YouTube - Tweetin On A Jet Plane

YouTube - Tweetin On A Jet Plane

This is hilarious. I know that no one at Delta is laughing but, hey ... I can just imagine some day, a kid pulls out his guitar in the middle of a flight and soon the whole plane is singing along, word for word - flight attendants too.

Free Wi-Fi on Delta through the end of the year

From The Ticket: to get FREE Wi-Fi on Delta Air Lines (thru Dec 31)– just use the code DELTATRYGOGO when you log on.

Airtran: use the code AIRTRANTRYGOGO when you log on.
American: use the code AATRYGOGO when you log on from the plane.

Smelly, hot plane coming in from Tulsa last night

Tip to Delta--when the plane smells of vomit, having working air conditioning makes life better. The wimpy flow coming out of the air vent didn't have a chance of competing with the stained carpet under our feet on the 3:05 flight (delayed about an hour) out of Tulsa.

Geez.

Two points for a quick rebooking

Checked in at Toronto to fly to Tulsa via Minneapolis. One leg delayed, one cancelled. But Delta immediately rebooked by on American, without even being asked. That was an exceptional and good experience.

Delta vs Air Canada to the UK

That headline's not fair--it summarizes two separate flights in the last week.

I took Air Canada and found friendly skies and a great aircraft. Unlike the jets that Delta flies to London, coach seats had

• A 7" (diagonal) screen on the back of each seat with a slew of movies. (Delta shows 2 movies, 1 at a time, on old screens that hang from the ceiling. Films such as "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past".)
• A power plug in the back of the seat in front of you for every seat in coach. (Delta usually has it for a few of the front rows, inconveniently located under your seat.)
• A USB port in the seat in front of you to power the screen from your laptop.

Now, I still couldn't work when the seat in front of me reclined. But, if you are sitting down, my solution was easy and not uncomfortable: I traded seats with the guy in the middle seat and worked for about 6 1/2 hours sitting there. And it was wide enough to be OK. This was a FAR better experience than any Delta flight I've been on to the UK and many other EU destinations.

Upshot: I've got the miles to be Diamond next year. If Air Canada flew from ATL to LON, I'd be on it every time.

Passenger advocate claims Delta hacked her e-mails | ajc.com

This one surprises me - I consider Delta a much more honest company that is portrayed. I hope it is a groundless accusation (but if true, Delta should gets it ass kicked)>
"A passenger rights advocate accused Delta Air Lines Inc. in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of conspiring with a Virginia company to obtain hacked e-mails from her computer to help them derail her efforts to protect air travelers from lengthy tarmac delays and other inconveniences." Passenger advocate claims Delta hacked her e-mails | ajc.com:

Delta Inconsistency Frustrating

Let's add another basic problem that Delta has: consistency.*

Suit bag. Carried it on many times. Including yesterday, ATL -> O'hare.
Today? Nossir, that bag's too big; gotta check it.
(Who enforced it? TSA. Huhhhhhhh?)
(As a person walks past me with a waiver signed by Julie, a Delta employee, to tell TSA her non-sizewise bag was OK to carry through security.)
Delta counter: No. Don't care if it fits. No. Don't care if you are flying first and there is a lot more 50% more overhead space per passenger in first. No. Don't care if Atlanta let's you carry it on.

So, having time to kill, I pick up my cell and call Delta corporate, asking for an exec assist in the CEO's office. I start to explain my situation, complaining how frustrating the inconsistency was. An agent hears me and escorts me through TSA. With my bag.

*Biggest other bad character traits DL has as a company?
1. Running an airline as if s__t never happens--tightly scheduling gates, running airports to capacity, etc. And then when s__t happens, they have no flexibility to compensate and a little s__t turns into a cascading series of service failures.
2. Communicating, especially about delays.
3. Consistency.

Our gate was ready, but...

Getting in from Chicago today (delayed because loading baggage took longer than it should (huh?)), we waited on the tarmac not because our gate was occupied but because another plane was pulling away from an adjacent gate. I'm somewhere north of 800k miles as a Delta flier but that's a new on on me.

Woman sues Delta; was kicked off plane for breast feeding | ajc.com

Woman sues Delta; was kicked off plane for breast feeding | ajc.com: "Gillette was ordered off a Delta Connections plane by a flight attendant after twice refusing an order to cover up while she breast fed her baby prior to takeoff."

Atlanta-Miami nation's third busiest air route | ajc.com

Atlanta-Miami nation's third busiest air route | ajc.com: "The air travel corridor between Atlanta and the greater Miami area is now the 3rd busiest in the nation, and the corridor from Atlanta to the New York area is not far behind at 5th, according to a report from the Brookings Institution."

Cupholders?

Why do we have cupholder in cars (more cupholders than seats, it seems) but no cupholders in aircraft?

No cute folding/sliding/popping up ways to hold a drink securely? Surely there are some rockets scientists out there who could figure out how to do this!

We're early but we'll blow it!

Coming back from Hartford last night, the good news was that we ere an hour early. The bad news? Of course, no gate was ready and we were going to sit for 10 minutes for another plane to push back.

I assume that Delta keeps track of its planes that are in the air and their ETAs. (At least, I think I asumme that. Maybe they don't. Maybe it is a surprise to on-the-ground operations at Hartsfield when they get a radio call, "Hi! We're here!".) Why on earth can't they do any sort of semi-real-time management of arrival gates?

For that matter, why don't they tell the incoming pilot to slow down? Delta should realize that the experience of arriving 15 minutes early is very different than the experience of arriving 30 minutes early and sitting on the tarmac for 15 minutes.

The worse news? The towbar broke on another just that was being towed past us, leaving it blocking the gate. We got in 30 minutes early (cheers). We deplaned 0 minutes early.

Georgia man charged in ND airport vandalism

Bismarck Police Sgt. Dwight Offerman said the 40-year-old Wright is accused of striking and breaking the kiosk shortly before 5 a.m., Thursday. Offerman said Wright arrived 30 minutes before to his flight and was frustrated when the kiosk failed to work. (Should medallion fliers set up a defense fund for the guy?) Details: Georgia man charged in ND airport vandalism | ajc.com

Delta matches American, United on $10 holiday surcharge | ajc.com

You GOT to be kidding... a surcharge for flying on a holiday? Not an increased fare because of increased demand, but a SURCHARGE? Can I call Delta and demand a reverse surcharge for flying on slow days? Of course not... but the fares are cheaper, yes?

Complete story at ajc.com but note... "AirTran Airways, the second-largest carrier in Atlanta, said it will not match the holiday fare surcharge."

Possibly the worst meal in the world

The good news: I got my vegetarian meal flying to France earlier in the week. The bad news: Delta seems to think that undercooked carrots and peas on white rice constitutes and entree. This was the worst meal I've had on any airline at any time, bar none.

However, the flight attendants were GREAT and managed to cobble together a decent meal for me. And, they remember the problem when breakfast rolled around and also took care of me then. A great example of Delta people compensating for Delta.

Delta's lack of integration with partners a headache

Normally, I wouldn't mind too much Delta being unable to issue a boarding pass in Atlanta for a continuing flight on a partner airline (even though Delta booked the entire itinerary and took the money for, and the flight has a Delta flight number).

BUT... when I'm changing planes in Charles de Gaulle, and not having the boarding pass means going outside security, finding the Delta counter, jumping the queue to get a boarding pass, and then going through security and immigration... and, because the bloody airport is Charles de Gaulle, having to deal with poor signage, dead end mazes, a sprawling airport (etc etc), having to spring the whole damn thing and insert myself rudely at the head of several queues, then Delta's lack of integration with the systems of its partners airline has a real impact. (Yes, I made the connecting flight. Yes, I was covered in sweat and a good candidate for a coronary by the time I got there.) Had I been given a boarding pass by Delta, it would have been an easy relaxed plane change. As always, "Thank you, Delta".

SkyMiles Medallion Program Updates and latest improvements at Delta.com

Platinum System-wide Upgrades now eligible on Northwest flights

Platinum Medallion® members can now redeem their System-wide upgrade on Northwest Airlines® operated flights. Members should continue to contact Delta for their upgrade request.

Direct Ticketing Charge Exemption changes

Effective October 1, 2009 Platinum Medallion and Gold Medallion members will no longer be charged the Direct Ticketing Charge when purchasing tickets or redeeming a travel award.

Details: SkyMiles Medallion Program Updates and latest improvements at Delta.com

Delta Connection carriers, AirTran in back of on-time pack | ajc.com

Delta Connection carriers Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, along with AirTran Airways, occupied the three bottom spots in on-time rankings for July, according to the latest federal monthly report. Full story: ajc.com:

DOT Secretary Blames Delta Unit for Flight Delay - WSJ.com

"U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Friday blamed an employee at Delta Air Lines Inc. for exacerbating a delay that left passengers stuck on a rival's jet at a Minnesota airport for almost six hours. However, the chief executive of Mesaba Airlines, the Delta regional airline unit targeted by the secretary, said he disagreed with the DOT's initial findings.

Mr. LaHood said the initial probe into the incident revealed that an employee at Mesaba had been the only person at the airport in a position to help [and] ... had 'improperly refused' a request from the plane's captain to allow passengers into the terminal. The employee mistakenly believed that the Transportation Security Administration had to clear the late-night disembarkation, said Mr. LaHood. 'There was really a complete lack of common sense here,' he added. 'The Aviation Enforcement Office is considering appropriate action to take against Mesaba as it completes the investigation, which it expects to conclude within a few weeks,' added Mr. LaHood, noting that senior staff at Continental and ExpressJet should have got involved earlier."

Full article: DOT Secretary Blames Delta Unit for Flight Delay - WSJ.com:

Lousy Delta ticket counter experience in Portland, ME

Coming back from Portland, ME yesterday afternoon it was pretty obvious that the Delta counter isn't the best-run operation in the world. Of their 6 kiosks, 1 was down and another was stuck on an NWA page. It took close to 15 minutes to wait for machine and check in (these machines just cannot find my itinerary 5 times out of 10 until I type the destination and time) and at least anothe r 15 to check bags (which we then got to haul over to TSA).

The kicker was the woman in front of me. She got upgraded and didn't want it--she wanted to fly with her husband. I also got upgraded and asked her if she wouldn't mind swapping boarding passes with my wife if the agent could get the two coach seats together for her and her husband. The agent (male, blonde) then in a snotty voice said that swapping boarding passes was a violation of Federal law. That was his most helpful utterance to anyone that I heard. Long story short, he handled it in such a way that the woman ended up with a seat request card - no assigned seat at all - and never apologized. I'm sure she ended up in a rear center seat and probably not next to her husband.

Poor maintenance on kiosks, understaffed counter, snotty agent--geez Delta!

Free wi-fi coming to Hartsfield, but not yet | ajc.com

"Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport hopes to laulnch free wireless Internet access next year, though it will also continue to offer fee-based wi-fi for those who need or prefer it." Read the full story at ajc.com - which perhaps explains why some people need or prefer for it.

What has happened to Delta's in-flight recycling program?

From Marc Friedman on the Minneapolis Airlines/Airport Examiner: "Several weeks ago I wrote about the lack of in-flight recycling on several Delta Air Lines flights that I had recently taken. I received numerous comments from other travelers who had the same experience that I did, but I also heard from a few Delta flight attendants who told me that their program is indeed operational and offered on all flights with the exception of international arrivals where trash is not allowed to be recycled.

Since that earlier article I have been on several Delta flights and have only had recycling of cans, plastic bottles and newspapers offered on one flight.That was on a former Northwest segment and had a former Northwest crew serving the passengers." Full article: What has happened to Delta's in-flight recycling program?:

Would you fly an airline that doesn't know basic geography?

From the Delta SkyMiles Insider: "Want to be adventurous this summer? Delta now flies to all six continents, so you're certain to find a destination that will satisfy the traveler in you." Yes, it would be adventurous to fly an airline that can't keep track of how many continents there are.

I bet they fly to all 49 states, as well.

Airlines' Expert on Missing Bags Fights Lost Cause - WSJ.com

"In Andrew Price's first year on the job, airlines lost his luggage seven times. That would be bad enough if he were the average continent-hopping businessman, but Mr. Price is the man the airlines rely on to help them stop losing bags. On a three-day trip to Canada from Switzerland last year, his bags landed on the final day -- when he was already at the airport. He sent them straight home. They arrived a week after he did. 'Passengers can run to catch a plane, but bags can't,' says Mr. Price, 40 years old, who heads the Baggage Improvement Program, a five-year global campaign launched by the International Air Transport Association, an airline trade group in Geneva that is trying to help members step up their luggage game." Full story - WSJ.com

'Nightmare' flight: 47 fliers trapped overnight on regional jet

'Nightmare' flight: 47 fliers trapped overnight on regional jet - USATODAY.com: "The latest air-travel horror story comes to us from Minnesota, where 47 passengers (and three crewmembers) on a Continental Airlines regional flight spent nearly 14 hours in transit and were trapped in a six-hour ground delay on a 50-seat regional jet. The Minneapolis Star Tribune writes the stranded flight was 'complete with crying babies and the aroma of over-used toilets.'

Adding insult to injury is that the passengers had already been on the plane for more than two hours before the regional jet operating the Houston-to-Minneapolis/St. Paul flight diverted to Rochester, Minn."

Late again, and the gate display is wrong - again

The agent at check-in an hour ago, the internet, and the gate agent all agree--my flight from Toronto is delayed 30 minutes.

And once again, all airport displays show a 10-minute delay. What is it with Delta's displays?

Southwest may land in Atlanta, but will it matter? | ajc.com

Southwest may land here, but will it matter? | ajc.com

Accountant ‘to join Chippendales’ after sensational airport security performance

From NewsBiscuit.com "Nigel Weston, a 43-year-old accountant from Cricklewood, was approached by a talent spotter from the male exotic dance troupe the Chippendales after a ‘raunchy and erotically mesmerising’ performance at the security gates of Dublin airport."

Atlanta airport ranks 17th in on-time flights | ajc.com

From the AJC: "Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport ranked 17th in the nation for on-time arrival performance in June, down from the No. 4 spot a year ago. ... 76 percent of flights arrived on time in Atlanta in the month." Full story here:

Ryanair Is Thrifty, and Chief Makes No Apologies - Biography - NYTimes.com

From the New York Times: "The mystery is why so many people are willing to put up with an airline that, in the words of The Economist, “has become a byword for appalling customer service, misleading advertising claims and jeering rudeness towards anyone or anything that gets in its way. Nobody helps you — it’s as simple as that,” said Malcolm Ginsberg, editor in chief of the travel newsletter aerbt.co.uk, describing what happens to Ryanair passengers who need assistance at the airport."

Full article.

2010 SkyMiles Frequent Flyer Program Benefits

Delta has announced 2010 changes to the Skymiles program. They are not trivial and most writers regards them as good. See
here for details. It includes:

* Diamond Medallion Status: 125,000 MQMs or 140 segments. Complimentary Delta Sky Club™ membership, a 125% mileage bonus, more fee waivers and exclusive rewards.
* Rollover MQMs: Any MQMs you've earned above your Medallion qualification level at the end of the year will roll over to your MQM balance for the following year.
* Choice of Benefits: Choose the benefits that best fit you" Systemwide Upgrade Certificates that are redeemable on the day of departure, the ability to Gift Medallion Status to a friend, bonus miles you can keep or donate to a SkyWish charity and Delta Sky Club One-Day passes.
* Direct Ticketing Charge Waivers: for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members.

A good analysis is in the Travel Skills Newsletter, here.

Putting Some Personal Contact Back Into Flying (NYTimes.com)

"... some airlines, stung by a wave of negative publicity about their treatment of customers, are reversing course. One is Delta Air Lines, now the world’s largest carrier after its merger with Northwest. It is reviving a service program known as the “Red Coats,” for the crimson-jacketed airport service people who assist passengers in need. Delta has already brought the agents back to Kennedy Airport, and last month it added more than 100 at its biggest airport hub, Atlanta. As of Aug. 1, about 500 of these agents will be in circulation at more than a dozen airports, including terminals in Washington, Los Angeles, Boston, Cincinnati, Memphis, Newark and New York.

The Red Coats program, which dates back to the 1960s, “was one of our better-known services,” Gil West, Delta’s senior vice president of airport customer service, said in an interview. The decision to disband the program in 2005, while the airline reorganized under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, was viewed as a mistake by some employees, he said. He said the new agents were being drawn from within Delta’s ranks but that they would be selected through a “highly competitive” process and would be paid more than other airport agents.

The new Red Coats will be able to use hand-held devices to print boarding passes and issue vouchers to airport clubs."

Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/business/28service.html

Delay + Poor Gate Choice = Insult + Injury?

Coming back from O'Hara last night we were delayed an hour due to weather. There were a lot of people on board with connections, and some with int'l connections; as we were deplaning in concourse T there was a page: "The four people who are connecting to a Lagos flight - your plane is waiting in Concourse E."

My question: Why did Delta bring us into gate T-2 (the end of the concourse) when many Delta gates much closer to the terminal were empty? Bringing us in to the end of the concourse added insult to injury, so to speak, and either Delta held the Lagos plane longer than they needed to otherwise or those 4 people missed their plane.

Delta's answer and my puzzlement (re: Where is Delta posting on-time performance?)

Dear Customer Care,

Thanks for your reply but could you please detail out the steps to find the performance for a specific flight? I was unable to figure this out.

Thank you.

On 7/27/09, Customer Care <customer-care@delta.com> wrote:
> Dear Mr. Marcus,
>
> Thank you for contacting us through delta.com. We are sorry for the delay in responding to your message.
>
> There is a link to historical flight on-time performance on the Flight Schedule page. Below the flight schedule box, is a link for 'Historical Reliability Information'. This opens a government website with generic statistics for Delta and other airlines.
>
> We have forwarded your comments about making this information easier to find on delta.com. Thank you for your suggestion to improve delta.com
>
> Information about a specific flight can be obtained by contacting reservations. The agents have access to information about each flight in our booking system. Delta Connection carriers and new flights are not included. Please contact Northwest to obtain on-time performance
information for their flights.

Re: Where is Delta posting on-time performance? (KMM27049790I120L0KM)

Dear Mr. Marcus,

Thank you for contacting us through delta.com. We are sorry for the
delay in responding to your message.

There is a link to historical flight on-time performance on the Flight
Schedule page. Below the flight schedule box, is a link for 'Historical
Reliability Information'. This opens a government website with generic
statistics for Delta and other airlines.

We have forwarded your comments about making this information easier to
find on delta.com. Thank you for your suggestion to improve delta.com

Information about a specific flight can be obtained by contacting
reservations. The agents have access to information about each flight in
our booking system. Delta Connection carriers and new flights are not
included. Please contact Northwest to obtain on-time performance
information for their flights.

Delta Domestic: 800-221-1212
Delta International: 800-241-4141

Your selection of Delta is appreciated, and we will always do our best
to merit your confidence and support.

Sincerely,

Jessica Ryan
Medallion Desk
www.delta.com

Original Message Follows:
------------------------

Dear Delta Customer Care,

I went to check historical flight on-time performance information for an
upcoming flight by looking at your Flight Schedules page--and did not
see this information. Please let me know where Delta is posting
historical performance information by flight; this can be an important
part of the decision as to what flight to take when timely arrival is
important to a business traveler.

I am sure that I am just not seeing that information! As you know
Delta officially adopted your Delta Airlines Customer Commitement as
part of your Contract of Carriage and one of those commitments is to
"posting historical flight on-time performance information at Flight
Schedules".

Please <reply all>.

Thanks!

Dave Marcus
Skymiles 2002089965

A friend's lousy experiences with Delta...

A close friend writes:
"Following up on a much earlier conversation, how do I reach someone at Delta who might take the trouble to care about a HEAP of things that have gone wrong re: my flights to Kenya and Hawaii. Not getting credited for frequent flyer miles for the Amsterdam to Nairobi and back segments is pretty much the last straw in a range of problems including having no vegetarian food available (despite the presence of documentation otherwise) on several VERY long flights and being moved unceremoniously by a flight attendant from my assigned seat which, since the new seat had no power plug for my computer, no functioning sound system for movies, and no vegetarian food, made for a VERY long flight."

I've sent her the Customer Care email and executive office phone numbers and will post the responses she gets (if she shares them and is comfortable with me posting them).

Where is Delta posting on-time performance?

Dear Delta Customer Care,

I went to check historical flight on-time performance information for an upcoming flight by looking at your Flight Schedules page--and did not see this information.  Please let me know where Delta is posting historical performance information by flight; this can be an important part of the decision as to what flight to take when timely arrival is important to a business traveler.

I am sure that I am just not seeing that information!   As you know Delta officially adopted your Delta Airlines Customer Commitement as part of your Contract of Carriage and one of those commitments is to "posting historical flight on-time performance information at Flight Schedules".

Please <reply all>.

Thanks!

Dave Marcus
Skymiles 2002089965

Flight canceled mid-air, heads back to Charlotte - The Post and Courier

From the Charlotte Post and Courier: "A strange thing happened to a plane en route from Charlotte to Charleston on Wednesday night. Already beginning his final descent into the Lowcountry, the pilot on U.S. Airways Flight 3203 announced that he was turning around and heading back to Charlotte. Charleston International Airport, he told passengers as the clock ticked past midnight, had closed."

Flight 3203's inconvenient evening began with inclement weather in Charlotte, according to Carlo Bertolini, spokesman for Republic Airways, the carrier that operated the flight for U.S. Airways. Bertolini said lightning struck near Charlotte Douglas International Airport and delayed takeoff after the plane left the gate at around 10:30 p.m. The flight, which was scheduled to arrive in Charleston at 11:25 p.m., departed Charlotte at 11:43 p.m., he said.

"We thought we were going to be able to make it in time," Bertolini said. "In addition, we thought the tower might remain open a little later." Instead, only 50 miles outside of Charleston the pilot learned he would have to take the 66 passengers and four crew members back to Charlotte."

New Delta fee: pay at the airport and get charged $5 more

Delta Air Lines announced it is adding a $5 surcharge for paying for checked baggage fees at the airport instead of online. It goes into effect Aug. 4, and follows moves made by others like US Airways and United Airlines.

Relief in sight for on-board waits over 3 hours?

A Senate committee passed legislation today that would require U.S. airlines to let passengers get off planes that are stranded on the tarmac after three hours. For details see here. Delta is reported by Bloomberg as opposing the rule. Delta passengers might want to complain to Delta about that.

Perhaps Delta wants to hold the world record for longest involuntary confinement of passengers. Their current record as far as I can find is for Delta flight 1201 from Atlanta to Orlando which sat on the tarmac for 10 hours on January 16, 2008. (According to media reports, passengers were denied food, water or temperature controls and reported receiving misleading messages about prospective takeoff times. That last one I don't believe - misleading information about prospective takeoff times. Nah.)

Delta would need to extend their own record by a mere 31 minutes to break the world record, which now belongs to Jet Blue (I believe) for their 10 1/2 hours delay in January 2007 after snow at JFK.

Here's an interesting stat for Delta flyers. According to analysis done by www.flyersrights.org of the USDOT data on diverted commercial airline flights, Delta allowed you to deplane in this situation only about half the time. “If you believe DOT’s statistics, you might avoid American, American Eagle, United and Delta because according to the DOT’s numbers, those four airlines have alone been responsible for 1150 of 1181 instances where passengers were not allowed to deplane at a diverted airport”, said Kate Hanni, FlyersRights.org founder and executive director. Ms. Hanni’s was just one of dozens of flights that were diverted on December 29th, 2006. She and her family were stranded on an American Airlines flight on the airport tarmac in Austin, Texas for over nine hours without food, potable water and usable restrooms. According to the statistics, American Airlines did not allow passengers to deplane 61% of the time. The next closest airline was Delta with 47%. I have no idea why that is.

Mobile gadgets threaten in-flight entertainment

From Reuters: "Airlines around the world now spend millions of dollars annually upgrading their inflight entertainment systems, but iPods and other mobile entertainment gadgets could render all that useless.... with USB ports and a power socket increasingly common even for economy class passengers on carriers such as Singapore Airlines Ltd and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, the concept of in-flight entertainment could change..." Full article here.

(Virgin gave me as USB port on the back of the seat in front of me and noise-cancelling headphones. I could listen to my iPod (if I had one) through the noise-cancelling headphones or watch iPod video on the screen. Very cool.)

7kg limit and my poor little scissors

Things to ponder as my flight to LAX boards.

- 9 times out of 10 I leave my bag of liquids and gels in my carry-on as I go through security. TSA never notices. Voluntary self-declaration of potentially dangerous items without the technology to detect these items when people don't self-declare seems useless.

- Security in Turkey last week detected the very small pair of nail scissors that I've carried for years but said I could take them on. US security has never noticed them. AU security confiscated them.

- Shoes off the feet, in a bin in the UK. On the feet if they are sneakers in Turkey and AU. Out of the bin, on the belt if US (depending on airport, see UK for some airports). Who is providing the best security?

- and finally, Virgin Australia doesn't allow carry-ons of more than 15.4 pounds. They enforce on domestic--sometimes. No charge for checking the bag so what on earth is their rationale?

PS: Thanks to the woman who dumped my glass of apple juice all over me, pillow, and seat as she labored past with her huge floppy purse. I'm off to change my shirt.

Virgin Australia "Premier Economy"

Overall comfort: not there yet. It wasn't waterboarding but it wasn't a hot tub, either. HOWEVER - their promotional price matches Delta's coach fate so GO FOR IT (and screw the miles).

This class of service isn't economy by a long shot but isn't business either. From LAX -> Sydney, bottom line, it was 14 hours of moderate torture, not bad torture. Seat width - great; recline - good; video screen - great; noise canceling headphones - very nice (although mine had a broken plastic piece that kept scratching me); snack bar - totally over-rated, flight attendants - really great.

Sydney airport was awful - line to get out of customs was a good kilometer long. I had a two-hour connection and made it with 15 minutes to spare. Wasn't helped by waiting for Virgin's inter-terminal transfer bus for 35 minutes.

Fun on 777 #7106

Just had the pleasure of flying ATL->LAX on Delta's third-newest 777, #7106. Got to spend 10 minutes sitting in the cockpit talking to the captain and first officer. This is really an amazing plane - one engine (for I think $27 million) has the same amount of power on all the engines of a 747. It has a 25:1 glide ratio--if it lost all power at 35,000' it could glide about 175 miles if I am doing the math right. The captain was about #20 in seniority on Delta and had a quiet authority that made me feel I was in great hands.

I was upgraded to a 1st-class lie-flat seat. Very comfortable - except sitting up and lying down! No support for head and top of shoulder in the full upright position, and I think that sleeping on that thing folded all the way down would have been worse than not sleeping in an economy seat. It was hard, not all that flat, and not enough room to curl up at all. But hey -- it was a great seat compared to 44C and the seat controls were really clear, with good adjustable lumbar support and great lighting.

That plane continued on Sydney but I am now waiting for my Virgin Australia flight. For the same price as Delta economy, I got an economy plus seat on VA.

Delta's international strategy struggling

A good article on international ridership decline and route cuts at Delta.

Delta's international strategy struggling


There's nothing like a global recession to make the best-laid plans go awry. A little over a year ago, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines was on an international growth streak started in 2005, rapidly expanding with more flights to Africa, Europe and elsewhere around the world. . . .

Upgrades to Sydney

Last week tried to get an upgrade going LAX -> Sydney. Could get one for outbound travel on this Monday only (ok, not too unreasonable, only tried a couple of dates). Could not get a return upgrade [for miles or for certificate] until late August. Zero, zilch, nada. I wonder how long it took before they all disappeared?

Ended up flying Virgin ... we'll see how their Premier Economy feels. Delta will be partnering up with Virgin and in the future (at some point) we can get miles for these flights. They fly into Brisbane (and I don't know where else) in addition to Sydney.

A great response to July 7 problems

Every company has problems. In my opinion, how they respond is an important measure of the company and, when problems are isolated, the response defines how the consumer views the company as much as the problem itself defines the customers' attitude.

About a week ago I emailed Delta and let them know that I'd been delayed on an Atlanta to Detroit leg which caused me to miss my Detroit to Madison flight, that the several hours later flight I was put on had itself been delayed, and as I result I rolled into my hotel room at 2am instead 8pm -- and never got miles credited for the flight. This is Delta's response: she acknowledged the problem, apologized several times, and compensated me. Great response. This was a response far in excess of what I expected. Btw, bold emphasis is mine.

Dear Mr. ______,
RE: Case Number ______

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the service provided while traveling with us on July 7. On behalf of everyone at Delta Air Lines, I sincerely apologize for the numerous service failures you experienced.

I understand the frustration you experienced when your plans were disrupted due to the delay of our flight 1532 from Atlanta for mechanical reasons. I am truly sorry your travel was adversely affected.

I am also very sorry your flight from Detroit was delayed due to the late arrival of the aircraft. Many factors including unexpected maintenance or weather conditions occasionally force us to alter our timetable.

I am truly sorry for the mileage discrepancy you described and the resulting inconvenience you have been caused. ...

It is abundantly clear that your experience on July 7 was far from a shining moment in airline travel and far from the level of service you had every right to expect. We want to respond to any service problems with improvements---not excuses. Please know a formal complaint has been recorded on your behalf and your letter has been shared with the responsible leadership team.

As a gesture of goodwill for the numerous delays you experienced, I have issued an Electronic Transportation Credit (eTCV) in the amount of ...

Delays and a Snotty Flight Attendant

The flight wasn't that bad - delayed only by an hour or a bit more - but the flight attendant was infuriating. As we had been sitting near the gate for awhile, I asked her what our status was.

Flight attendant: What do you mean, status?
Me: How delayed are we? What's the reason?
FA: Haven't you ever flown out of JFK before?
Me: Yup.
FA, pointing nose in the air: Well then you know it takes awhile to get to the runway.
Me: So, what's our status? Maybe you could tell us instead of leaving us all just wondering what time we're getting home tonight?

That's all she had to say. Condenscension is not the best attitude for a flight attendant. Such a difference in the quality of personnel on domestic flights versus international!

It turned out that we were number 24 in line and that planes were leaving only every 5 minutes or something like that according to the captain, a jovial fellow who pointed out unusual cloud formations once we got going and also made sure we knew we could use cell phones while we were sitting. He was what the FA should have been. Happily things speeded up and we left only about an hour late.

PS - It was a cheap pleasure when, at the point the FA told me that they did NOT have my special meal, to be able to tell her "But I've flown out of JFK before. The other flight attendants had my meal. What's the difference?"

I later heard that she told the captain that there was a very upset passenger and he ought to check me out.