In some fairness, I will say that all airlines seem to be shirking their responsibilities to their paying customers. At these exorbitant prices we pay we deserve the very best and very rarely get it. I don't really care how nice the attendants are... If I am not on the flight I was scheduled or excessively delayed... That airline has failed to provide decent service.
My experience was this past weekend flying back from NYC, JFK to Indianapolis. I was forced to book a connection flight as there were no direct flights (like the one I took out to NY). The first plane was 1 and half hours late arriving to JFK due to "air traffic". My connection in Washington only allowed an hour differential so there was no way I would make it. The delta service rep and I discussed this at length and it was I who had to press the issue and force delta to find me a later connection. The rep called over his supervisor who after what seemed much to do about nothing determined the next flight was one on Northwest... A partner of Delta's mind you. Yet I was told I could not be ticketed by Delta for that flight and would have to wait until I arrived at Washington Reagan and would have to go to the US Airways counter (my original connecting flight) and they would have to change my itinerary and ticket me for Northwest. I found this to be very dubious but they insisted US Airways had control.
To compound things my first, Delta flight did not board until 45 minutes after they said they would so overall the plane took off 2 and a half hours past the original schedule. Hmmmm... Is that worth paying 400 dollars?
Needless to say, I got to Reagan airport where I found that US Airways and Northwest were literally on opposite ends of the airport. I followed the Delta attendants instructions... Got to the US counter only for them to deny they had any control over being able to ticket me for Northwest and that either Delta had to do it or Northwest but that in the system it did seem I was at least reserved for the Northwest flight... However, they said, if I didn't "happen" to be able to get a boarding pass for Northwest I would be sure to get a connecting flight with US airways for 2 hours later. This of course would bring my entire day to taking 10 hours to get home which should normally be a 1 and a half hour direct flight.
After hiking across the entire airport... I got to Northwest counter who also denied being able to ticket me and get "control" of my itinerary.By now my patience was very very thin... My bullhorns came out and suddenly, my pushiness resulted in the service rep making a phone call to someone a few strokes of the keyboard and poof... They were able to ticket me... Amazing after all that fuss (which included them telling me maybe I should just buy a ticket from them directly to get around everything and get reimbursed from delta later... Yeah right).
Then of course, because I missed my original connection (um, due to Delta's tardiness remember)... I get the good fortune to have my Northwest boarding pass to be tagged so I can be frisked and searched at the gate.
All in all a really wonderful experience. NOT.
The thing that gets me the most is that it seems pretty straightforward to me that Delta could have just ticketed me onto Northwest (their partner) in the first place.
Of course, the fact that the airlines constantly find ways to make customers suffer even further for their own shortcomings (like being late and I get searched)... Really burns me. Why kind of racket is this? Any other business is obligated to provide the best customer service possible and the customer is always in the right (I happened to be told by the Delta rep they do not have to provide any compensation for any monetary inconvenience I suffer as a result of air traffic or weather... I find the first one especially obscene).
My favourite part of this whole experience... The flight attendants telling the passengers... Please sit back and relax and enjoy the flight. Can I get some fries with my plate of irony? Oh, wait... They don't serve food anymore either... Well... Unless you want to pay more that is.
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