This is a short story of my bad experience with Delta Airlines. This shows how Delta is trying their BEST to cheat their customers. I WILL NEVER FLY WITH DELTA AGAIN if you want to get the service you pay for I RECOMMEND AVOID DELTA AT ALL COST!!!
In December 08, I was flying to Turkey on 23 December. Among the alternatives, I have chosen Delta so that I could avoid the Paris airport congestion (had a delayed luggage experience before). Delta, instead, offered flying from Detroit to JFK and then with a direct flight to Istanbul. For Delta, I ended up paying almost 45% more for the fare so as to be able to avoid Europe transfer.
My flight to JFK was at 11am on 23 December and I received a phone alert from delta at 7am that day (I was about to leave the apartment at that time).
The message was stating "... Your flight time is rescheduled and your flight will depart at 10PM on 23 December". I got worried since my connection flight at JFK was at 4h30pm on 23 Dec - I was definitely missing that flight. So I called Delta to ask for the change in my connection. The response I received was that the Detroit-JFK flight time is rescheduled as 2pm - NOT 10PM. Hence I wouldn't miss my flight in JFK (as they said). I was relieved from my anxiety and went to the airport around 12.
The flight, which was rescheduled to depart at 2pm, left at 3h30pm and I eventually missed my connection flight from JFK.
At the JFK, I called Delta Customer service to ask about the next flight and they put me on a Rome flight the next day. Note that I was supposed to fly to Istanbul from JFK with a DIRECT FLIGHT and my fare was quoted for NO-CONNECTION, hence the Rome connection was Delta's another TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE example.
I spoke to the Delta staff at the airport so that they could put me in a direct flight and they said they cannot do anything - A BIG LIE. I told them what I should do until 24 December and asked them to fly me back to Detroit - they refused. When I told them they should COMPANSATE ME for the overnight layover, they BLAME THAT THE DELAYED FLIGHT WAS DUE TO WEATHER.
I was SHOCKED since there was not a weather issue that day and all other flights left Detroit airport on time. I then called the Detroit airport to confirm my suspicion and got the confirmation that the Delta flight was delayed because of its late arrival which was not caused by weather.
In essence, Delta was TRYING TO BLUNTLY CHEAT ME BY BLAMING THE WEATHER FOR THEIR FAULT AND LOAD THE LAYOVER EXPENSES OVER MY SHOULDER. I went back to the staff counter and after a lengthy argument got 1 night accommodation voucher and $7 meal voucher. Needless to say their choice of hotel is awful and $7 meal voucher is a joke.
Next day, 24 December, I went to the airport in the morning. My rescheduled flight to Rome was at 5pm. At about 2pm, I noticed that the Rome flight was delayed and will depart at 6h30pm. The problem was that I was not going to make the connection flight at Rome. Hence I called Delta customer service to ask them whether they could do anything about it. They said they KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE DELAY IGNORANCE IS A BLESS FOR DELTA.
I had to guide them to their partner's website (Alitalia) which they were able to book a ticket for but cannot know about the flight schedule changes. They said they cannot do anything about it, NEITHER KNEW WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN I GOT TO ROME AND MISSED THE FLIGHT. Delta is absolutely ignorant!!! They simply wanted to offload the passenger to Alitalia to deal with.
I told them that there is another Delta flight from JFK to Rome at 5pm and it is leaving on time so that I could catch my connection in Rome. The rep said the flight is full - I asked to be upgraded to business class so as to be able to make it on time. With a terrible attitude, the rep said Delta won't do it no matter that business class seat goes unfilled and that I was treated favorable by Delta by 1 night overlay compensation.
When I asked about my compensation for 1 DAY LOST VACATION, INCONVENIENCE IN HAVING TO SLEEP AT A RUNDOWN HOTEL, HAVING TO FLY WITH A CONNECTION INSTEAD OF DIRECT FLIGHT TO ISTANBUL, Delta was completely ignorant and didn't care. They just wanted to take the money and run away from responsibilities.
Lastly, when I went to the Alitalia counter for check-in around 3pm, the girl at the counter said that usually Delta DOES A TERRIBLE JOB IN RESCHEDULING THE LUGGAGES WHENEVER THERE IS A FLIGHT CHANGE and suggested me to check the scheduling of my lug gages. I called the 800 number of Delta for my luggages, I couldn't get through for 20 mins and had to go to their terminal (Alitalia's terminal is different than Delta). I asked about my luggage and they said it was scheduled to depart JFK on 28 December MY FLIGHT WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE ON 24TH DECEMBER!!! I asked my luggage and took them to Alitalia to check in with the same flight I am flying with.
Once I got to Rome, I missed my flight and gave Delta a call - AS YOU GUESSED THEY SAID IT IS ALITALIA I SHOULD BE DEALING WITH - WHAT A SERVICE!!! I eventually made out of Rome early in the morning and had to sleep in the airport.
The moral of this experience is AVOID DELTA, DON'T PRESUME THAT YOU'LL GET ANY DECENT SERVICE OR COMPASSION FROM DELTA NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO WITH YOU ONCE THEY GET YOUR MONEY. I have been telling this story to everyone I know and one of the leading comments is that this complaint wouldn't change Delta and they would operate as they do now. I disagree. We could teach these companies TO TREAT CUSTOMER WITH DIGNITY, PROVIDE THE SERVICES PAID FOR OR COMPANSATE WHENEVER THERE ARE INCONVENIENCES.
Examples are there Air France upgraded me to business class in the past in a similar situation, KLM gives voucher for overnight layovers caused by their fault (not just a lame hotel and $7 meal after trying to cheat by blaming on the weather). Others such as Japan Airlines, Virgin and Southwest are all great in how they treat their customers. I so regret that Northwest, after being taken over by Delta, will become like them in the near future. I just hope they won't become like them.
AHMET
detroit, Michigan
U.S.A.
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