SMessier
Dec 19, 00, 10:45 pm
Two weeks after a pretty good trip on NW on my way from STR to DCA, I was looking forward to sharing an equally positive experience this time around. Since that trip my account had been upgraded to Gold, and I had been able to upgrade 2 days early the DCA-DTW leg. [The SMessier scoring system is once again being employed.]
I arrive at DCA around 17h45 for my 18h40 departure, along with a suitcase full of copied articles and books – which meant that said suitcase weighed in at 81 pounds. The indifferent agent tells me that I have to remove things out of this monster and put them in a box so that the suitcase weighs less than 70 pounds…. Otherwise they “have to” charge me. In no mood to argue I proceed to remove some of my precious belongings. The agent mentions that since the suitcase was down on its side the reported weight is without a doubt much more than 81 pounds, and I should remove 30 pounds. (It is a tall suitcase). I ignore her, and after removing 15 pounds the suitcase weighs in at 68 pounds. She offers no comments on her blatantly incorrect advice. I ask for a window seat on the third leg of my trip (AMS-STR), and she promptly assigns me a middle seat. [Something I realized in AMS when I boarded the plane.] Before I can go she asks that I sign away all claims for damages to the box, since it is “unsuitable” packaging provided “only as a courtesy.” I refrain from saying that a courtesy would be letting my lone suitcase go over the weight limit – and before I can (finally) leave she asks that I climb behind the counter and put my suitcase (which is now slightly under regulation weight!) on the belt. [For undistinguished service and inability to assign a window seat: -2 points.]
At 18h30 I make my way to the gate and encounter a second employee that makes the first look amazingly friendly. She barely emits a sound when I ask how she is, and proceeds to ignore my second question. Many thanks lady: -1 point for you!
On board we are told that although they had asked us to board for a timely departure we’re not going anywhere until 19h because Detroit is experiencing (weather) delays and we must wait for clearance. I have visions of being stranded on this Airbus for several hours… The same gate agent who was such a charm to deal with comes over to close the door, something that takes her repeated attempts and several minutes. Nothing inspires confidence like that.
We manage to leave around 19h30, and service on board is (once again) excellent. [+2 points.] The snack is a turkey and bacon sandwich, which is the same thing I had two weeks ago on this flight [-1 point]. It looks like the turkey and bacon sandwich may become the NW equivalent to cigarman’s favorite CO dish, the tri-color pasta. We shall see…
In perpetually dirty and unpleasant DTW I make my way to the gate. I inquire about the oversold situation, given that in DCA I had been told the flight was oversold by 30. It’s not oversold at all it appears just sold out, so I kiss any chance of an operational upgrade goodbye. At 21h15 the crew is still waiting at the gate to get on the plane and I begin to wonder how we are supposed to depart on time as indicated on the monitors. There is one announcement about the delay (which I don’t hear), and the crew gets on at 21h26. At 21h40 they pre-board elites and WBC passengers. Just as I get on the plane the monitors are updated with our new departure time: 22h20. So much for the Customers First commitment of “promptly posting information on airport and gate display monitors.” [-2 points]
I settle into 12J and wait for our departure. In addition to the required de-icing however, there is a mechanical problem with one of the emergency slide down things, and we must wait for maintenance to run many checks before we can leave. We eventually depart at 23h45 – though I will give the cockpit crew credit for providing regular and honest updates on our situation. [+ 1 point.]
Meal service starts fairly quickly and they even manage to turn on the video program right after we reach our cruising altitude [+ 1 point], but before they distribute the headphones [-1 point]. Although it was late and I was too tired to care, the blasted audio channels are again functioning oddly: of the 12 channels I get the audio for the video program on 8 channels, and silence on the other 4. How nice, and -2 points. I mostly slept after the meal, except for the frequent interruptions by an assortment of screaming and crying children. When I did try to watch the movie, I was treated to audio full of static on which the various soundtracks tended to overlap, so that you heard both English and French. There is still no audio program… -1 point. Before landing we are offered the NW el cheapo snack of a muffin and yogurt on a cardboard plate, a long standing tradition that again will cost -1 point.
We land at 12h50 (90 minutes late) which is not so good for someone who has a 13h35 flight. At the gate I discover that the (bad word) overhead bin is stuck, and I have to exert enough pressure to end up with a bruised and bleeding thumb to open it. I ask for a band aid on the way out, only to receive a stack of napkins – this is all they have. (Am I supposed to believe there’s no first aid kit on board? -1 point!).
I cover half of AMS in record time and manage to have a quick cappuccino at the DC lounge, where my stay is so brief there’s no time even to scan my card. At the gate for the EW flight the agent cheerfully informs me that my luggage will not be on the plane and I should head straight to the lost luggage counter in STR. [For saving me some time in STR +1 point.] Aboard the plane continues a long tradition of friendly and attentive EW service (+2 points), though the snack is the same as 2 weeks earlier. (-1 point).
In STR I file my luggage report, and am not offered (but request) a toiletry kit, which the agent refers to as a “toilet kit.” I’m too tired (and too nice!) to laugh. I tell her I will pick up the luggage myself tonight, since she tells me my suitcase & box will be on the 17h00 flight. At 20h00 I am back at the airport to retrieve my belongings. The first thing I am told is “if we haven’t called you it’s not here yet.” The annoyed fellow nevertheless checks in the computer system. “Yes, it’s not here.” I (nicely) point to a black suitcase a few meters away and say “Well, I’m looking at one of them right over there.” He checks the tags and tells me that “this bag is definitely yours.” The famed NW box is next to it, and he does apologize for being so busy before I say anything else. For getting the luggage there the same day I will be generous and award +1 point.
Tallying up the points I get a grand total of –5 points. Besides my first segment in F, most everything and everyone NW related on this trip was just average or below average. I wish I could say otherwise, but this was one of those trips where the Elite mileage bonus was the one thing that gave the trip most of its redeeming value. The rest consisted of delays, inability even to assign me a window seat, a non properly functioning entertainment system, etc… Let’s hope KLM fares better next week.
I arrive at DCA around 17h45 for my 18h40 departure, along with a suitcase full of copied articles and books – which meant that said suitcase weighed in at 81 pounds. The indifferent agent tells me that I have to remove things out of this monster and put them in a box so that the suitcase weighs less than 70 pounds…. Otherwise they “have to” charge me. In no mood to argue I proceed to remove some of my precious belongings. The agent mentions that since the suitcase was down on its side the reported weight is without a doubt much more than 81 pounds, and I should remove 30 pounds. (It is a tall suitcase). I ignore her, and after removing 15 pounds the suitcase weighs in at 68 pounds. She offers no comments on her blatantly incorrect advice. I ask for a window seat on the third leg of my trip (AMS-STR), and she promptly assigns me a middle seat. [Something I realized in AMS when I boarded the plane.] Before I can go she asks that I sign away all claims for damages to the box, since it is “unsuitable” packaging provided “only as a courtesy.” I refrain from saying that a courtesy would be letting my lone suitcase go over the weight limit – and before I can (finally) leave she asks that I climb behind the counter and put my suitcase (which is now slightly under regulation weight!) on the belt. [For undistinguished service and inability to assign a window seat: -2 points.]
At 18h30 I make my way to the gate and encounter a second employee that makes the first look amazingly friendly. She barely emits a sound when I ask how she is, and proceeds to ignore my second question. Many thanks lady: -1 point for you!
On board we are told that although they had asked us to board for a timely departure we’re not going anywhere until 19h because Detroit is experiencing (weather) delays and we must wait for clearance. I have visions of being stranded on this Airbus for several hours… The same gate agent who was such a charm to deal with comes over to close the door, something that takes her repeated attempts and several minutes. Nothing inspires confidence like that.
We manage to leave around 19h30, and service on board is (once again) excellent. [+2 points.] The snack is a turkey and bacon sandwich, which is the same thing I had two weeks ago on this flight [-1 point]. It looks like the turkey and bacon sandwich may become the NW equivalent to cigarman’s favorite CO dish, the tri-color pasta. We shall see…
In perpetually dirty and unpleasant DTW I make my way to the gate. I inquire about the oversold situation, given that in DCA I had been told the flight was oversold by 30. It’s not oversold at all it appears just sold out, so I kiss any chance of an operational upgrade goodbye. At 21h15 the crew is still waiting at the gate to get on the plane and I begin to wonder how we are supposed to depart on time as indicated on the monitors. There is one announcement about the delay (which I don’t hear), and the crew gets on at 21h26. At 21h40 they pre-board elites and WBC passengers. Just as I get on the plane the monitors are updated with our new departure time: 22h20. So much for the Customers First commitment of “promptly posting information on airport and gate display monitors.” [-2 points]
I settle into 12J and wait for our departure. In addition to the required de-icing however, there is a mechanical problem with one of the emergency slide down things, and we must wait for maintenance to run many checks before we can leave. We eventually depart at 23h45 – though I will give the cockpit crew credit for providing regular and honest updates on our situation. [+ 1 point.]
Meal service starts fairly quickly and they even manage to turn on the video program right after we reach our cruising altitude [+ 1 point], but before they distribute the headphones [-1 point]. Although it was late and I was too tired to care, the blasted audio channels are again functioning oddly: of the 12 channels I get the audio for the video program on 8 channels, and silence on the other 4. How nice, and -2 points. I mostly slept after the meal, except for the frequent interruptions by an assortment of screaming and crying children. When I did try to watch the movie, I was treated to audio full of static on which the various soundtracks tended to overlap, so that you heard both English and French. There is still no audio program… -1 point. Before landing we are offered the NW el cheapo snack of a muffin and yogurt on a cardboard plate, a long standing tradition that again will cost -1 point.
We land at 12h50 (90 minutes late) which is not so good for someone who has a 13h35 flight. At the gate I discover that the (bad word) overhead bin is stuck, and I have to exert enough pressure to end up with a bruised and bleeding thumb to open it. I ask for a band aid on the way out, only to receive a stack of napkins – this is all they have. (Am I supposed to believe there’s no first aid kit on board? -1 point!).
I cover half of AMS in record time and manage to have a quick cappuccino at the DC lounge, where my stay is so brief there’s no time even to scan my card. At the gate for the EW flight the agent cheerfully informs me that my luggage will not be on the plane and I should head straight to the lost luggage counter in STR. [For saving me some time in STR +1 point.] Aboard the plane continues a long tradition of friendly and attentive EW service (+2 points), though the snack is the same as 2 weeks earlier. (-1 point).
In STR I file my luggage report, and am not offered (but request) a toiletry kit, which the agent refers to as a “toilet kit.” I’m too tired (and too nice!) to laugh. I tell her I will pick up the luggage myself tonight, since she tells me my suitcase & box will be on the 17h00 flight. At 20h00 I am back at the airport to retrieve my belongings. The first thing I am told is “if we haven’t called you it’s not here yet.” The annoyed fellow nevertheless checks in the computer system. “Yes, it’s not here.” I (nicely) point to a black suitcase a few meters away and say “Well, I’m looking at one of them right over there.” He checks the tags and tells me that “this bag is definitely yours.” The famed NW box is next to it, and he does apologize for being so busy before I say anything else. For getting the luggage there the same day I will be generous and award +1 point.
Tallying up the points I get a grand total of –5 points. Besides my first segment in F, most everything and everyone NW related on this trip was just average or below average. I wish I could say otherwise, but this was one of those trips where the Elite mileage bonus was the one thing that gave the trip most of its redeeming value. The rest consisted of delays, inability even to assign me a window seat, a non properly functioning entertainment system, etc… Let’s hope KLM fares better next week.