Comments on: How to fix your trip

By: barry

barry — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:51:11 +0000

I was on a flight and I asked for Coke, but they only had Pepsi!
(I read Nolan Kidwell’s story (above) and I’m amazed his head didn’t explode!)

By: Stuart

Stuart — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:56:52 +0000

On Saturday February 27th- my partner and I were scheduled for an overnight flight on Delta Airlines #DL1768 from Kona, Hawaii to LAX leaving 9:30P Saturday, February 27th with arrival 5AM Sunday, February 28th. Our final destination was Minneapolis, Minnesota- with a 6:40AM connecting flight at LAX. Because of an airline error in fueling our aircraft- we had a 3 hour delay in leaving -thus missing our connecting flight. This error entailed Delta Airlines putting too much fuel in the aircraft- which according to them- affected our weight standards for lift off in Kona International. In addition to this error in fueling in Kona by Delta Airlines- we were rerouted to Honolulu International for additional fuel (for some reason we could lift off just fine from Honolulu International but not Kona International Airport). During the 3 hours we were on this aircraft- Delta’s crew and captain were unresponsive to our questions and concerns regarding connecting flights and they were quite frankly- dismissive of our concerns regarding our schedules when we asked about them. There was never an announcement on connecting gates or any care put into our connecting itineraries from the captain of the aircraft.
At approximately 12:15AM on Sunday- while sitting on the tarmac in Honolulu- my partner called Delta Airlines to move us from that 6:40AM flight to the 8AM flight leaving from LAX to Minneapolis International- as it looked like we would be able to make that time schedule with the current delay. We had a confirmed seating confirmation number on this flight- according to the Delta helpline representative we spoke to.
When we finally arrived at LAX at 7:40 Sunday morning– a Delta agent was not there to open the doors for our incoming flight- and no prior arrangements were made for passengers with connecting flights. Thus- we ended up sitting at the gate for another 10 minutes which was precious time- in making our 8AM Minneapolis connection in LAX. After getting off the flight DL1768- we arrived at the gate for our Minneapolis flight at 7:51AM- only to find that Delta Airlines had given our confirmed seats away to other standby passengers. The Delta gate agent tried to get us seated (and remove the standby passengers that had taken our confirmed seats) but was told the flight was leaving by her supervisor and that they would do nothing for us. Delta Airlines in LAX knew of our plane’s delay from Kona- and made no effort to hold the plane bound for Minneapolis for its passengers that had that connecting flight!
After the 8AM flight for Minneapolis left the gate- the gate agent told the group of us (there were about 50 people trying to find a way to the Twin Cities) that she would help us. However after 10 minutes she was summoned to another gate and we were informed that we needed to go to the Delta Help Desk in LAX to get rerouted to other flights. After waiting in line for 45 minutes- we were placed on a flight plan connecting through Salt Lake to Minneapolis and were given confirmed seating assignments but with no seat numbers attached to them for either of the legs of those flights. When we arrived at the LAX gate for our Salt Lake flight at 11:50AM- we were told that there were no seats available and that the flight was over-booked by 16 people. There would be no provision made for us due to Delta’s delay in our Kona flight- even though we had ‘confirmed’ seating assignments. The gate agent told us tersely that she would call our name if seats were to become available. After a very heated conversation, in which excuse after excuse was made as to our delay in Kona by Delta Airlines, we strong armed our seat assignments. In this instance, we felt Delta Airlines at their LAX help desk was willfully dishonest to us in telling us this Salt Lake flight was available- in essence to get us out from in front of them. After arriving in Salt Lake- we knew we would have the same situation as our Minneapolis flight and would need to fight for seats on that flight. This time we went over to the help desk and strongly requested seat assignments 2 hours prior to the gate opening- going over the gate agent’s head for that Minneapolis bound flight. After a conversation of explaining ourselves and trying to charm the customer service person into granting us seats- we received our ticketed seat assignments. Numbered tickets in hand- we arrived at the gate and found others- many over the age of 75- with ‘confirmed’ seating but with no seats available on the flight! The flight to Minneapolis was overbooked by 22 people! Again- in this instance-Delta was dishonest to these other individuals at LAX and booked them on flights that they knew were oversold! I feel that this is in direct violation of FAA regulations regarding the selling of tickets- and the contractual obligations to paying passengers.
While at help desks and gates in LAX and Salt Lake- Delta’s story to its staff was that due to the Tsunami in Hawaii- that there was no available fuel in Kona which in effect caused our delay. The Tsunami ‘all clear’ was called at 1:30PM Hawaii time Saturday, February 27th by the Hawaii Department of Emergency Management- our flight that Sunday was at 9:30PM. In addition to that- the only airport with cancelled flights that day was Hilo International on the other side of the island. We arrived at Kona International airport at 7PM and noticed our Delta plane was on the tarmac ready for boarding. If fuel was indeed an issue in Kona- why didn’t Delta Airlines taxi the flight to Honolulu to fill the aircraft in that time before take-off? The flights are less than hour each way from Kona & Honolulu. If a ‘full tank take-off’ was never possible from Kona- then this is outright fraud by Delta Airlines in selling tickets to passengers who expected a direct flight from Kona to LAX. We know from other United Airlines passengers that they took off with a full tank of fuel in Kona directly to LA with no incident- one half hour before our flight.
In summary- we were offered no compensation whatsoever due to Delta’s mishandling of the Kona leg of our flight plan. At numerous gates we saw other ticketed passengers offered up to $600 in cash to give up seats on the flights that were severely oversold. We missed our connections due to Delta Airlines’ errors and we were offered nothing but Tsunami, fuel and ‘communication error ‘excuses from various Delta Airlines employees. One of the Delta Airline attendants on our Minneapolis bound flight even told a senior couple with little flying experience that if they traveled all the time for business- that this was to be expected and that delays happen periodically –insinuating that we all were inexperienced simpleton travelers. I have family members that travel extensively for business- they nor I- are willing to accept poor service and a lack of accountability by Delta Airlines. That senior couple from Willmar, MN was also told to fly another airline by a Delta Flight attendant on our Minneapolis flight home if they did not like the delays and service they received from Delta. All of us in the Twin Cities certainly would fly another airline- if there was an ample choice of carriers and destinations out of Twin Cities International Airport! This was a Delta Airlines Vacation package made through a travel agent- my partner and I are seeking a refund of our airfare for that leg of our trip from Delta Vacations due to breach of contract.

By: Gerise Bondurant

Gerise Bondurant — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:17:30 +0000

I recently picked my children up at the Atlanta airport as unaccompanied minors with Delta Airlines. All procedures followed to get to gate but when I finally found my children the gate agent did not check my id(required) nor did I sign a logbook(also required). I did not leave the airport without speaking to a supervisor who looked at me like this was no big deal and told me to call Delta Corporate. I have done this twice now and was told by the second person that “my manager does not take phone calls”. That is a direct quote. I have emailed the CEO directly, the TSA, the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, WSBTV, USA Today, and also Handelonthelaw.com. Any more suggestions? Has anyone else had similar experiences?

By: Rhizza

Rhizza — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:10:21 +0000

Thank you sooooo much! Continental “mis-placed” my luggage. I’ve never had my luggage lost before. This was the first time I flew on Continental, and I tell you what! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!

The funny thing is, the lady I was checking my luggage with was giving me straight attitude. I did not get her name, but I do remember the time I checked in. I just wish I had gotten her name. Because you know what? I was thinking as soon as I walked away, “I hope she does not “mis-place” my luggage!”
And sure enough, with no surprise. It was misplaced and put on another flight; and with no explanation mind you either!

By: Consumer Travel Interview with Christopher Elliott

Consumer Travel Interview with Christopher Elliott — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:34:12 +0000

[...] travel companies go as smoothly as possible? Oh, that’s a loaded question! I’ve written a whole post on the topic. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, let me just offer one piece of advice: Be [...]

By: Pamela

Pamela — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:53:09 +0000

Kidwell1972 – OMG, I am so sorry for all your troubles, I truly am. Your story was a real eye opener. Thank you for sharing. Some say it’s just the luck of the draw with these online travel sites and companies…I was always afraid to book through any online site. You confirmed why. I sincerely hope better travels for you and your wife.

By: How to avoid a customer service nightmare: 5 tips

How to avoid a customer service nightmare: 5 tips — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:56:10 +0000

[...] have a few suggestions on what to do next on my Web site. Better yet, you want to find a company that offers excellent customer service every [...]

By: William

William — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:26:56 +0000

I’ve figured out why items lost at Northwest Airlines (and likely others) will never be found. Just where does your stuff go? Read on . . .

Northwest sees Lost & Found as a ‘courtesy, not an obligation.’ Contractors clean out each plane at the end of the day, but some are sloppy and leave stuff behind for tomorrow’s crew, often in another city. Planes do not fly regular routes, but are mixed around as needed.

So, your lost item can turn up in another airport that your plane went to days after you flew.

Most important, ‘courtesy, not an obligation’ means they will NOT call you, even if they know your name and phone number (so much for putting a business card inside your items).

So your item is now in some strange city, they can’t tell you which city the plane went to, they won’t call you even if they know your name and phone number, and after 30 days they GIVE your stuff to a giant store in rural Alabama where it’s sold cheap. I’m not joking. Go to unclaimedbaggage.com — they claim they get 7,000 additional items every day. (Hmmm, a little math tells me that’s around 7,000 unhappy airline customers every day.) Yes, they
have a luggage section. As far as Customer Service goes, this is corporate suicide, mixed with a little gross stupidity, and topped off with ‘why don’t you take a flying leap, loser.’ But look at all the money they save on phone calls!

The sad part is, the executives are the people who made this choice, but the poor schmucks at the baggage claim counter get all the grief.

Don’t believe me? Go to any Northwest Airlines baggage claim and tell them you’ve lost something common, like a box, or a blazer. I did, and they showed me blazers and boxes, all with people’s names on them. It’s obvious who they belong to, the owners have typically tried to find them (in another city), but Northwest is clearly not making any attempt to contact the owners, even if they live in another city.

You’d think they’d look up their own *CUSTOMER* in their database, or even their Frequent Flier system, (I checked; yes, they do have computers) to tell you they’ve found your stuff.

They cannot tell you where your plane went after you got off or even look up your name in their system, as that violates their ’security rules.’ (Huh??)

Sounds more like simple, lazy, “We couldn’t care less about your stuff, which we have squirrelled away in some off-the-wall distant airport where you’ll never think to look, and we can’t be bothered to return it to you or even tell you where we’ve hidden it. We won’t try to contact you, even if we know exactly who you are. By the way, we’re dumping it in 30 days. Have a nice day.”

Sorry, you’re not going to get your stuff back.

Your stuff is going straight to Alabama from wherever they’ve hidden it. There it will be sold for pennies on the dollar.

Kiss it good-bye forever.

Northwest has no Lost & Found central office, their local baggage claim agents rarely (and some never) answer the phone.

In their defense, I must admit, if you can miraculously figure out which city they dropped your stuff in, they’ll be glad to give it back to you when you ask for it in person at that airport’s claim counter. If you can figure out where it might be (pick an airport — they only go to a few hundred) and then get them to answer the phone, they’ll send it to your airport at no charge. They just won’t tell you which cities your plane went to after you got off. Catch-22 for you.

Delta is buying them. Delta seems to be mildly more interested in returning lost items (at least they have a central phone number you can try) but they cannot help you for now.

Thanks, Northwest. I’ll be sure and remember this any time I’m shopping for a plane ticket, for the rest of my life. And, don’t worry, I’ll be sure and tell all my friends. Personally, we now travel by car whenever we can.

By: Christy

Christy — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:25:49 +0000

I, too, am tired of the poor service on most airlines today. However, I just returned from a trip to Phoenix on Allegiant Air. The flight was five hours late in taking off. However, the Allegiant staff told us upfront how long and why the delay (unlike United, who uses the 15 minute excuse over and over for hours). The Alamo agent gave us back the rental car keys gratis, so we could leave the airport if we desired. And Allegiant brought pizza (10 boxes full) and drinks to the waiting area not just once, but twice, during the 5 hour wait. And the flight left when they said it would. Amazing!

By: Roland

Roland — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:36:24 +0000

In July I took a railroad tour of Alaska that I had been planning for a number of years. Things pretty much went as planned until the next to last day. We had vouchers for a riverboat cruise for Saturday afternoon. But due to low tourism they riverboat company had cancelled Sat afternoon cruises and the cruise only went in the morning. We had already taken our morning tour. I was a bit miffed – we really wanted to go on the riverboat and would have preferred it to the morning tour we did go on. Our flight out of Fairbanks was at 11 AM the next day, before the Sunday cruise time. I called the Alaska tour company through which I booked the package. I spoke directly to the travel agent I had booked with (I had the foresight to bring her name and number with me). I explained the problem and told her I wanted one of two things. Either refund the money I had already paid for the missed riverboat cruise or book us on a later flight back to Anchorage. We weren’t flying out of Anchorage until later Monday evening so had plenty of time.

It took an hour or two for her to get back to me but she was able to get us on standby for a 10PM flight Sunday evening. Changing the ticket would have cost an extra $100 per ticket fee. I told her I was not willing to pay the fee since the error was their fault and not mine. She suggested I go to the airport earlier in the day to make sure I was on the standby list. After breakfast I asked the deskclerk if she could get me the shuttle to the airport. The shuttle wasn’t running at that time so the hotel manager drove me out to the airport herself in her own car. The ticketing deskclerk for Alaska Airlines checked and the 10PM flight and it wasn’t even half full so she just gave me confirmed seats with no additional fee. Printed out the boarding passes and I was on my way.

I had only found out the riverboat cruise had been canceled on Saturdays because I was checking at the hotel front desk about getting a shuttle to the river and they thought the company wasn’t running cruises on Saturdays. They called the company to check it and even asked about when the Sunday cruises were running. I have to say, for customer service, everyone I met and everywhere I went in Alaska was top notch. Everyone was extremely accommodating. Every hotel had a free airport and train shuttle, in most instances the Alaska Railroad will check your bags straight through to your hotel. They depend on tourism in Alaska and as the saying goes “They know what side of their bread is buttered”. If you want good customer service go to Alaska. It’s beautiful up their in the summer and it is fairly expensive but they really treat you right.