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"New" Delta Still Blames "Old" Weather
It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend with a group of dear friends in Maine. It sure didn't start out that way...
On Friday afternoon, we get to JFK airport to be told by a Delta representative that our flight was canceled.
"The weather," says the rep as if that answers everything.
"The weather? Why don't you just wait for the weather to get better rather than canceling?" I say.
"I don't know. It's the pilot's decision," she says.
"It seems odd. It is gorgeous in New York, Boston and Maine," I say.
"Sorry. The computer says the weather is bad." Says the rep. She was done with us. No offer to put us on a different flight, compensate us, nothing.
Well, if the computer says the weather is bad, then it must be bad. Still, something tells me that "the computer" also finds it convenient to cancel flights and then blame the weather to avoid having to compensate travelers. This is not the first time Delta has been accused of doing this.
I will spare you the details of our adventurous trip up to Maine but I will mention that they finally put us on an alternative flight to Boston instead (somehow, the weather for that flight was OK) and a shuttle from there to Portland, ME. Needless to say, the weather was great throughout this entire trip.
I was shocked how poorly Delta treated us. They basically kept saying "Well, it's the weather, there is nothing we can do." I know for a fact that there are things they can do. So can I. Never flying Delta again is step one. (Unless, of course, I get a personal apology letter from Delta's CEO, like Bruce Nussbaum from Business Week did. Yeah, right.)
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Emily Aug 8th 2007 9:29AM
Sorry about your experience. It sounds terrible! I realize there are enough anecdotes—good and (mostly) bad—for all of the airlines, but I have to defend Delta, if only because they've treated me and my family so well in the past few years. For what it's worth, my "anecdotal" evidence is here. All airlines are susceptible to bad practices, some more than others. In my experience—and I've flown with them frequently—Delta has been great.
Ken Aug 9th 2007 2:06AM
Sorry about your bad experience. I fly quite often so I will try and explain...often if there is weather in the northeast or anywhere for that matter, it is best to thin the flights out by canceling a few...true the weather may be cleared up by the time your new flight leaves but the earlier one was canceled due to the weather/ATC in the surrounding area. You think no other airline does that? HAHA..newsflash....they all do. And what makes you so important that you need an apology letter for weather...that's right...nothing!
Jane B. Aug 8th 2007 9:28PM
I had a similar experience last week. I dropped friends off at the Newburgh NY airport for their Delta flight home. They didn't see the flight listed on departures and called Delta, only to be told it was cancelled (perfectly fine day, mid-afternoon.) After rousting a ticket agent, they were told nothing could be done and they could sleep in the airport...this to two women in their sixties.
This didn't go over well and eventually they were booked on a flight out of La Guardia and given cab vouchers. All may be well that ends well, but they complained to me about the exceptionally rude and indifferent treatment they got from Delta. However, I'll recommend Bob's Taxi's and Joe the Jamaican driver if your're ever stuck in Newburgh. He took care of their incomplete paperwork, calmed them down and saw them off to NYC just fine.
Lisa Aug 12th 2007 8:23PM
No one ever seems to think about what the weather is like on the arrival end. Right? Oftentimes the FAA will thin out flights to prevent a pile up of planes and hours spent on a tarmac waiting for gates. If lighting is within 3 miles of an airport all operations shut down for safety. Do passengers really want to hear what conditions are like in the air. NO. So a short reply of "weather" is standard.
Andrea Oct 2nd 2007 7:46AM
I had a similar experience with Delta trying to get from Maine to Salt Lake City in late July. My flight from Maine to JFK was delayed 4+ hours on a beautiful sunny day with no known bad weather anywhere in the country, yet it was blamed on "weather" and "air traffic control." We missed our connection in JFK and were told rudely that there was nothing Delta could do. We had to pay for a one-way flight to Utah on another airline. So far my complaint letter requesting a refund for my unused ticket has been unanswered. Add me to the list of those who will never fly Delta again. Yes, other airlines cancel flights, but I have not encountered other airline personnel as rude and unresponsive.
unger Oct 4th 2007 11:36AM
Yes I have my 'Delta' moments too! A cancelled flight plus a 2nd flight one day after the cancelled flight which took off 6 hrs after scheduled. Under EU regs (which all passengers flying in Europe should know about) outline specific penalties for cancelled and the delayed flights. Delta says that this was an 'unexpected' event (there was a bad part on the plane) and therefore no restitution is appropriate. What Delta does address beyond the awful service, incomplete info and downright lies offered by there people, is that in response to their knowing there was a bad part they flew in a wrong part (and btw why don't they stock replacement parts wherever they fly?) and then upon discovering that it was the wrong part they then flew in a 3rd part which did not work! After 3 parts and 7 hrs in the airport the flight was cancelled. The flight we were then put on departed 6 hrs late. Now after telling me in one eMail and one letter ...'no way we are not responsible', noone will even respond to an eMail or a message left on a specifis voice mail machine. Well I'll never fly them again. It's now 2 months later and if necessary I will take them to small claims cout. Enough is enough.