Delta Airlines - Bah!

Getting ready for vacation. Friday night – midnight, still up so I check my 9am flight. On Time according to Delta’s website.

7am Saturday morning. In the car, heading to the airport my phone rings – caller ID shows an 800 number. That can’t be good. It’s Delta – the flight has been delayed by 1 hour therefore I’ll miss my connection in Atlanta to Key West. And the battle begins…..

Delta Agent #1, Stephanie – she starts out helpful. There are no more Key West flights from Atlanta today. She will be happy to rebook my entire itinerary to leave the next day. Not acceptable – 1. I’m meeting people in Key West and 2. it’s my vacation – I’m not wasting an entire day of it traveling! OK, Stephanie tries to find an alternate flight. She comes back happy because she’s found an America West flight leaving at 9am to Atlanta. She’ll try to book me on this one. America Pest?! That does not instill confidence however I’ll take what I can get. Stephanie’s back – the flight is sold out. Her only other solution is for me to travel the next day or she’ll refund my entire ticket so I can try to find an alternative. Excuse me??!!! I ask if she’ll refund my vacation, the payment for the house and my time. I also inform her – again – that I am currently driving so looking up alternatives would be difficult at that moment. She now has the idea I’m not a happy camper. Finally I tell her I’m almost to the airport I’ll deal with a Delta agent there. And I ask, why is it delayed, what happened in 7 hours? Her notes stated “Crew Rest.”

Delta Agent #2, Kimberly – she starts out irritated. Phone service rule #1 – paste a smile on your face no matter what your mood. Kimberly wasn’t smiling. I’ve come up with my own alternative – what’s the first flight out of Atlanta Sunday morning. I’d rather start from Atlanta than Phoenix and only kill ½ day. Kimberly puts me on hold for 10 minutes and comes back to tell me I can’t even get to Atlanta today. WHAT??!!! It seems Stephanie in her infinite wisdom and experience took me OFF the original Atlanta flight. Kimberly informed me the flight is overbooked and my seat was already given away. She can do nothing for me. Wrong answer. Good bye Kimberly.

OK, can you guess my blood pressure is up by now? It doesn’t help that I started my career booking travel so I know how it’s done.

At the airport I look for a person. No, we’re not allowed to talk to people, please use the black Delta Direct phone. Sigh.

Delta Agent #3, Irene – she starts of friendly and helpful. First I summarize what happened so far stressing the fact I didn’t authorize Stephanie to take me OFF the flight! Irene seems to understand there are notes in the record, gets all the details and gets me back on the original Atlanta flight leaving at 10am. Next, she checks all routes from Phoenix to Key West – through Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida. Nothing is available. It seems Irene can actually think things through. She pulls up the Atlanta to Key West schedule for Sunday – there’s a flight at 11am. However, she’s determined to get me there earlier. Plus she tries to avoid another weather delay in Atlanta – which, by the way, is what started this whole mess! Irene finds a 9am Orlando to Key West flight – she books it. OK, now to get me to Orlando. A few more minutes and low & behold, I’m booked Atlanta to Orlando. Irene successfully gets me to Key West by 10am Sunday morning. Much better than the alternative of 7pm Sunday night! She also advised to get a discount hotel coupon from an Orlando Delta agent – they won’t comp the hotel as the original cause was weather, however due to the hassles a discount would apply.
Irene wins – she knew how to treat a customer, she tried every avenue she had and she knew how to think outside the screen!

OK. There I sit waiting for the Atlanta flight. I look at my boarding pass. UGH!!! My aisle seat was lost and I’m now in a middle seat. Unbelievable. Sigh.

The plane is boarding. I’m in Zone 8 at the back of the plane. As I get on the plane the first 2/3 is seated. Why in the world would they not load back to front? That’s how it used to work. I was informed on my return trip the zones system was set up to load windows, then middles, then aisle seats; that’s not how it’s working however. Go figure. At least I’m on the plane and heading to the right time zone!

Atlanta airport. Whew – at least I only have one terminal to catch my connecting flight. Have you ever connected in Atlanta pulling into terminal A only to have to go to terminal C?! Not fun!! You get good exercise though. Anyway, I hang in a Starbucks. A beer sounded better, however the bar was full. This airport is freezing!! Penguins could hang out here!! I have no jacket with me and I will NOT buy anything with Atlanta Braves on it! I look again at my boarding pass…..sigh….a window seat. Maybe I’ll get lucky and it’s a 2 – 3 – 2 configuration.

Florida at last!! I get off the plane in Orlando about 9pm EDT. Hmmmm….imagine that, not a single Delta agent to be found. All the counters are dark. So much for my discount coupon. I pick a hotel at random, get my bag, get the shuttle and off I go for a few hours sleep and hopefully some food. I pick the one hotel farthest from the airport and watch as all the restaurants within walking distance of every other hotel go by. Sigh. Ok, I check in and am on the 2nd floor. No elevators. Big sigh. In the room – it’s clean, the TV works and there’s a pizza place that delivers! Settle in and get ready for any Delta surprises in the morning.

May 22 – Sunday. I made it!! The flight was on time, it was smooth and there I am in Key West. Ahhhh……finally vacation truly begins.