacked on another $2400.00 to a previously reasonable five day trip to Mexico. Any help and/or advice readers of this complaint can offer would be greatly appreciated. Please and thank you!

CINCINATTI, OHIO -- It all started yesterday afternoon, when I was scheduled to take a 4:07 flight from West Palm Beach to Cincinnati, Ohio, where I would then be able to catch the 7:40 flight into Newark, NJ. I purposely left myself over an hour's connection time, figuring that I would have no problem making the connection, but was I wrong!

The first of Delta's inconsistencies that I noticed was frightening; my flight, which departed at 4:07 from West Palm Beach, had a scheduled boarding time of 3:37. The funny thing is, however, that the flight coming from Cincinnati on the SAME PLANE is not scheduled to arrive in West Palm Beach until 3:48; 11 minutes after the boarding time of the next flight. Where is the logic there? 4:15 came around, and the plane had still not arrived, yet every five minutes the gate agent had made the announcement that the plane was due in "any minute."

At 4:30, the plane finally arrived, and I had gotten skeptical; I was beginning to fear missing my connection in Cincinnati. I walked up to the gate agent and politely asked her what time the plane would leave, and explained my situation. The response I got was: "well, this flight arrives into gate 47 in Cincinnati, and the Newark flight departs from gate 72, so you shouldn't have to walk too far. Yeah, I would say you'll be fine."

So onto the plane I went; where I waited on the tarmac for a beautiful 5:30 takeoff time, about an hour and 25 minutes after scheduled take-off. I understand that sometimes there are weather issues, etc., and that flights are late, and I was sure that I would be accommodated in Cincinnati should I miss my connection, especially considering that Cincinnati is one of Delta's largest hub cities.

The flight pulled into the gate at Cincinnati at 7:46; 6 minutes after the Newark flight departed. There was pandemonium in the terminal; apparently I wasn't the only one who had missed the flight. In fact, due to late arriving connections, the plane went out about half empty, but Delta never even had the idea of holding the plane for a couple of minutes to save people a bunch of hassle.

The agent at the gate that the Newark flight had just departed from directed me to the guest services desk, and told me that they would be able to help me find another flight out. Upon approaching the desk, however, I was rudely directed to a telephone on the wall, which put me on hold for a Delta agent somewhere between Kalamazoo and Seattle.

As a result of my being on hold, I missed the flights into JFK, PHL, and ABE, all leaving around the same time, and any of which I could have taken. My last resort to get into the NYC area was the LaGuardia flight which was scheduled to leave at 8:50. I told the agent to put me on standby for that flight, since all seats were taken, and she told me to go to the gate to get a seat request card.

Upon arriving at the gate, C15, from which the LaGuardia flight was scheduled, I picked up a seat request card from the agent, who told me that there was a "very good chance" of me getting on the flight, since I was only second on the standby list, and there were some "misconnects" who would not make the LGA flight from Kansas City. 8:50 came and went, and the flight was delayed. Luckily, however, I was called to the counter where I was given a seat and a boarding card. 9:50, the flight was still not boarding, and the Kansas City flight arrived. The agent called me back over to the desk, where she took my boarding card and told me to "wait around".

About 30 minutes later, the flight had boarded, and 5 passengers, including me, were left in an empty airport with no more flights leaving for the rest of the night. It took about 30 minutes of fighting to get Delta to give me a hotel room, and I arrived at my hotel at midnight. I was rescheduled on a flight to Newark at 11:00 this morning, which despite leaving the gate on time, arrived into Newark an hour late, for reasons of which I'm not sure. That will be the last time I even consider flying Delta.

On December 16, 2007 I was scheduled to fly at 6:00 am to Boston alone with my six-year-old triplets and their four-year-old brother. My husband had left for Boston on Friday due to the death of his grandmother, my children's great-grandmother. On the 16th, first our 6 am non-stop was cancelled and then so was the 9 am non-stop due to weather. We were re-booked on a 5:30 pm flight to Atlanta connecting to an Atlanta - Boston flight. We boarded flight 9692 to Boston scheduled at 7:45 pm which departed about 8:15 pm.

We were seated five across in the last rows (36 & 37) of the MD-88 aircraft. Almost immediately after take-off there was suddenly a loud sound or outside air rushing into the airplane. As we continued to ascend the noise got louder and the papers taped to the front of the galley carts began to blow in the wind that was coming in through the opening in the aircraft. There was a galley so I was unable to actually see the door but from the terrified look on the two gentleman just in front of me who also could not see the door and the couple in front of them who could - there was a major problem.

We continued to climb as I turned and yelled over the roar to the attendant two rows behind me "There's a problem are we going back?". Her response back was "They are aware. They are trying to determine the problem." We then descended to a lower altitude and a crew member was sent to make a visual inspection. After tightly gripping the handles of the galley he poked his head in for an assessment, came back and said something to the flight attendant and continued to the cockpit. Later the captain came on and announced that we were unable to pressurize the cabin so we will fly at a low altitude until a determination is made. We were told to tighten our seat belts.

A second visual inspection is made and a conference occurs at the cockpit door. Finally after 30 minutes we are told we will be returning to Atlanta. There is a rough landing but at appoximately 9:15 pm we are back in Atlanta. We are told an outside safety check must be done before they can open the door. A few minutes pass and several maintenance personnel and crew come back to inspect the door. They tell me and the gentleman in front of me that the seal or gasket on the door was protruding out the bootom and that the door had not been properly closed.

There is a real move to get people to stay on the plane but an announcement that if you must leave you have 15-20 minutes to do so is made. We were on the way to the funeral of my children's great grandmother and I was involved in an airline incident in 1992 where we had to evacuate by slide as jet fuel was spilling from the airplane and a fuel truck we had hit on landing. I know that I will be terrified at least for the next few flights I take and thus I struggle to wake the 3 children who are sleeping and to cajole them off the airplane.

My expectation is that Delta will assist me in finding a hotel and will cover the charges, will refund my tickets and rent a car to get us back to our home as Delta was negligent in closing the door. Delta has now explained through multiple attempts that they feel they owe me nothing as I chose to exit the aircraft and it later flew. Me, my three six-year-olds and my 4-year-old find our way to a hotel after multiple attempts to get any type of assistance from Delta fail. I feed them dinner (obviously there was no meal or beverage service during our ordeal) and get them into bed.

I make one more call to Delta before turning in myself to try to locate bags and to see if they will provide any assistance to get me home. No luck on either front and Mike advises I must talk to Baggage Service. In the morning I call and a sympathetic representative says she will put everything in our file that we are discussing - 4 loaner car seats as ours are in Boston and the paperwork to get our bags sent back.

I get to the airport to have the displeasure of speaking with Sylvester. I explain he should look in the record and he will find notes of what needs to be done at this point. But no - we must go through it again. He then looks for 4 loaner "booster" seats. After a long wait he comes with two seats. I ask him what about my other two children. He responds - you drive cautiously - don't you" How does Delta manage to hire so many arrogant jerks. He then returns to his desk and I look at the car seats to see they are not the right size. I set them in front of the counter and tell him I'm not going to take them as they are the wrong size.

His equally arrogant colleague must chime in "Don't just leave them on the floor - HAND THEM TO US." I rent a minivan and some car seats and head home. Today, I call and speak to Stephanie in Augusta who is very sympathetic and tries to find my 2 bags and four car seats. Even though I went to the airport the day before so that they would be sent to RDU, all bags are still in Boston with a delivery company. She offers to give a $100 credit each for my trouble - $500 versus $1600 for tickets, approx $150 for hotel, near $300 for a minivan with four car seats, etc. She explains there is an 11 am flight and bags should be here by 3 pm.

Van and car seats need to be back by 11am so I drive to the airport to do so and retrieve my own van. I then go and purchase 4 booster seats. Tonight I look at the computer to find my 5 bags and it says 1 in Boston, 2 at RDU, and 2 unknown. I call and speak with someone in India who tells me all bags are at RDU. I explain that the computer says not. She puts me on hold and then tells me that 2 are in RDU and 3 in Boston. I ask when they arrived RDU. Another wait and she says the 16th (the day we flew??). Another hold and then she assures me they are all at RDU.

Given that I can have no faith in what she is telling me I ask for a supervisor and get Lauren ** who tells me bags are RDU, then Boston, then not sure. There is apparently conflicting information in the system and the only way she can find out is to call Raleigh but no one answers. She explains my options are to go to Baggage office in Raleigh to see if maybe they are there or to wait. There is no one anywhere in Delta who is authorized to figure out where they are and call me back. There is no one of any higher authority than she has available by phone so I must write. My congressman and senator will be hearing from me as will many others.

The incident with my flight (an improperly closed door) is a rarity and negligence by Delta or their hired service provider. They make a major mistake which I hope is rare and then treat a woman traveling with 4 small children with complete arrogance and callousness. It's time for Congress and the Senate to step in.

On March 20th 2007, my friend and I bid and won a trip to Italy including airfare & hotel to Rome and Florence, and paid for it. Because of my friend having a bout with cancer at the time, we elected to postpone the trip until Sept 10th, 2007. Once in Rome we decided to forego the air trip to Florence if the cost was reasonable to go into Florence by train instead. It costs us 33 Euros, which in effect, would have delivered us from Rome proper into the city of Florence and would have cost less than the trips to and from the airport for the flight to Florence alone.

About 9 AM on the day before we were scheduled to return, we had the desk clerk from our hotel call the airline and reconfirm the trip. Delta was provided our names, the dates & flights, as well as our current hotel name and room as well as the hotel'€™s phone number. We were never notified of any problem. The next morning, while checking in at the Alitalia ticket counter at the airport in Florence to return to Rome and connect to our flight to the US (JFK) we were informed by the clerk on the Alitalia desk that Delta had cancelled the rest of our itinerary. I was then given a phone number in Rome to call Delta about it.

I called the number in Rome from a public phone at the airport in Florence and spoke to an agent from Delta. I must point out that I was calling from a public phone at the airport, using whatever Euros coins I had left. I was not in any belligerent frame of mind but rather desperate and scared. I got an agent from Delta in Rome, gave him the Delta Records locator and the confirmation number, instead of being in any way helpful or even sympathetic, he became totally belligerent and started screaming at me repeatedly that it was "obvious"€™ that they had cancelled the rest of our itinerary since we had "changed"€™ our reservation.

I calmly tried to reason with this man and replied to him that "€˜this matter obviously had not been so obvious to us, that we had never changed anything, that we had simply elected not to use one segment of our itinerary and that had we known that such action represented 'any actual change'€™ we would 'obviously' not have done so since we were now stranded in Florence,"€™ also that we had reconfirmed the morning before. He then simply just hung up on me.

No rules, relating to the fact that not using a specific segment of the itinerary would invalidate the rest of it (€˜Contract of Carriage) were ever communicated to us, the passengers, in any way, at any time. I had paid Delta for my transportation and elected not to use a small portion of such but to go by train instead. I fail to see how this was detrimental to Delta in any way. Delta did not either make us aware of any such rule or honor their contract to provide us with transportation. We never attempted to change any dates, or to use any segment of the itinerary in a manner to get any type of refund whatsoever.

We were then in danger of missing both the flight from Florence to Rome and then the connection in Rome to NY. Furthermore we no longer had any place to stay anywhere in Italy. Such tickets as well as the airport commission costs us 1,346.34 Euros (or $1,992.58 plus the currency exchange commission) for us to buy once more our way back home. I was lucky that my credit card took the charge since otherwise we would have remained stranded in Florence indefinitely.

The State of Pennsylvania Attorney General Office has informed that Delta will not negotiate any settlement and they cannot proceed with any legal action against Delta Airlines because "under Pennsylvania'€™s Consumer Protection Law, the Commonwealth must establish a pattern or practice of deceptive or unfair conduct in order to pursue such action"€. If anyone has had any similar experience with Delta Airlines would you be so kind as to contact me at: **.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- I had a first class ticket booked for July 27, 2007 to fly from SLC to DFW. My flight was to leave at 4:55 PM. At about 12:15 pm while on my way to the airport and while riding on a commuter train I received a recorded telephone message from Delta Airlines informing me that my flight had been cancelled. They told me that they had "protected" me by making a reservation for me on a flight leaving at 6:30 AM the next morning to Atlanta and from there I could fly back to Dallas/Fort Worth. For me to make a 6:30 AM flight would require me to get up at approximately 3:00 AM. I wonder whose idea of protection that is.

Upon receiving Delta's notification of cancelled flight I called my daughter, who is a travel agent and the person I was going to visit in Dallas, to tell her that I wouldn't make it that night. She immediately called Delta, spoke with a rep who told her that she would make a reservation for me on a flight leaving SLC at 1:32 PM. It was then 12:30 PM. I then called another daughter who met me at the train stop and took me to the SLC airport. I arrived at about 12:50 PM.

I immediately checked in at the first class check in desk at the terminal. The agents found my reservation for the 1:32 pm flight but had trouble printing a "ticket," a problem that both the agent and her supervisor said they had never experienced before. Finally they told me that I needed to get to the gate or I would miss the flight. They gave me a boarding pass to get through security and said they would call the desk at the gate and let them know I was coming and explain the circumstances.

When I arrived at security I was told that the AIRLINE had flagged me as a person needing additional screening. That I believe was a deliberate act by agents at the terminal desk to cause me to miss the flight because as it turned out the flight was completely booked and I was not on the passenger list.

When I arrived at the gate I spoke to the agent there. He told me that no one from the terminal had called, he knew nothing about me and that the flight was full. He told me that there was one passenger that had not checked in and if she failed to appear I could have that seat but he would have to charge me again for a seat. That passenger eventually arrived, the airplane doors were closed and the plane left.

In speaking with the agent at the gate desk, he informed me that I had a reservation the next morning at 6:30 AM and if that didn't satisfy me then he would make a reservation on an 8:30 AM flight the next morning that would only require me to get up at 5:00 AM or I could come back later and try to fly standby on a flight leaving at 7:30 PM that was completely booked.

I returned to the first class check-in desk in the terminal and asked to speak to a supervisor. The agent, who had helped me earlier, went and got her supervisor, also someone who had help me earlier. After about 20 minutes of flying fingers on the computer they got me on the 7:30 PM flight with an assigned seat. Now all I had to do was sit around the airport for 5 hours.

Just after 7:00 PM boarding for the 7:30 PM flight was announced. Because it was a small commuter plane, boarding was outside up a movable stairway into the plane. Ahead of me up the stairs was a couple with a very large dog. Well over 100 lbs. If its name tells you anything about its size, its name was "Bear" I said to the man just ahead of me that I wondered where such a large dog would ride on such a small plane. I subsequently learned that it was going to ride in the aisle, next to me, in the galley and just about anywhere else it wanted to go on its 10 foot lease.

The dog had a halter identifying it as a "medical assistance dog." But this dog was so undisciplined and disobedient it is my hunch that identifying it as such was a lie which allowed the owners to take an otherwise prohibited animal into the cabin of the airplane.

Before they closed the doors for takeoff the dog kept pulling at the leash trying to get out of the plane doors. Other passengers boarding the plane had to step around and over it. The weather was hot and the dog was panting hard, slobbering all over the floor and on anyone close enough to get drooled on. The flight attendant gave the owner a bottle of water and a plastic cup anticipating that he would give his dog a drink. Instead, he poured the water all over the it. Now we not only had a big, unruly dog but we had a big, wet, stinky, unruly dog.

For the next 2 hours and 20 minutes this dog had the run of the plane within the reach of its approximately 10 foot leash. It tried several times to climb under my legs. It had a tail that was probably two and a half feet long that it beat against my right leg and arm. I was wearing sandals and it constantly stepped on my right foot. It was so large that each time it tried to turn around in the aisle, it rubbed its slobbering mouth and runny nose all over my arm and pants.

Both I and the owner occupied the aisle seat in the first row of seats. The flight attendant allowed the dog to have full reign of the galley. While she was seated she allowed the dog to place its wet slobbering face in her lap while she petted and scratch it. And then she started serving snacks and drinks. While she did wash her hands, her clothes where still very unsanitary from the dog.

While the flight attendant was serving snacks the owner of the dog stood in the galley eating a sandwich he brought on board. He was both eating the sandwich and feeding it to the dog. By the end of the flight the aisle and galley floor were matted with dog hair, bread and lunch meat.

This dog rode closer to me, with more physical contact than the man in the next seat. No one asked me if I was comfortable with the dog or if I had any pet allergies. By the time we landed in Dallas my eyes were watering and my head was congested. And it became obvious the next day that the dog had shared one of its collection of fleas with me.

I filed a complaint with Delta through Delta.com. Their response essentially was, "flights get cancelled and we can't do anything about the dog. Here's a $100 voucher, take it and leave us alone." I sent a second complaint detailing a little for completely the totally unacceptable service I had received from everyone at Delta that I had any contact with for this trip. I suggested that at the very least they should refund the difference between a first class fare and a coach fare.I received no rely. I sent a third e-mail inquiring as to whether they might respond to the second e-mail. To date I've heard nothing further.

My experience with the cancellation, the inconvenience of a five hour wait, their lies and attempts to delay my arrival at the gate were all clearly within Delta's ability to prevent or mitigate in a more acceptable way. The matter of the dog is a little more complicated when you look at the FAA regulations regarding service animals. But even there, my flight would have been more tolerable had the flight attendant just enforced the FAA regulations and Delta's own policy that prohibit even legitimate service animals from blocking aisles and emergency exits.

This dog, because of its size and the way it was allowed to run in the cabin was a serious safety hazard. It blocked the aisle and the emergency exit while in flight but more significantly during takeoff and landing. I'm 63 years old and have flown on many airlines all over the country and the world. I've never experienced service so poor. Unless absolutely necessary, I will never fly Delta Airlines again.