Delta Air Lines: SHRT LNS...WHTVR T TKS...I Don't Think So!
Written: Aug 23 '03 (Updated Mar 11 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good price, pretty clean, tv, legroom
Cons: old aircraft, late, horrible ground service, narrow seats, no food
The Bottom Line: Delta is a good choice if JetBlue, USAirways or Continental aren't available.
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| jetbluefan1's Full Review: Delta Air Lines |
We recently went to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for a week and five days. I had been there as a baby, but that’s something-something years ago that I’d rather not discuss. We decided to go there again – but this time – as grown-ups. The city is knows for a great beach and the warm weather. It’s also known for some of the greatest seafood in the U.S. So why not go to Ft. Lauderdale?
We used our Delta Skymiles to get our tickets. It cost us a total of 50,000 miles for both my wife and I to go. If we were to have bought the tickets, it would have cost $184. I was actually very surprised to find that they had Skymiles Awards seats available as it was a busy time to fly. But if you book in advance, miracles can happen!
Check-In
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:05pm from gate seven if I’m not mistaken. We left Astoria in Queens at 10:45 and got to LaGuardia at 11:00 (no traffic). We were dropped off at the “departure zone” and stepped inside the terminal as the curb-side check-in lines were very long.
The terminal that Delta operates out of is C. Delta Shuttle operates out of the Marine Terminal. So the space that Delta Shuttle used to occupy is now being used by Northwest Airlines. However, more space is needed for both airlines as the terminal is tiny. When we stepped inside, there were lines all over the place…the longest for Delta – of course.
We had an E-ticket, so we decided to use the Delta Kiosks which allow you to check-in without standing in line. It’s only available to Delta SkyMiles members. I put the credit card in the machine, but it wouldn’t let us both check-in. It only showed my name as my wife’s wasn’t listed. So we went to “kiosk assistance” which also had a line.
There was only one agent working in “kiosk assistance” while the other wasn’t doing anything. The line grew so long that I almost refused to wait in it. However, I did wait in it for about a half an hour. We never did get to the only agent who was working because he took ten minutes with each and every passenger. There was another agent in the “kiosk assistance” area, but he was busy talking to his Northwest Airlines sweetheart. Instead, we went to the “paper ticket check-in” so we could actually get some service.
We got in line and about ten minutes in, a passenger approached me and asked me where I was flying. I told her Florida. She told me that the line was “International Check-In” as a sign said. I’m an expert with airlines, and I know that Delta doesn’t fly international from LaGuardia – only with its code-share partner AeroMexico.
I was so confused on what to do that I just stood in line for another 45 minutes. When I was in the front of the line, I was called over by the next available agent. She worked for Song – Delta’s new subsidiary which replaced Delta Express. Song passengers check-in with Delta as Song doesn’t have a separate line. She was about mid-age and took a long time to check us in. She wasn’t friendly.
About five minutes into the check-in process (which is a long time to check-in), she told me that I would have to take out some of the items from my suitcases and put them in others. This was because they were overweight. Delta’s policy says that you can only have up to 60 lbs. of items per luggage. If there is no way to bring the weight lower, there is a charge for $25 per additional 60 lbs.
My wife and I figured out a way to spread out the weight by making our carry-ons heavier and carrying extra items that we didn’t need onto the plane. We asked if we could get seats together, and she told us that our seats were already confirmed and that we were on opposite parts of the plane. She didn’t even make an effort to get us seats together.
Security
Security screening is not handled by the airlines; it’s handled by the TSA. However, I feel it is an important part to this review as security has changed after the terrorist attacks and passengers should know what to expect before getting to the airport.
There was no line for security – weird. All the airports I have flown into after September 11th have had very tight security with long lines. Almost all American airports have now been taken over by the TSA which guarantees a higher safety rate.
We had to show our tickets to get into the gate area. This always comes before one goes through the security machines. The tickets must have your flight #, flight time and destination. Also, it must have the airline. Don’t even try fooling these people – they thoroughly look over the tickets before letting you in.
Going through the machines was a breeze. Adults have to take their shoes off, and everyone has to load electronics, purses, or other loose items in the trays which are provided right before the security check. The TSA members didn’t bother opening up my carry-on as there was only a CD player, book and magazine. These items are easy to specify by the TSA members.
The TSA staff members were very friendly. One wished us a great day and the others were always smiling. This always comforts me when the security personnel aren’t too serious.
Boarding
We had only ten minutes to use the bathroom, grab something to eat and to get to the gate. Boarding started at 12:35. A half an hour prior boarding procedure helps minimize delays and is more convenient if a carry-on item has to be checked and stowed in cargo. Also, the random security checks are done right before boarding, so the extra time is more of a necessity.
Delta boards starting with first class, Medallion members, and pre-boards those who may need more time to get on the plane. This includes handicap people, children traveling alone, and passengers flying with infants. Then they board from the back of the plane up to the front. The boarding procedure is done in intervals of three rows.
An announcement was…announced…if anyone was willing to sit in the emergency bulkhead rows – 25 and 26. I ran to the agent, but there was someone just a little bit faster than me that got it. Passengers who sit in the bulkhead must be 15 years or older, understand English, and be in physically good shape to help with emergency procedures.
While boarding our rows, I overheard a Delta gate agent screaming at a few passengers. They were trying to confirm there seats, but there were a lot of them. The agent screamed, “Okay, everyone move back right now. I’ll take care of you when I have the time! Just step away from the counter.”
This made me annoyed that an employee of a respected airline would yell at passengers. As a result of too many passengers trying to confirm seats, we sat in the aircraft for a long time before pushing back. We pushed back at 1:30 and taxied for five minutes. We made a pretty bumpy departure at 1:35 – a half an hour behind schedule.
Flight
Our flight was supposed to be operated by Delta Express. However, all of Delta Express’s airplanes have gone to Mojave to rot in the sun, and the soon-to-be Song aircraft was used for the route. This means that we were to fly on a regular Delta Boeing 757, operating as a Delta Express flight, but with Song Airways flight attendants.
Speaking of the flight attendants…they greeted us as we walked aboard, and one had a striking resemblance of Christena from “Who Wants To Mary My Dad.” But that’s besides the point…two out of four of the flight attendants were friendly, but they were all efficient enough to do their jobs well. They all maintained a professional look.
The aircraft was clean, but not spotless. However, the bathrooms were in good conditions as they smelled well and functioned well.
The seats in first class were coach and were 2x2…lucky them. I was stuck in coach with cloth seats and was in an arrangement of 3x3. Possibly all Boeing 757s have that seat arrangement. The seats were quite narrow but were comfortable enough for a 2hr 50m flight to Florida. I wouldn’t fly them cross-country. However, legroom was very good; my knees never touched the seat in front of me.
Sky Magazine is located in every seat back pocket. This magazine is from the Delta store which has various travel items. We also found a safety procedure booklet and a barf bag. The seat pockets were mainly used to stuff trash in for me.
Complimentary drinks were brought around once during the flight. All the usual…beer and wine was $4 while others charge less for beer. There was also tea which not many airlines provide. A mini water bottle is given to those who prefer water.
Unlike more efficient carriers like JetBlue, Delta drags around a cart which blocks the whole aisle – and the aisle is tiny. I had to ask for the full can, and the flight attendant hesitated. I was given a packet of exactly seven pretzels with my Coke. Food wasn’t available for purchase.
Surprisingly, there was entertainment. Unlike USAirways, Delta Air Lines provides tv entertainment for flights to Florida. The tv’s popped down from the ceiling about every four rows. The program on was called “Delta Horizons” which is the Delta channel. On it, we watched a re-run of Becker, music videos, ESPN and CNN. Headsets were distributed for free.
If one doesn’t want to watch tv, he or she can listen to one of the seven music stations which can be found when plugging the headphone jack into the armrest.
Arrival
Our flight arrived at precisely 4:23pm. This was exactly thirty minutes after our originally planned arrival of 3:53pm. When we arrived, we taxied off the runway and had to sit in the plane for 20 minutes because a delayed Song flight was using our gate. We got out of the plane at 4:45pm. The flight attendants decided to say goodbye to the first class passengers instead of us coach travelers.
Delta’s Ft. Lauderdale concourse made it easy for us to find the baggage claim, the restroom, and the car rental agencies which are located in each terminal. Our baggage came onto the carousel ten minutes after we got out of the plane.
NE Blackout
While we were in Florida, the Northeast suffered a major blackout. I heard about this and called Delta to make sure that our flight would still be operating out the next Thursday as originally planned. He said that it would still be operating and was on-time.
After discussing plans with my wife and having telephone conversations with our relatives back in Long Island, we decided that it wasn’t safe to fly into LaGuardia anymore and that we wanted to fly into Kennedy International Airport instead. We made this decision knowing that Delta was making to change penalties up to the 29th or August.
About five days after we discussed this, I called back Delta and asked if we could be switched to a Song flight going into JFK. I told her that we didn’t want to take any chances with LaGuardia, and the voice over the phone said that I would have to pay a $100 per ticket change fee and any change in the air fare. We argued for about five minutes that the policy showed that I could make a change for FREE without any penalties. She told me that if I had called earlier in the week, that would have been fine.
So I gave in – I paid $200 to cancel the Delta flight and another $150 per person to get on the Song flight. This was clearly for my wife’s safety and mine - $500 worth of safety, that is. So we did take the Song Airways flight out on the same day, just 35 minutes later and with a ten minute delay. But that’s another review.
Conclusion
Delta has recovered much from the terrorist attacks and continues to fly full loads of planes. It is one of the only major U.S carriers that has continued most of its routes and is able to balance out its cash flow. It also attracts many business passengers as their employers usually do pay for business class. I’ve heard only the best about Delta’s Business Elite.
Would I fly Delta again? Well, do I have a choice? As a frequent flier SkyMiles member, I know I’ll be flying Delta again. They fly anywhere you want to go, and their SkyTeam code share partners focus a lot of the smaller European, Asian and Australian markets. Delta also has many flight to South America and to European cities that many U.S airlines don’t fly into. This includes Athens, Greece and Venice, Italy.
The ground crew at LaGuardia was horrible. I have to say that. They were slowest, most unprofessional ground crew members that I have ever seen. It seemed like they were overwhelmed – though there were many of them – and that they had never been trained to be friendly.
However, the airline crew members were totally different. Though they didn’t deem to be too friendly, they were active in doing their jobs right and informing the passengers of the drink service, when we could use approved electronic devices, and of when we would arrive in Ft. Lauderdale.
Should you fly Delta? Sure. As long as you’re not flying out of LaGuardia (and I heard Atlanta is a mess), you’re likely to have a more professional ground staff. Delta does have reasonable prices and somewhat comfortable planes. If you do find a good fare and don’t have many options, Delta is a pretty good choice.
Update, March 11, 2005: I'll be flying Delta this upcoming Friday to Texas. My review will be updated to include my latest experience when I get back, so make sure to come back and visit!
Recommended:
Yes
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