Airlines SUCK

Four Suns

Not a pot stirrer
TECHNICAL Contributor
Oct 4, 2006
10,533
Williamsburg, VA
Boat Info
2003 480 DB
Engines
QSM-11 Diesels
So... I'm going to spread the word on how BAD of an airline Delta is.... and US Air...

I had to get to Birmingham, AL today for a business meeting (no I was not going to see Spookay). I bought a round trip ticket from Delta last week to go from Richmond through Atlanta to Birmingham... Was to leave Richmond at 5:50 AM and get into Birmingham at 8:39 AM. Meeting was to last 4 hours and then back on the plane at 4 PM to get back to Richmond at 9 PM... What the hell was I thinking an airline could pull this off?

I get up at 3 AM.... Print my boarding passes for the day... shower... get ready... drive to Richmond... get there at 5:03 and park in hourly parking. I then realized I left my boarding passes at home... I thought "No big deal, I'll just get new ones."... Now mind you that Richmond Airport at 5:00 AM is usually a ghost town... but not today... The Delta terminal is PACKED and the line goes out the door. There are 2 ticket agents working behind the counter to service something like 200+ people. Because of this, the overflow goes out to the kiosk and every dumbass person is trying to figure out how to use a touch screen. I went and asked this Delta person standing by the kiosks how to get copies of my boarding pass as my flight left at 5:50 (it was about 5:10)... She was not happy and said "You'll just have to wait in line at the kiosk". So I do... get to the kiosk at 5:23... The thing spits out a "See agent" and I ask this agent standing at the kiosk what I should do as I was already checked in and she said in a very terse voice "You are 3 minutes late so you can't get a new boarding pass."... and the B!TCH walks away asking if anyone is on the 6:00 flight... Holy CRAP! I went and followed her and asked if she could just get me my boarding pass and she said (in an even more terse voice) "You will not be flying today". No offer to help... nothing... just a big "F U". She did not have a name tag on so I asked her for her name and she looked at me and started yelling (literally) "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!"... got right up in my face and the place went silent. She yelled it 3 times and I told her and she went behind the counter and said to a ticket agent "I'm going to fix this guy good." She typed something in... I went up and said "Just give me a refund and I'll leave" and she said "You will not get a refund for you being late.".... I left... Oh yeah... This ticket was $1000...

Not having time to deal with this, I called US Air... They had a flight leaving out of Newport News at 9:10 and would get into Birmingham at 11:30... It's about a 80 mile drive... get to the airport... buy the new ticket from US Air for $1200... get boarding pass... 10 minutes later I get an automated call on my cell phone and says "This is US Air and we regret to inform you that your flight XYXS from Newport News is delayed 1 hour and 20 minutes. Great... so this means I don't make my connection on that CRAPPY Dash 8 plane I was going to fly... Go to the counter and the ticket agent says "I can get you in tomorrow"... I said "Just give me a refund.".... She says "I can't... you bought a non-refundable ticket." I get really pissed... I'm now out $2200 this morning and have not gone anywhere... She says she'll put me in for a "Refund request" but that's the best she can do.

I ended up doing the meeting via conference call... and have to fly down next week. However, I'm having a friend take me in his private plane. Screw the airline.

So... Delta is (STILL) the worst damn airline I have ever dealt with and US Air is STILL second.

I hate flying... the companies are now CROOKS.

PS. I'm stopping the transactions via my credit card company...

I'm going to bed.
 
Ugh!
We had a real doozie last week with United...nowhere near your level of adversity, though.

Just think, we paid to bail these guys out! Maybe we can accrue a few "good customer service" coupons in return for the favor, like the drink coupons you used to get on Southwest.
 
I can't believe people still book flights on Delta. I read they are rated the worst airline... I refuse to fly Delta, never had 1 halfway bearable experience with them. I didn't even know USAir was still in business.
 
I did over 1M miles on United back when I was gainfully employed... They still treated me like sh!t... Nothing like Delta though... they give "treating you like sh!t" a whole new level... and I try them about once a year just to get burned every time.

I did call Delta customer service on my drive to Newport News... after yelling at the phone trying to get through the broken voice automation crap, I got "Angela" who had a very strong Indian accent and could hardly speak any English... Funny... India seem to be giving all their kids "American" names....
 
I fly Jet Blue when I can. the company is barely functional and their planes are falling apart, but at least they're nice.

It'll be interesting to see if you get a refund from either of these airlines. I think you need to make a music video.

[YOUTUBE]5YGc4zOqozo[/YOUTUBE]
 
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I actually prefer the discount airlines. I fly AirTran all the time now... I can go round trip to Atlanta for $150 most of the time... usually get bumped to first class and they don't charge me for a tomato juice.

Delta charges $1000 and wants $4 for a bag of peanuts.
 
Maybe it is best you did not fly Delta. Surprised it was not US Scare that landed on the taxiway.
 
I fly about 80K a year. Continental, in my experience, has been the best by far. Helps to have status (I'm gold, but will get platinum this year).
 
I used to fly only a couple times a year, "back when I was gainfully employed". I actually preferred Delta but only because their Atlanta schedules matched mine. I remember when smoking was allowed & your first beer was free!

Truth is, Delta sucks. They employ a gazillion people & every one of them thinks they are running the whole freakin show. Atlanta, as big as it is, just makes things worse.

Birmingham is getting better but is still Atlanta's red-headed step-child. There are NO decisions made in Birmingham! If you don't follow the game plan to a T, you might as well go home & start over. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
 
20 years ago Delta used to be an excellent airline with great customer services. Now it engages in customer disservice. Fortunately, unless I have to go to Bismark, ND (old Northwest now new Delta), I can completely avoid them which is easy flying out of Chicago.

I had a bad experience with a happy ending on American last week coming back from Indianapolis Friday. Got to airport 90 minutes before the flight and 20 before the flight was to leave they cancelled due to weather in Chicago and rebooked me on a flight back Saturday morning. They proceeded to call me directly by computer to confirm the new flight but gave me the option to decline the new reservation which I did. This triggered a real human being that spoke perfect English asking me what to do if I would not accept the new reservation for my non-refundable ticket. I said give me my money back for the return and much to my amazement he said fine, but he would have to contact the refund desk. 15 minutes later he said I would be getting a refund over $400 credited back to my Amex. I proceeded to rent a car one way back to O'hare for $200 and got back to my house by 9:00 pm. Just checked my Amex on line today and I received a $453 refund already. I have Gold status which I am sure helped but maybe at least American is take some direction from Southwest who they compete with in a number of Midwest cities.

I guess put another way, American sucks less than most other airlines!
 
I stopped working for Corporate America many years ago and one of my goals after all my business travels was to NEVER fly commercial airlines ever again!

So far I have not had to and after reading a story like yours Gary it just reinforces my determination to never fly again if at all possible.

Dave
 
Every time a piece of an engine falls off a Jet Blue flight i'm on, I get a $100 credit without even asking.
 
They all fly on Pelosi's private jet.
 
For what ever reason (no fly list??) I can’t get my boarding passes online even when everyone in my group is able to. I always have to check in at the airport which is a major pain in the @ss, I’ve ask why and was told by different ticket agent theirs nothing they can do about it, thankfully I only fly a few time a year.
 
Gary, Do you need a HUG.
grouphug.gif
& DRINK .
bubbly.gif
??. :grin:
It really sucks that you went threw that. :smt021

Thats why I like having a rich friend with a Lear Jet. :thumbsup:

His is like this one.
1965_ext.jpg
 
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