The Wall Street Journal says the pilots of Northwest Flight 188 "told investigators that they were poring over their personal laptops in the cockpit while frantic air-traffic controllers were trying to establish contact."

The in-flight distractions also included bathroom breaks (understandable) and some chit chatting with a flight attendant.

The WSJ says:

The missteps began when a female flight attendant brought meals into the cockpit and the captain ducked out for a bathroom break, according to people familiar with the details

The flight attendant stayed inside the cockpit for a brief chat, just as controllers were instructing the crew to switch to another radio frequency. The co-pilot, engaged in conversation with her, missed the instruction, and the captain didn't return until later, according to consultant Greg Feith, a former safety board investigator.

As the plane crossed state lines, neither pilot realized the jet no longer was on the correct radio frequency and that controllers were growing worried about their failure to stay in contact.

As they flew past Minnesota, the crew started a heated discussion about a new scheduling system.

Both pilots retrieved their laptops, and the first officer demonstrated to the captain how the new scheduling system worked.

During what the safety board described as a "concentrated period of discussion," neither pilot monitored the progress of the airplane nor air-traffic control communications. The pilots failed to notice when Northwest dispatchers sent repeated messages that popped up on the cockpit display screens.

Eventually a flight attendant asked them if they should prepare for landing and they realized they'd blown past Minnesota. That must have been one hell of an interesting scheduling system.

Laptops Cited For Pilot Inattention [WSJ]
(Photo:So Cal Metro)

From the Houston Chronicle:

It started a couple of months ago with a laptop that inexplicably crashed.

Then, someone altered the password on Kate Hanni's desktop computer and when she finally got into it, the files were corrupted.

Microsoft's tech support said she'd been hacked. A few weeks later, all her e-mail disappeared, and AOL told her the same thing.

According to the Airline Biz blog at the Dallas Morning News, this September 29th statement by Frederick J. Foreman, a former employee of Metron forms the core of Hanni's claims:

"On Friday, September 25, 2009 at approximately 10:00 AM, I was escorted by two (2) Metron Aviation, Inc. employees into the office of Mr. James Gaughan, Senior Vice-President and General Manager.

Mr. Gaughan asked me to go over the chronology of my interaction with the media. I told him my interaction with the media as I remembered it. He told me that what I told him was not consistent with information that he had. I responded by asking what are you talking about? He immediately said that I had contact with Ms. Kate Hanni on Thursday, September 24, 2009. I said yes I did but Kate Hanni is not the media so that my statements about the chronology of events are correct.

Mr. Gaughan proceeded to show me on his computer monitor what appeared to be hacked and stolen email communications within the last six (6) months or more between Kate Hanni and me, me and Gary Stoller of USA Today, me and Susan Stellin, a freelance reporter, and Kate Hanni and a number of people concerning the Passenger Bill of Rights, excessive surface delays, and other private communications.

It was clear that they had email transactions from both of my private email accounts: Hotmail (eckmaster12 [at] msn.com) and Yahoo (eckmaster [at] mmi-gov.com). It was also clear that these emails were from Kate Hanni's private and personal email account (katcrew4 [at] aol.com), as well as from Gary Stoller's (gstoller [at] usatoday.com) private USA Today account, and Susan Stellin's (stellin [at] earthlink.net) private and personal email account.

There were no emails communications from Metron Aviation's email system only communications from information that I gave her as fuel for getting the Passenger Bill of Rights passed in Congress.

He said that Delta Airlines sent this information to them. I took this to mean that Delta Airlines and Metron Aviation both had a copy of these hacked and stolen email communications. Mr. Gaughan said that Delta was mad and upset that one of Metron Aviation's employees had provided Kate Hanni with this kind of information. He said that I had put Metron Aviation in a precarious situation with Delta Airlines and that at a minimum I had not been a good employee by doing this. I tried to explain to him that what I sent to Kate Hanni on 9-25-2009 could be obtained by anyone by simply analyzing the public information that is available online and provided by the Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation and Statistics, but to no avail.

Based on these hacked and stolen email communications, James Gaughan of Metron Aviation, Inc. decided to terminate my employment. The two (2) Metron Aviation escorts took me to my desk where I got my personal belongings and then they escorted me out of the building at approximately 12:15 PM."

Delta says the accusation is "clearly without merit," and Metron says the accusation is "completely baseless and without merit." Hanni is seeking $11 million in damages from Delta.

"Has Delta been hacking?" [Houston Chronicle]
"Consumer activist Kate Hanni accuses Delta of hacking her email, computer" [Airline Biz]
(Photo: Hong Kong dear Edward)

From TIME:

A Delta spokeswoman seemed perplexed by the whole question. First she said simply, "We direct customers to our e-mail." After more checking, she reported that Delta does have a customer-care option on its toll-free number. When I couldn't find it, she checked once more and clarified: the customer-care line is found on Delta's main corporate phone number - but that number is not publicized and "it is not suggested" that customers call it. A representative at that number said they do not take customer complaints and directed me to the website.

We find that Google Finance is an excellent tool for escaping these sorts of circular traps.

The Airlines' Customer-Complaint Lines: No Answer [TIME]
(Photo:Zonaphoto)

Sometimes newlyweds can be hard to please, but after reading Autumn's story below, we think she and her husband made every effort possible to salvage the vacation after being delayed, ignored, and treated rudely by Delta and Sandals Resort. To their credit, they still had a good time. That doesn't make Delta's behavior or Sandals' lack of communication more forgivable, however.

After planning my wedding for over a year, I was so excited to be able to leave all of the stress behind and enjoy a seven day, all-inclusive honeymoon to Antigua. I spent hours researching the internet for the perfect destination, and my husband and I could not wait! However, we hardly realized the stress that we would be under as we arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport on July 20th.

Our Delta flight was scheduled to leave at 6:00 A.M from PIT. However, a flight attendant came up to us approximately thirty minutes before the flight was to leave, and told us to go to a different gate. When we tried to ask why, she was rude and condescending. Eventually, we were able to find another Delta employee who could give us an answer. It seemed as though our flight was going to be delayed because Delta did not do the preventative maintenance on our plane the night before. Therefore, our flight never actually boarded until 6:30 A.M. Once on the plane, there were maintenance crews walking up and down the aisle, and needless to say, it didn't exactly project a safe atmosphere. Another honeymoon couple was aboard our flight, and they also verbalized their concern that we might miss our connection at JFK in New York City. The flight attendant told us there was nothing that they could do.

Once we arrived at JFK, we all ran to the gate to hopefully catch our flight to Antigua. However, the Delta representative informed us that we missed our flight and acted like it was our fault. At this point, I was not stressed, as I figured we could board another flight later in the day. However, I was shocked to find out that there wasn't another flight to Antigua until Thursday! The Delta representatives basically did not know what to do with us and told us we could stay in NYC until then, and then "maybe" get on the Thursday flight as a standby.

Finally the Delta Supervisor, Florence Howard, came over to assist us. She told us the only other option was to fly out the next day on another carrier and have to pay $250 each.

At this point, over three hours had passed, and I was stressing out. My husband finally decided to call Sandals Resort and see if there was anything they could do, since we booked both flight and hotel through them. The Sandals Representative suggested that we consider another resort. I suggested St. Lucia, but was saddened when they said that all of the rooms were booked. Finally, I said how about Jamaica. My husband was able to transfer our honeymoon to Sandals Montego Bay, and also change the dates from Monday to Monday, to Tuesday to Tuesday.

The only thing Delta did at this time was give us a voucher for a hotel room for the night, $7.00 meal vouchers, and first class upgrades. My husband and I decided to make the best of it, and went on our way to claim our luggage. When we got to the luggage claim, the workers said that they didn't know where our luggage was and that perhaps it would make it onto our flight to Jamaica. I still was okay at this point, so we took the shuttle and headed to the hotel. Once we opened the door to our hotel, I was surprised to see how dingy everything was. We didn't even want to sleep there. What a way to spend our first night of our honeymoon! However, my husband and I headed down to the city, determined to have a good time.

The next morning, we arrived back at JFK and went immediately to the first class desk to get our tickets. The Delta representative, Patricia R., rudely asked if we were at the correct desk, and then grabbed out tickets from us. She then told us that we didn't have seats on the plane, that basically the tickets we had in our hands were not good. She mumbled a few things under her breath, before printing us out new tickets. Once aboard the flight, it was absolutely wonderful. The flight attendants knew what happened and served us champagne, and also gave us a bottle of wine to take with us. However, our stress level was about to go up as we arrived at the Montego Bay Airport.

We got to the Sandals greeting station to find that we once again did not have reservations. They looked up my husbands name, my name, and my maiden name, and could not find any reservation in Jamaica or Antigua for that matter. After sitting in the Sandals room for over forty-five minutes, we were told to go outside and get onto a bus. I had no idea where we were going and when I asked for details, all I was told was that we were going to Sandals Whitehouse. I asked if I could see a brochure, and they had nothing to give me and kept telling me to go outside. I was very upset at this point, because I knew how much we paid for our honeymoon to Antigua, and I had never even heard of Sandals Whitehouse.

Our trip to Sandals Whitehouse ended up turning out great, but I still feel a sense of disappointment because we didn't go where we had planned to. I have tried to call countless times to both Delta and Sandals to see what they could do to help resolve the situation, yet I have not heard back at all. I would like to know if I am owed money back since we believe we over paid. I don't believe it was our fault we missed our honeymoon, nor do I understand where our reservations to Sandals were.

Autumn, you can try emailing Delta at the addresses below, but we don't know if any of them still work. You can also try contacting Delta via Twitter, but it looks like they don't really get into the whole "actively monitoring our brand mention on Twitter" thing judging by the infrequency of their posts there. As for reaching Sandals, if anyone has any contact information that could help Autumn out, please post it below (or email it to us if it needs to stay confidential).

gerald.grinstein@delta.com
james.whitehurst@delta.com
lee.macenczak@delta.com
joseph.kolshak@gmail.com
daiquiri.gleaves@delta.com
anthony.black@delta.com
katie.connell@delta.com
gina.laughlin@delta.com
betsy.talton@gmail.com

UPDATE: Hey everyone, go easy on the OP and her honeymoon status—I am the one who implied that honeymooners of all travelers should be treated well. She never said or implied that she deserved more than other passengers.

RELATED
"Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Delta"

(Photo: egmb757lover)

The brilliant individuals who masterminded this theft were caught when three bags loaded with goodies were checked on two different flights and items stolen from the bags were found in an employee's work locker. The decoy items included a game system, an Apple laptop, a gold watch and foreign currency.

The custom-made handgun was later recovered from one of the workers' home.

Remember not to check your valuables, folks.

Three baggage handlers convicted in thefts [SFGate] (Thanks, Laurel!)
(Photo:Christopher Vigliotti)

Melanie explains in her now-open letter to Delta:

Thank you for taking the time to read about my very disappointing experience with Delta Airlines. One of my husband's colleagues (Frank) in the National Guard worked for ComAir and allowed us to
purchase tickets to Europe through Delta's "buddy pass" program.

In April of this year, my husband and I found out that his colleague was no longer employed with ComAir in Cincinnati, Ohio. We found this out from someone at ComAir because we needed to change the dates of the tickets and we could not get in touch with Frank. The woman I spoke with at ComAir told me that I had better call Delta Reservations to see about a refund because she didn't think our Buddy Passes would be valid any longer since Frank was no longer with the company. I called Delta immediately and asked how I should proceed to get refunded for my 2 tickets. The agent that I spoke with told me that the tickets were valid. I asked him if he was sure and he said, "yes, I'm looking at them right now". I was thrilled because I had looked that day on-line and the tickets were priced at nearly $800 a piece that day. I asked the agent if I could change the dates of the buddy pass tickets (my husband is in Officer Candidate School with the Nat'l Guard and the school dates were changed) and he proceeded to re-schedule my tickets. I thanked him, hung up, and almost immediately received an e-mail confirmation. I've attached two e-mail notifications to this message dated April 14th. This date is nearly one month after Frank was no longer working for ComAir.

Based on the information provided by the Delta Agent, we proceeded with our plans (which was our honeymoon) to go to Europe. We spent countless hours designing our trip, booking hotels, reserving a car, making dinner reservations, etc. We contacted our friends, who worked our visit into their schedules. You can imagine the time spent going from Frankfurt to Wurzburg to Augsburg to Munich to Austria to Garmish to Fussen to Lietchenstein to Lindau to Constance and finally to Zurich.

I called Delta on Tuesday, July 21st to check on the status of the flights and I was told that my tickets were not valid. I explained my situation; that I was 2 days out from our trip and that buying tickets at this point would be severely cost prohibitive. I was told that there was nothing anyone could do and that I should issue a complaint on line. I was also told that it would take several days for this to be answered. Obviously, I did not have that kind of time. I hung up, called back, went through the whole thing again. In tears, I called my husband and went to meet him so that we could call together. After going through the whole scenario again, we were put through to a supervisor (Greg) in Salt Lake City. He also explained that there was nothing he could do. He went even further to say that he had spoken with all three of the employees that we had spoken to and of the three, two had differing opinions concerning our situation. Again and again, I was told that there was nothing Delta could do and that regardless of the misinformation, they could not honor the tickets. I told them I didn't have an objection to the tickets being invalid but at least work with me in order to get reasonably priced tickets to our destination; a voucher, a discount, any overture to do the right thing
would have been appreciated but again I was told they could do nothing.

I submitted an e-mail to Delta's corporate headquarters using the website that night. Unable to reach Delta's corporate Office by phone until the next day, I spent the better part of the rest of Tuesday night trying to cancel our hotel and ground transportation reservations. Many of the hotels were prepaid and as a result we lost a considerable amount of money due to the inaccurate information provided by the Delta Representative.

First thing in the morning, we called the corporate office only to be sternly told that we had no further recourse nor could they help in any way. Again, I explained that I was a seasoned traveler, that I would never have waited until a day or two before to purchase my airline tickets. In fact, had I been given accurate information, I would have purchased tickets in April when I called for my refund.

While I understand that these individuals were upholding company policy, no one was even willing to admit responsibility for the situation. Nor were they able to offer any type of solution or compromise.

I respectfully request that Delta compensate me and my husband for our losses due to their contribution to our cancelled plans. Furthermore, I would encourage you to look into your business practices regarding the "Buddy Pass" program. An e-mail saying that our tickets were invalid could have been automated to come to the same e-mail that we
were sent confirmations. Given my situation, I will be reticent to use or recommend your airline ever again. I do not have confidence that your agents will give me or anyone I council accurate information. A copy of this message will be submitted to the Better Business Bureau and other versions of it will be put on consumer watchdog sites.

Melanie said she posted the letter to the Delta site, mailed it to the airline's physical addres, then e-mailed a copy to CEO Richard Anderson. And yes, she followed through with her promise to send it to the Atlanta BBB. If she doesn't get her refund it won't be for a lack of thoroughness.

Matthew says:

I recently booked a flight on NWA.com out of Minneapolis/St Paul Airport (MSP). Now, Northwest (NWA) recently merged with Delta, and the flight ended up being operated by Delta. Attempts to check in online before arriving at the airport resulted in server errors, so we thought we'd try the kiosks at MSP. Kiosk #1 showed no record of our flight. Kiosk #2 did the same, so we sought an employee wearing a Delta uniform.

The employee responded, "You'll need a Delta employee. I serve Northwest." He sent us to employees wearing the same uniform on the other side of the airport. At this point our time was running out, so we kindly expressed the urgency of our situation.

Employee #2, wearing the same Delta uniform, pointed us to a third employee in a Delta uniform. We were fortunate to find employee #3, who was actually a Delta employee, and was able to point us to a Delta Kiosk that connected to the Delta database, not the NWA database. The friendly dopplegangers left us with 10 minutes to spare before departure.

Delta, you are doing this wrong.

(Photo:frankieleon)

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Atlanta-based Delta already charges $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag on domestic flights.

But starting Aug. 4, Delta will start charging those who pay for checked bags at airport ticket counters, kiosks and curbs $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second checked bag, for tickets purchased July 15 or later.

Can someone think of a way that we can all agree to start charging the airlines our own fees? Sorry, there is a $5 "these snacks suck" fee and a $10 "seat is full of crumbs" fee...

Delta adds $5 to fee for bags checked at airport [AJC]
(Photo:Zonaphoto)

You can read the full letter here, but here's the gist of how Andy's Delta experience went:

You see, our flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem on our plane. Over the course of the next 13 hours we sat in the terminal at Richmond as flight after flight after flight all departed on time to Atlanta. Except, of course, ours. An entire airplane full of people – all of whom had gotten up early to catch the first flight of the day - watched helplessly as every other plane departed incident-free.

And since our bags were on the plane (we had all already been seated, before we were asked to de-board) we couldn't even get our luggage off the plane and go home. Also, we kept being told our plane was almost fixed.

I took the initiative at noon to book us on the 5pm flight to Atlanta. I called Delta (five times in fact – you can check) to confirm and re-reconfirm again. I was continually reassured that my family had guaranteed seats on that 5pm flight. I was, in fact, on the phone with you as the Delta employees at the gate refused to give us our seats - on a flight we had already been confirmed on. And I never even heard an "I'm sorry."

Consequently, I missed a few things in Atlanta: The Direct Marketing Association's conference – of which I was the guest speaker. It was a paid event and the DMA was understandably shocked, mortified and embarrassed by the situation. They had to offer refunds to all their attendees.

I also missed my Wall Street Journal interview.

I also missed my meeting.

What's worse, he said, was that his children spent the day crying and stressed out, wondering why they couldn't go see their grandparents or go back home. Do you think these kids will want to be Delta customers in the future (provided Delta is around)?

I had to promise my children that I would not make them fly on an airplane anytime soon. They used to LOVE to fly. They simply cannot understand why things are so unfair.

The good news is, Delta has lost thousands of dollars in what are most likely business-class flights from Andy for the time being. Maybe competing airlines can provide some minimum of customer service and keep his business for the rest of 2009 and beyond.

Since returning on June 21st, I have flown 5 round trip flights to Las Vegas, Atlanta and New York. None of those flights have been on Delta.

I am now prepping my travels for the next three months, which include multiple flights to Los Angeles, St Louis, New York, Orlando, London, Berlin, Singapore and Shanghai.

In fact, I am literally flying MORE than I ever have in my life!

But until I receive some sort of apology, I will continue to adjust my schedule to avoid Delta.

"Letter to Delta" [AndyAzula.blogspot.com]

The duo then switched the luggage tags in order to throw others off the scent. The two geniuses can expect up 4 years in prison if convicted.

We're glad the TSA is busy humiliating itself for our benefit, but we'd also like to remind you not to check your valuables if at all possible. Keep sensitive items, particularly laptops, with you in the cabin.

Sting nabs sticky-fingered JFK airport workers going through luggage [Daily News via Gothamist] (Thanks, kg!)
(Photo:ellimac)

From the Department of Transportation:

Voluntary bumping

Our rules require airlines to seek out people who are willing to give up their seats for some compensation before bumping anyone in- voluntarily. Here's how this works. At the check-in or boarding area, airline employees will look for volunteers when it appears that the flight has been oversold. If you're not in a rush to arrive at your next destination, you can give your reservation back to the airline in exchange for compensation and a later flight.

DOT has not said how much the airline has to give volunteers. This means carriers may negotiate with their passengers for a mutually acceptable amount of money-or maybe a free trip or other benefits. Airlines give employees guidelines for bargaining with passengers, and they may select those volunteers willing to sell back their reservations for the lowest price.

Involuntary bumping

DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. Those travelers who don't get to fly are frequently entitled to an on-the-spot payment of denied boarding compensation. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay:

• If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
• If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $400 maximum.
• If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (200% of your fare, $800 maximum).
• You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.

When a flight is oversold and there are not enough volunteers, some airlines bump passengers with the lowest fares first. Once you have purchased your ticket, the most effective way to reduce the risk of being bumped is to get to the airport early. For passengers in the same fare class the last passengers to check in are usually the first to be bumped, even if they have met the check-in deadline.

Airlines may offer free transportation on future flights in place of a check for denied boarding compensation. However, if you are bumped involuntarily you have the right to insist on a check if that is your preference. Once you cash the check (or accept the free flight), you will probably lose the right to demand more money from the airline later on. However, if being bumped costs you more money than the airline will pay you at the airport, you can try to negotiate a higher settlement with their complaint department. If this doesn't work, you usually have 30 days from the date on the check to decide if you want to accept the amount of the check. You are always free to decline the check(e.g., not cash it) and take the airline to court to try to obtain more compensation.

In a "number of instances" between January and July of last year, Delta didn't ask for volunteers, explain why people were involuntarily chosen, or pay out adequate compensation. We doubt a relatively minor fine will teach Delta much of anything, but at least you can know your federal rights next time an airline tries to take back their seat.

DOT fines Delta $375k over 'bumped' passengers [AP]
A Consumer Guide to Air Travel [The Department of Transportation]
(Photo: zonaphoto)

My suitcase had been opened, my jewelry bag unzipped, and my fine jewelry (gold, diamonds, sapphires) had been hand picked out of the jewelry bag and the inexpensive jewelry (plastic, glass, metal) left strewn across my belongings inside my suitcase.

Delta doesn't take responsibility for the theft, because as they note in their rejection letter to her claim,

The tariff rules and the ticket contract covering your travel exclude responsibility for jewelry, cash, camera equipment, electronic equipment, or computer equipment contained in checked or unchecked baggage.

In other words, you're on your own when it comes to securing your valuables during air travel.

Our theft victim didn't specify in her letter, but we hope she also filed a police report as soon as she noticed the missing jewelry. In fact, here's some advice for traveling with jewelry.

• Don't.
• Always carry it with you in a carry-on bag or on your person. Never pack it in checked luggage. Even the most high-security airport can't prevent a determined thief from rifling through luggage.
• If you have a lot of expensive pieces, consider making sure your homeowner's insurance covers them while traveling. Or just get standalone jewelry insurance.
• Make sure you have appraisals or insurance evaluations.
• Photocopy the jewelry you're bringing with you, and leave a copy at home and pack a copy on your carry-on bag. This will help you quickly spot missing pieces.

The above list was compiled from tips from:
"Safety Tips When Traveling With Jewelry" [Gem Find]
"Four Tips for Traveling with Jewelry" [The Black Dress Traveler]
"Traveling with Jewelry" [Home Jewelry Business Success Tips]
(Photo: evixir)

Ned writes:

In early January, 2008, I was traveling via Delta Airlines from my home base in Las Vegas to Atlanta, connecting to Washington DC, where I was going to stage a new-book launch at the National Press Club. My seat was in the emergency exit row – at my request, because of the extra leg room – and after I took my seat, I put on a soft-collar neck brace, which I use in lieu of a pillow to support my head while in flight. Like most airlines, Delta's seats seem to have been designed by Torquemada, and anything that adds to my comfort is a plus.

When a flight steward saw this, he informed me that I'd need to change seats, as someone with a handicap could not sit in the exit row. I'm not handicapped – this neck brace stems from being rear-ended in '76, and I keep it around for flying and not much else. I explained this to the steward in reasonable terms, even taking it off and demonstrating my neck mobility. However, he was on a mission from God to purge the flight from evil handicapped men in emergency exit row seats, and would not be calmed. That the plane was full and the flight was long both motivated me to want to hang on to my aisle seat. After listening to this "gentleman" for way too long, I asked to speak to the senior flight attendant. Unlike this cretin, she was reasonable – I explained to her my situation and choice, demonstrated my mobility – and she told me to stay in my seat, but wait until after take-off to put the neck brace back on. She was so reasonable that I was glad to comply.

After take-off – in fact, I waited until we could all turn on our electronic devices again – I put my neck brace back on. A couple of hours later, during the in-flight movie that I was watching (at $5), the steward came back, manhandling the drink cart. When he saw me with the neck brace on, he went ballistic. He got in my face – literally, just inches away, and I thought I'd need an umbrella to avoid the spittle. He was furious that I had bucked his ‘authority.' I tried to explain to him that I'd gotten his boss's permission, and that he should back off, or at least check with her before he broke a blood vessel. That didn't seem to please him, but he finally backed off after threatening me with unspecified dire results. Under my breath, I mumbled "son of a bitch" – and meant it – but even though he didn't hear it, he figured out that it wasn't flattering, and really went thermonuclear. He demanded to know what I said, and I informed him that it was none of his business.

Well, it took me about 45 minutes to get my blood pressure back down from low earth orbit, but eventually I calmed down and "enjoyed" the rest of the flight. As I was getting off the airplane in Atlanta, this guy avoided my gaze, but with a smirk. Moments later, I found out why when I was accosted by an "official" looking middle-aged woman with an official red blazer, a clipboard and an attitude. She said something like, "I understand there was a problem on the plane …" Since I was intent on making my connection (also with Delta) and because I'd just about had it with power-crazed minions who should have been treating me like a customer instead of a problem, I chose an unusual approach.

"Yes," I said, "and I hadn't intended to report it – I figured I'd just let it go – but since you brought it up, I'd like to file a complaint against that flight attendant who treated me so rudely." I briefly described the nature of my complaint, and kept pressing her to give me the complaint form and get the name of the flight attendant, as I wanted to take this to the top. Suddenly, she got an emergency phone call and had to depart the scene. It clearly hadn't gone the way she'd expected.

Especially since 9/11, there have been a small but annoying cadre of airline people who think they have real power over passengers – that they can use the threat of booting someone off the plane (or worse) to enforce things that are way beyond their rights. This isn't the first (or the last) time I've been hassled on airplanes or at gates, and it isn't the worst case, either, but it was the only time when I'd figured out a way of deflecting the problem. I thought others might want to consider the same approach – instead of submitting meekly, complain ABOUT them to proper airline authorities, putting them (and the system) on the defensive.

(Photo: bixentro)

Apparently, American Airlines has just added (brace yourself) 12 additional seats to new 737-800 jets from Boeing. How are the airlines able to cram more seats into the same amount of space? They're removing galleys, ordering slimmer seats, and yes... squeezing the rows closer together.

What's interesting is that the seat squeeze means discount airlines now offer more generous seat-pitch then their competitors. You get at least 34 inches of space in each row of a JetBlue A320, including the seat (the seat pitch, in industry parlance). At Southwest, seat pitch is 32-33 inches in 737s. But at American, United, Delta, Continental and others, seat-pitch is standardizing down at 31 inches in domestic coach.

Something to think about when you're booking travel.

Seat Squeeze: Low-Cost Carriers Now Offer The Most Legroom [WSJ]
(Photo:JohnKit)

Drew says:

While checking in with Delta yesterday morning I found it funny that they seem to miss the basic concept behind "Free". By not checking a bag, I am not being charged. This is Free service offered. The fact that they offer me nothing, and label it as "Free" is a bit of a concern. With that tactic mastered they're likely to offer the lowest fare on flights that don't exist!

Although, considering the state of things with Airlines I should count myself lucky to be charged $0 and receive nothing, it's a bargain.

Evan writes:

I'm a fat person, I fully admit it. So I decided to do what everyone says fat people should do and purchase a second seat from Delta Airlines for a flight I needed to NYC this fall. More room for me, happier seatmates, Delta can keep the extra meal and coke. Only, I can't. For all this hullaballoo in the press about wanting fat people to buy another seat, the airlines make it impossible.

First of all, Delta doesn't offer one shred of information about this topic on their website. So you're left to guess what their official policy is, although in this article they say something about "offering the passenger the option of purchasing an additional seat. Um, how?

Here's what happened to me. First, I try to order two tickets online, but it says tickets cannot be assigned the same name. So then I try to call customer services, where after many times on hold while he checks with another person, the agent said he could help me. Only he gave me a price of nearly double the online price. After I protested, he gave me several different prices, finally ending on one that was $200 more than what I was looking at in front of me online. I told him I'd have to think about it.

I called back and spoke to another customer service agent who tells me that it can be done, but I have to speak to the department who assists with online purchases and they can help me make my purchase. After one of the longest periods I have ever spent on hold, I spoke to yet another agent who told me that I could try putting in a middle initial on one of the names to purchase the two seats, however he said, just so I know, they will give my second seat away if they need it, even if I paid for it. At this point, I had spent 1.5 hours on the phone (most of it on hold) and I hung up in a rage.

I sent a complaint email, but I've heard nothing back.

Okay, I'm big. You can hate me for it if you want, it seems to be all the rage, but if I'm willing to pay double, what's the problem? Why isn't my money good enough? By not allowing me to purchase the tickets, and by making it very difficult to find information or use online services, it really amounts to discrimination. Shame on you, Delta.

Honestly, what do you expect from an airline that tells passengers with special needs to ask for "Complaint Resolution Officials?" You can try contacting Delta's customer relations managers at either beth.reed@delta.com or leigh.attaway@delta.com. If they can't help, call Delta C.E.O. Richard Anderson and tell him that you hope to one day sit next to him. His number is (404) 715-2600.

(Photo: Dan)

He also says that too many executive types aren't good communicators:

[I'm looking for] really good communication skills. More and more, the ability to speak well and write is important. You know, writing is not something that is taught as strongly as it should be in the educational curriculum. So you're looking for communication skills.

We think, in light of this statement, our policy of suggesting an EECB for when you can't get a problem solved is actually helpful to executives. It gives them a chance to practice their communication skills.

Here's Anderson's list of rules regarding time management:

1. Only touch paper once.
2. Always have your homework done.
3. Return your calls very promptly.
4. Stick to your schedule.

Interesting. Compare those to my time management rules, which may explain why I'm not on the CEO career track:

Anderson also brings a bell to meetings, which is sort of like a talking stick, except it's used to silence someone who has gotten too off-topic or personal. That's a pretty good idea, but I've heard tell of someone at SAP who used to remove all the chairs from a meeting room before starting the meeting—this prevented anyone from becoming too comfortable and kept meetings shorter. Then you'd have even more time to write all those apology notes, Mr. Anderson. You're welcome.

"He Wants Subjects, Verbs and Objects" [New York Times]

My mom is a medallion member of Delta Airlines. This should get her a few perks and privileges because she flies so much.

Instead, several times she has almost been kicked off of her flight. Why? Because she is blind and travels with a guide dog. It's ridiculous—the Americans with Disabilities Act allows her to travel on planes with a dog and requires the airline to make an accommodation. Instead, she has been put through the wringer.

My mother almost always requests bulkhead because there is extra space for the dog. She calls ahead to make sure this is possible. She's an experienced traveler, and just completed her 30th flight with her current guide dog.

Natalie goes on to explain that last year, she and her mother were bumped from the bulkhead seats and almost missed their flight as they fought with a ticket agent over upgrading to a coach seat. Then this past weekend her mom faced a new unnecessary inconvenience.

Fast forward to this weekend. My mom went to Oregon. On the way home on Flight #4693, where the bulkhead seat was not an emergency row, she thought she was good to go. But then she was approached by a Delta employee and told that a flight attendant on the flight was scared of dogs and that she'd have to change her seat. No, I'm not joking.

My mom didn't budge. Delta didn't either. Until a CRO [Complaint Resolution Official] told them that my mom needed to be allowed on the plane.

Throughout the flight, the supposedly terrified attendant bothered her every time the dog's tail was in the foot space of the seat next to her — which was empty — asking her to move the dog.

I'm writing because I'm fed up. Businesses, and it seems especially Delta, don't understand that even though these dogs are cute and cuddly, they should be treated like wheelchairs. They are tools and devices and by law must be accommodated for.

Both of these incidents should have been handled before they reached the consumer. In this case, my mother. Who is blind. Traveling is dang hard enough.

Update: Our reader floraposte found a complaint form at www.dlrp.org that you might want to fill out, Natalie.

(Photo: midiman)

As Delta chief Richard Anderson succinctly put it: "Customer acceptance of call-center representatives in other countries was low, and our customers are not shy about letting us have that feedback."

United, AT&T, and Sallie Mae all reduced or canceled foreign call centers jobs earlier this year. And as Time reported a while back, even Indians are over their call centers. It's sooo not cool to work there any more — "If you work at a call center today people will think you don't have anything else to do or were a bad student," says one Indian teen.

Delta Air Returns Customer Call-Center Work to U.S. From India [Bloomberg]

(Photo: brycej)

What's worse, TSA regulations Delta won't allow you to use the bathroom in a different section of the plane, so Correa was forbidden from going to the business class bathroom.

When the cart wasn't moved after a few minutes, Correa said, he ran for the business class lavatory. He said the flight attendant put up her arm to block him, and he grabbed it to keep his balance.

A Delta flight attendant said Correa grabbed her right arm, pulled it down and twisted it, according to authorities.

When the plane landed, Correa was arrested and spent two days in jail.

We're not sure what alternative Delta and the TSA left Correa. Had he followed their instructions, Delta would have had an entire flight full of angry, complaining, and sickened passengers, along with quite likely a lawsuit from the man they forced to shit himself because they were too busy passing out drinks. Instead, Delta loses nothing, the TSA continues to say this is in everyone's best interest, and Joao Correa is charged with a felony because he had diarrhea on an airplane.

"Bathroom emergency on flight prompts felony charge" [Associated Press]
(Thanks to Bryan!)
(Photo: eyeliam)

Grace writes:

My weekend got stressful when my sister, who was visiting for her spring break, realized that she had lost her wallet, including all her ID cards. She'd moved around a lot, so we hoped it would turn up, but I immediately called Delta Airlines to see what we could do if she didn't have a photo ID for her flight the next morning.

I went through their normal customer service lines, entered her confirmation number, and was put on hold for several minutes before getting through to a CSR. I explained that my sister had lost her wallet and photo ID, and we wanted to know what we could do to make sure she could still fly. I expected this would be a somewhat unusual request, but the CSR didn't pause - he told me she would be able to fly with no problems as long as she had something like a credit card or bank statement in her name, and it would help if someone else was at the airport to vouch for her.

You can see where this story goes.

We got to the airport as early as we could using public transportation. The Delta counters weren't very busy, and we approached a Delta representative, bank statement in hand, to explain the unusual situation. Her response: you cannot fly without a photo ID. She was not phased when I explained that the Delta CSR had explicitly told me that my sister would be fine, and when I started to ask to speak to someone else she cut me off, saying that she was the supervisor.

From there the people I worked with at the Delta counters were fairly accommodating. I asked about the possibility of using a faxed copy of an old ID, and they set me up with a fax number, but that just meant that my sister and I spent a frantic two hours waking people up in her dorm and at home to search for an old school ID, learner's permit, anything. Luckily, my parents found an old ID, drove 20 miles at 7:00 AM to the nearest 24-hour fax, and my sister made her flight.

I recognize that my sister was at fault for losing her ID in the first place, and that everything worked out in the end. But I cannot come to terms with the fact that a Delta CSR gave me the wrong information, and that the Delta workers were neither surprised nor apologetic. If the CSR hadn't known the policy for traveling without an ID, he should have checked with a supervisor. If the policy was at all unclear, he should never have confidently told me that my sister would be fine with just a bank statement. What did he expect would happen when we showed up to the airport?

I'm contacting Delta to seek compensation for the money spent on copies, faxes, and airport wireless in our frantic attempt to sort things out. (I'm not optimistic.) I wish my family could be compensated for the stress of dealing with the situation at the last-minute.

Most importantly, I want to be sure that Delta clarifies their policies among their workers. I usually assume that when a CSR explicitly tells you something, it will be true. If that's not the case, customers have no chance of knowing what's going on.

Thanks for listening, and for providing such a useful forum for consumer complaints!

The TSA requires all travelers to produce a valid ID, unless you don't have one, in which case you can "provide information to the Transportation Security Officer performing Travel Document Checking duties in order to verify their identity."

RELATED: ID Requirements for Airport Checkpoints [TSA]
(Photo: zieak)

Michael's story is long and complicated, but only because that's how all airline reservation stories in the United States are these days. You can read the blow-by-blow tale on his own site, but here's a condensed version:

• Michael books a Las Vegas vacation package—flights and a hotel stay—through Amex Travel.
• The departing flight's flight number is changed. No worries.
• The return flight is canceled, and Michael is rebooked on a flight that's no longer a direct shot to NYC—now it includes a 4 hour layover in Phoenix, and arrives almost 5 hours later than he'd originally booked, on the morning when he has to go back to work.
• He calls Amex Travel and speaks to Moses, who agrees to call US Airways while Michael remains on the line.
• Michael wonders to himself why Moses can't just cancel the package and rebook a new one with a more appropriate itinerary, but at this point he goes along with Moses' suggestion.
• The US Airways rep suggests, in the following order:
  • That Michael just take the flight he's calling about;
  • That he wait until he's in Vegas, then cancel his return flight and try booking a new one then.
• Moses asks to speak to a supervisor. The US Airways rep refuses, then relents eventually, then keeps Moses and Michael on hold for several minutes, then disconnects them.
• Moses calls back and manages to connect with a supervisor named Rena. He asks her to book a return flight for Michael on a different airline.
• Rena says she can't, because the flight was a "Code Share PNR" through Delta. For the purposes of this story, the point is she says Delta has to make the change, because they're actually selling the seats on the flight.
• Moses asks Rena to stay on the line and calls Delta. The Delta rep, Katherine, refuses to participate in a shared call with US Airways.
• Moses connects her anyway. (Good for Moses!)
• Katherine says she can't make any changes to the flight, because US Airways has to. Rena says she can't make any changes to the flight, because Delta has to. Katherine says she has other callers waiting and has to go. (This is our favorite part of the story—that Katherine refuses to help a customer because she has to go help customers.)
• Both airline reps get off the line, leaving Michael and Moses where they started.
• Now Michael asks Moses why Amex Travel can't just cancel and rebook the flight. Moses tells him Amex Travel is unwilling to do that, because the hotel would charge them a cancellation fee.
• Moses eventually manages to find Michael a new return flight that leaves Vegas earlier—cutting Michael's final vacation day short—and flies into far-off Newark instead of JFK or La Guardia, and still has a layover in Phoenix. But at least it doesn't arrive at 5am in the morning on the day he has to return to work.

Katherine and Rena know how the customer service game is played, not just in the airline industry, but all over corporate America. If there's a tough problem, it's best to pass the buck onto another party as soon as you see an opening and move on to the next call. Customer support is a liability- the cheaper, the better. I was really having a tough time fighting through this system- I haven't talked much about my contribution to this lengthy conversation, but it suffices to say that I was incredulous, and often asked these various representatives what they would do if they were in my shoes. They had no answer.

"My Saturday Battle with US Airways, Delta, and AMEX" [Help with a smile Tech Blog for Non-Geeks]
(Photo: tarotastic)

On February 12, 2009, I arrived at Newark-Liberty Intl Airport to take a return flight home from a business trip. The automated kiosk was unable to locate my reservation and I had a gate agent assist me. The gate agent found that my return flight was booked for March 12, not February 12. She then gave me the number for Delta customer service so I could try and figure out how to fly out that day. While I was making the call, another gate agent, Samantha B., asked me to come over to the counter so she could assist me. She explained that a website glitch had caused several other travelers to have their flights booked for next month as well despite specifying the correct date on Delta.com. Had I checked the e-mail confirmation, I would have caught the error and been able to correct it prior to travel. Samantha did a great job at re-booking me for a later direct flight and handled the situation very well. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there. The flight I had originally planned to take would have left at 10:55AM that morning; the new direct flight left at 5:10PM. Later that afternoon, I was notified that the flight was delayed until 8:10PM, then 8:30PM, then 8:55PM. The plane did not actually leave the gate until 9:20PM and had to spend 45 minutes on the tarmac since we were 20th in line for takeoff. This new flight ended up arriving in Salt Lake City at 12:40AM, over 8 hours after I had originally planned to arrive back home. The flight was also very uncomfortable as I had spent nearly 12 hours sitting in the airport in uncomfortable chairs only to spend nearly 5 more sitting on the plane. Granted, I should have reviewed the confirmation e-mail to catch the Delta.com website glitch that fouled up my booking, but I think it a reasonable expectation that if I specify a date, the website should not attempt to automatically change it. The website glitch cost me a very significant chunk of my day and left me unable to return to work today due to a lack of sleep. (I've never been able to sleep on planes, so this was not an option.) Since my employer has paid for the travel costs, I would like to seek compensation in the form of additional frequent flier miles in an amount you deem appropriate. I would appreciate a quick response in this matter.

In less than 24 hours, I got the following response:

Dear Mr. Harris, Thank you for your e-mail describing the inconvenience you experienced due to flight irregularities. We're sorry you were inconvenienced. Your time is valuable, and operating on schedule is equally important to us. In the process of providing air service over many different routes each day, we sometimes encounter mechanical problems, adverse weather, air traffic restriction's and other unavoidable interruptions. These are situations faced by all airlines and no carrier can guarantee that all flights will depart and arrive as planned. We apologize for the difficulties you encountered due to a problem on delta.com. We have received reports like yours, for some customers, when selecting the return date and purchasing the ticket, the date will book a month later. While the customer is given several opportunities to review their itinerary choices before purchasing the ticket, some customers miss the opportunities to review and end up purchasing the wrong return date. Our website development team is dedicated to continuously improving our site to minimize this technical difficulty. Your valued feedback will help us to eliminate the problem you encountered. As a goodwill gesture, we have credited your SkyMiles account with 5,000 bonus miles. They may be applied toward the travel award of your choice, and the adjustment will be noted on a future statement. You may also view your account balance online at delta.com. Again, thank you for writing. Please accept our apology for the inconvenience you experienced. We look forward to serving you under better circumstances. Sincerely, Mark P. Benson Manager Customer Care

I really like flying Delta since they have a hub in SLC and things usually go a lot smoother than this. Good job, guys!

(Photo: Andrei Dimofte)

That's what one mad at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport did — and now he's in police custody:

[Police spokesman Sgt. Tommy] Thompson says the flight taxied into the gate at Sky Harbor Terminal 3. As people were getting off the plane, the man opened an emergency door and walked out on the plane's wing. Police and federal authorities questioned the man. Thompson says charges are pending.

Man arrested after exiting plane, walking on wing [AZ Central]
(Photo:JohnKit)

She called Delta to ask if her flight could be changed — and at first they wanted to charge her a $150 fee.

I've got a flight out of Chicago O'Hare tomorrow morning, right in the middle of a massive winter storm that's expected to come through here. I decided to give it a shot and call Delta and see if they would change my flight out for one leaving today. I spoke with Latoya, who initially told me that since the flight tomorrow had not been cancelled, there would still be a $150 change fee as well as any fare increase. She was very nice and apologetic, so I tried reason and explained that this storm hitting the city was a near certainty, that O'Hare would be a mad house tomorrow of angry fliers and cranky flight personnel and that if they got me out tonight instead of tomorrow I would be one less person to worry about. It worked! She put me on hold, came back and the fees were waived, no fare increase and I've got a flight out later this afternoon.

Just thought you'd like to know that, occasionally, reason does prevail.

Hooray for that.

(Photo: Wayne Gunn )

From the AP:

Customers who purchased Delta tickets on or before Wednesday, and who are traveling on or after Dec. 5, will be charged $50 for a second bag, but will be permitted to check their first bag without charge based on Delta's previous policy. Customers flying in first or business class, including SkyMiles Medallion members and WorldPerks Elite members, will be able to check up to three bags, up to 70 pounds each, for free, Delta said.

Delta Air Lines adding first bag fee [IHT]
(Photo: Flying Photog )

From Elliott.org:

The agent asked for our ticket for our son. I will not go into all of the details, but an hour later (and 35 minutes to flight departure), we were forced to pay 332 euros ($423.10) to get my son a ticket so he could return back to the states.

Words cannot describe my outrage at the time, especially the justification of the fees ($320 fuel surcharge - $160 each way??!!). How can they legally charge that much when our ten pound infant does not even have a seat?

Delta responded to this complaint with a form letter explaining that kids need a ticket — which is 10% of the regular fare. The only problem? He'd already paid that fee when he booked the tickets. The $320 was explained to him as a fuel surcharge.

Should passengers who don't even get a seat and weigh 10 lbs be charged this fee? Seems a little silly doesn't it?

Waaaa! Baby gets socked with surprise $320 fuel surcharge on Delta flight [Elliott] (Thanks, Shaula!)
(Photo: So Cal Metro )

Northwest, Delta deal gets done [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo: So Cal Metro )

The recalls involve two types of cribs. The first is for 600,000 drop side cribs. The CPSC says that the crib’s drop side can detach when the spring peg is not engaged, which can cause an entrapment and suffocation risk to infants and toddlers. One death has been reported.

The second is for 985,000 cribs that can be put together without the safety pegs. "CPSC staff is aware of a death of an 8-month-old child who became entrapped and suffocated when the drop side of the crib detached in a reassembled crib where the safety pegs were not installed. CPSC is also aware of two entrapments and nine disengagement incidents in cribs where the safety pegs were missing."

A full list of the model numbers affected by the recall can be found at the links below. To get your repair kit, contact Delta at (800) 816-5304 anytime after 5 pm today or log on www.cribrecallcenter.com to order the free repair kit.

Infant Death Prompts Recall to Repair 985,000 Delta Enterprise Drop Side Cribs; Missing Safety Pegs Can Cause Entrapment and Suffocation Hazards
Infant Death Prompts Recall To Repair 600,000 Drop Side Cribs By Delta Enterprise; Spring Peg Failure Can Cause Entrapment and Suffocation Hazards [CPSC]

From Fortune:

Back at home, Berns did what any consumer with $15 (in New York City) and a working knowledge of English (or Spanish, in most states) can do: He filed a small-claims suit against Delta for $938. Delta did not show up to defend itself, so on June 12 he won a default judgment. When a legal analyst from the airline called him two weeks later to negotiate a payment, he declined an offer of frequent-flier miles ("Confederate currency," in his words) and made a counteroffer: If you pay me within two weeks, I'll knock $100 off. Delta agreed but asked for a confidentiality agreement. Berns said they couldn't have both, and Delta took the discount. (A Delta spokesperson did not respond to repeated requests for comment.)

"The lesson is, Don't let them bully you with bogus cancellations," says Berns. The whole thing took him about four hours, he recalls, resulting in earnings of less than half his hourly billing rate. "But I'd do it again," he says. "That's how good it felt."

A flier strikes back [Fortune]
(Photo: Zonaphoto )

Most Fee Crazy Airlines:

1. U.S. Airways: Not only does U.S. Airways have the distinction of being the only US airline to charge for water, they were also the first to discontinue free snacks. They've also decided to do away with in-flight entertainment. So what will you think about while you're bored, hungry and thirsty? How about that $15 first checked bag fee, the $25 second checked bag fee, the $5-30$ fee to choose your favorite economy class seat, and the whopping $250 fee you paid to change your ticket. Oh, yeah, and remember when they made everyone crazy by charging a $5 fee to book a ticket... with their own website?
2. United Airlines: United is following U.S. Airways lead with a combination of cutting amenities and introducing fees. They've done away with snacks and are selling "snack boxes." Soon, United will be raising the prices for these items and economy class passengers will be expected to pay $9 for a sandwich. While you're munching on that overpriced nonsense, you can add up the following fees: $15 to check your first bag, $25 for the second bag, and $125 for the third. Then there's the $25 you paid to book your ticket over the phone, the $125 you paid for the privilege of traveling with your pet in the cabin, and of course, the $349 per year that you pay to be able to "stretch out and relax in comfort in seats located at the front of the Economy section,".."if available."
   
3. (tie) Delta Airlines & American Airlines: American was the first airline to charge for the 1st checked bag, and Delta has managed to resist that fee — but Delta's other fees are just so darn expensive that we had to call this one a tie. Ultimately, it costs more to check two bags with Delta than it does with U.S. Airways, United, or American. American currently charges $15 for the first bag, $25 for the second, and from $3-6 for snacks. Delta charges nothing for the first checked bag, but if you're thinking of checking two bags, get ready to pay $50 for the second bag, and $125 for the third bag. Ouch! Delta's snacks are complimentary, but they charge from $1-10 more for certain special items.

Least Fee Crazy Airlines:

1. Southwest Airlines: Southwest is the only major airline that isn't charging a fee to check two bags, and the third checked bag will only cost you $25. There is also no fee to change your ticket. Instead, you'll get a flight credit that is good for one year. They don't charge a fee to book over the phone or in person, and they don't charge a fee for an unaccompanied minor.
   
2. AirTran: AirTran has fees but they're lower than a lot of its competitors. For example, the 2nd checked bag is $10 and the third is $50. The ticket change fee is $75, and unaccompanied minors will only cost you $39, as opposed to $100 on Delta, United, etc. You will pay $6 for an advanced seat assignment and $20 to sit in an exit row.
   
3. JetBlue: JetBlue keeps threatening to go over to the dark side with new charges for things that used to be free (headsets $1, blankets and pillows $7) but they still have some of the more reasonable fees in the industry. There is no charge for the first checked back, and the second bag will cost you $20. Changing your ticket will cost you $100, and expect to pay from $10-20 more for their mini-business class "extra legroom" seats. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages are plentiful and free, however. Love those blue potato chips.

If you're looking for an easy way to compare fees, check out this excellent PDF from the folks at SmarterTravel.com, Airfarewatchdog.com, and SeatGuru.com.

(Photo: Jenna Belle )

Here's Anayah's letter to Delta:

To Whom It May Concern:

I have never felt as hustled by an airline as I have been on this day. When I booked the fee for my younger sister to come visit me in New York from Chicago, I called in to Delta to find out what the procedure is for a minor to fly on Delta. I was told on 2 different occasions by customer service representatives that if she was 14 or older, she would be able to fly without paying a fee in addition to the $306 plane ticket... only to have my mother and sister embarrassed at the ticket counter when they were told she would have to pay an additional fee that our mother (who accompanied her to the airline) cannot afford.

When our mother tried to arrange to have me pay it at the ticket counter, she was advised that it COULD NOT be paid in person, only over the phone. When I called to make the payment over the phone on her behalf, we learned that there was an ADDITIONAL $100 fee for paying over the phone to the already additional $100 unaccompanied minor fee on a $306 TICKET!

In speaking with a representative over the phone, we also learned that a previous representative had already entered that they advised us about the fee when they DIDN'T! Instead of telling us that we would have to pay the fee so we could make arrangements for that sooner, the person noted her age in the account and told us we WOULD NOT have to pay a fee.

In all of this confusion, my little sister has missed her flight and we're being made to PAY ANOTHER FEE to rebook her. In the past 12 years, I've missed countless flights in at least 5 countries - some missed flights were my fault, others the airlines' - never have I had to pay to be rebooked for them.

I am absolutely shocked and disgusted that at a time when our country is in an economic recession and people are choosing to travel by air less and less that Delta would see fit to discourage another customer from ever flying with your airline by extorting a series of irrational (at least irrationally priced, notified, and collected) fees. I know that they are irrational because the final representative with whom I spoke did not charge the ridiculous additional $100 fee to rebook by phone. While I greatly appreciated his gesture, I see that it was all a game to hustle as much money as possible from the beginning, or else I would have been able to make all of the changes by phone without the additional $100 phone fees (x2 for 2 different "services") and [my sister] would not have missed her original flight.

Sincerely,

Anayah

We looked up Delta's unaccompanied minor policy and they do indeed charge $100 each way, for anyone 14 and under. The fees are collected at the airport ticket counter when the child checks in.

We also took a look at some other airline's policies about unaccompanied minors. United Airlines and JetBlue do not charge unaccompanied minor fees for 14-year-olds, but many other airlines do.

Delta's policy is not unusual or unclear, and their customer service representatives should have advised you of the fee when you asked them about it, especially if they noted your sister's age on the account, and they should have waived the $100 "phone" fee before your sister missed her flight — not after.

What a mess!

You can avoid the charges by becoming an "elite" member of Delta's frequent flier program, or by flying internationally. The fees do not apply to First Class passengers. In addition to the fee for a second bag, the charge for checking a third, fourth or fifth bag, now $80 for each bag, will rise to $125 apiece, says the New York Times. Checking a third bag internationally will now cost coach passengers $150.

“Fewer than 20 percent of our customers check a second bag; I would imagine that it would be even less for a third,” a Delta spokeswoman, Betsy Talton, said. “It’s still a good value when compared with shipping or luggage services.”

Delta Raises Fee for a Second Bag [NYT]
(Photo: saramarie )

Delta is also raising fees on oversized items and heavy items.

First-class passengers, international travelers and elite members of Delta’s frequent-flier program will still be allowed to check two bags for free. First-class and elite travelers can check up to three bags at no charge on international flights; a third bag will now cost a coach-class passenger traveling overseas an extra $150.

Items that are 62 to 80 inches long, including athletic equipment like surfboards and skis, will cost $175 to check after Tuesday on all flights. They now cost $150.

Delta is also increasing its charges for heavy baggage, regardless of whether it is included in a free baggage allowance. A bag that weighs 51 to 70 pounds will cost the traveler $90 to check in the United States, and $150 on an international trip, up from $80.

A bag weighing from 71 to 100 pounds will cost as much as $300 to check on an international trip, compared with $150.

Although a before-and-after chart of the new fees is supposed to be available at www.delta.com, as of July 29th we couldn't find it (if you do, please post the link in the comments below).

"Delta Raises Fee for a Second Bag " [New York Times] (Thanks to Ken and Mary!)
(Photo: Getty)

The employees in this room were debating who would get me to the ticket gate to be re-ticketed because it was no one's job and the appropriate personnel were not responding to their calls. After that was resolved I was given a new boarding pass for a flight expected to leave at 12:55 AM. Then this person advised me she cannot get me from a D Gate to Gate A9. She again called for the appropriate personnel who never showed. We waited by an elevator for someone she convinced to bring me over to Gate A even though it was not his job. I had to beg him to stop at a bathroom entrance and to wait for me and then he finally delivered me to Gate A9.

I was given a meal voucher for my INCONVENIENCE but could not purchase any food because again there was no one to bring me to an eating establishment, never mind wait on the long line for me to make a food purchase.

At 11:15 I advised the gate attendant I was dehydrated and cramping because I could not purchase any water. This is the only nice employee that treated me with dignity. The flight I was transferred to was supposed to leave at 10:22 PM but was delayed until 1:30 AM. This gate attendant went and brought me water off of the plane.

This gate attendant also made sure she finally found some one at 11:15 PM to push me to obtain food and another bathroom break. I arrived in West Palm Beach at 3:15 AM with no ride and had to again crawl into the shuttle service to get home.

I understand plane delays and waiting at airports, but is this how you treat your handicapped passengers???

The text above is from a letter Julianna has sent to Richard Anderson, Delta's CEO, who we hope will do more than send her another food voucher—like take real steps to make sure handicapped passengers are treated with a minimum of respect when they're traveling.

(Thanks to Chris)
(Photo: Andrei Dimofte)

If your flight is canceled or you're given a wrong connection, the airline might have to put you on another flight for free, even if it's on another airline. Airfarewatchdog blog has put together a handy table to help you tell which airlines follow these procedures, and to what degree. They also have links to the contracts of carriage for the airlines that have them posted online. Handy to check if you're covered before booking, and also good to print out and bring with you to the airport just in case you need to invoke your rights and the airline employee has forgotten their own policies.

Rule 240 Revisited [Airfarewatchdog Blog]

Trevor sent us his exchanges with Delta. His initial letter:

Dear Delta,

In June of 2007, I experienced a collapsed lung. At the recommendation of my thoracic surgeon to avoid flight for three to six months from the time of my operation, I was unable to use tickets booked on June 11, for a flight from NY JFK to Toronto—flight XXXXXXXX.

After being made aware I would not be able to use the tickets, I called a Delta representative who informed me that once receiving a signed letter from my physician, I would be given full cred ($365.58) for the flight. The credit would be available for one year. On both occasions I spoke with Delta representatives—when canceling the flight and when confirming my letter was received—I was not made aware that the credit expired on the date the flight was booked (June 11) and not the date of departure (Aug. 3). This information was only relayed when I attempted to use the credit on June 24, 2008. No email or letter acknowledging the restriction was ever offered, just the instruction to call when I wished to apply the credit. On top of that, nowhere in the confirmation information given to me by Travelocity is the booking date listed, only the flight date and I’m sure you can imagine, given my health circumstances, how that is unsatisfactory if you expect me to consider June 11, the key date in this situation.

I understand Delta must have restrictions and expiration dates for credit; however, I feel my medical condition was taken advantage of by inadequate customer care that neglected to communicate the central piece of information. I am using the credit in a window well within a year of the flight date. This is the first time I’ve booked a flight since my injury and am dismayed by a lack of sensitivity by Delta’s policies and customer care representatives.

I appreciate your consideration and understanding.

Delta's response:

Thank you for your correspondence to Delta Air Lines.

We realize you expect to receive accurate information when you call us. Our Reservation Sales representatives are carefully trained in all our procedures, including providing a positive experience for our valued customers.

Please be advised most unused international tickets can be applied towards new travel, domestic or international, to commence within one year from issue date of the original ticket.

Delta tickets and other travel-related documents are valid for one year from the date of issue. Once a ticket or other document has expired, it has no further value and cannot be refunded, extended, or exchanged.

While we would like to offer special consideration in cases such as yours, we are unable to honor the many requests that we receive from others in similar situations. We follow a consistent policy to ensure that Delta is fair to everyone who travels with us. Accordingly, we must respectfully decline your request.

Again, thank you for writing. We recognize this was not the response you expected to receive and trust you will understand our position. We value your business and hope you will continue to choose Delta. Should you need to contact us in the future, or find information about our service or operations, please visit us at delta.com.

Sincerely,

Irene M. Roberts
Manager
Customer Care

Can't you feel the love and care of their velvet-covered sickle?

Trevor responded:

Dear Ms. Roberts,

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that your response is completely unsatisfactory and no, I do not in any way understand your position. Due to human error, Delta has stolen—that may sound like a strong word, but is in fact the ONLY way to refer to it—almost five hundred dollars from me.

You can claim your “Reservation Sales representatives are carefully trained”; however, all experience in this situation points to quite the opposite. Just one example, it took two hours and the escalation of the issue to a supervisor before anyone could even figure out how to locate my reservation. I understand the challenges of staffing qualified people to low-paying positions, but don’t screw your customers when they slip up. If you have many requests from “others in similar situations” than you have an institutional problem that needs to be fixed and I do not feel I should pay the price for that failure. It is certainly not Delta being “fair to everyone who travels” with you. Quite the opposite in fact.

In a business whose success and failure hinges on the ability to create customer loyalty—one ticket, just one, bought by me could erase any loss you’d take from giving me MY MONEY back—it’s shocking to me that you’ve decided to give me the middle finger and I'm sure, a contributing factor to Delta's struggles. I will NOT “continue to choose Delta.” In the internet age, I’m just shocked Delta doesn’t understand this costs more than it saves. You have no right to this money and with poor customer service from top to bottom, have taken advantage of my illness.

Attached you’ll find signed statements from just a few of the people who’ve heard my story and agree that Delta has abused its corporate powers and hidden behind policies that avoid accountability. This will be just the beginning as I feel it’s important people hear how your company approaches its customers.

I will be happy to forgive and forget if you decide it’s worth actually considering my case individually and realize the importance of respecting your customers especially when they are confronted with life and death health challenges.

We've shown that a well-crafted, reasonable Executive Email Carpet Bomb can decimate arbitrary airline deadlines. Send an EECB to Delta's executives using previously published contact information, and don't forget to cc the Department of Transportation.

PREVIOUSLY: EECB Scores Direct Hit On Delta's $25 Extra Bag Fee
(AP Photo/David Kohl)