DCAproducer

After years of traveling DL I had one of my most frustrating experiences with DL on Sunday. I was scheduled to fly STL-JFK-DCA, getting into DC around 5pm.

At first everything seemed ok. We boarded on time. I was one of five people in F, two of which were crew. We took off on time.

However, about 10 minutes into the flight I noticed the FA in the front had yet to get up and when I looked out the window we were still fairly low. The FA at the back of the aircraft got on the PA and said we had to return to the airport due to a mechanical problem. A few minutes later he got back on and said our landing gear failed to retract and that was why we were going back. He also added the captain was confident the gear was down and locked. So we turned around.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/G...547Z/KSTL/KSTL

We landed going in nose down, instead of a typical flared landing. The pilots didn't use the breaks, we just rolled until we slowed down. There were fire trucks, but we were able to taxi to the gate just fine without help.

When we got to the gate the pilot told the FA to deplane. I guess we were also sitting low on the nose gear. The jet bridge came over and the gate agent came on board. She told us to stay put. When the captain came out of the cockpit he asked why we hadn't deplaned yet. This frustrated the gate agent and she reluctantly let us off the plane.

I knew immediately I wouldn't make my JFK connection even if they fixed the problem so I got on the phone with the medallion line as I was walking back into the terminal. They were super helpful, but as she was about to rebook me she told me the airport took control of my itinerary and put me on a nonstop AA flight to DCA.

I questioned this several times and the agent on the phone told me that I was confirmed and rush to AA to get a boarding pass. At STL this requires me to leave security and go to the main ticket counter. I saw the AA flight show up on the DL app, I just couldn't get a boarding pass.

I go to AA and wait in their huge line. I notice the AA flight is gone from the app so I call DL while I'm waiting in line. The medallion desk tells me they don't see any AA flight and that I had been rebooked to LGA and then to US to fly to DCA getting in around 10pm. Since the airport was still in my itinerary I go to the DL counter and go to the SkyPriority line and wait for help. No agents come over to help. They just had agents checking kiosk bags. Since there was a line at bag drop I called DL a third time.

This time the agent on the phone who told me she would sort it all out and take care of the change for me. It took her 35 minutes and she said "global" had to take back my itinerary from the airport and rebuild my reservation.

Long story short I ended up on STL-DTW-DCA getting into DC around 930p.
The only thing the phone agent couldn't do was move my bags. She had be go to the ticket counter and have them move them.

So I get to DC and of course, no bags. Tracking showed them on the flight to JFK, but nowhere else. They never came off the plane. It turns out two of the three bags went with me to DTW, but never went on the DC flight. The third bag was still in STL.

DL had a courier deliver them today and the one bag that got held up in STL was destroyed. It looked like they had dragged it behind a baggage cart and then run it over a few times. Thankfully the contents were just clothes and are mostly intact.

Bottom line, STL staff was unhelpful through the entire process and even made it difficult for the Medallion line to help me. I've had flight changes before and I've never had this type of problem.

On an odd note, I missed PreCheck for my original flight, but got it when I was rebooked and had to go back through security. Guy ahead of me had a seat for his cello. His cello's boarding pass got PreCheck, but not him! The TSA was baffled, but ended up making him go to the normal line.

DCAproducer

Odd side note.

I got MQM, Mileage and MQD credit for the entire STL-JFK flight in addition to STL-DTW and DTW-DCA.

LexPassenger

First off, congrats you're okay.

Second, congrats the two bags came through. My experience is that Delta will compensate you fairly and quickly for the third one.

Third, what a great story! I hope you can keep telling it for years!

Delta Corp should also know of the incompetence in St.Louis.

I am pleased you got the correct safety response to the gear problem.

Flying is less and less an adventure. We should be grateful.

hockeystl

Sorry to hear about your experience in STL. There's been a LOT of new hires at this station (including yet another station manager) in recent months.

Not sure of days off but during the afternoon, and evenings, I always look for redcoats Winnie or Val if a situation needs escalating. They're both excellent and have always resolved the issues.

Regarding PreCheck, it seems the smurfs have reduced the % of time that DL Medallions get it if they do not have a KTN. As a result, I begrudgingly coughed up the $85 fee last month and have batted 100% since.

SCEflyer

Not entirely accurate. My FO wife refuses to pay the $85 to get a KTN. However, she gets Pre-Check over 80 percent of the time, most recently last week.

hockeystl

Entirely accurate for me. I don't want to hijack the OP thread but the reduction in PreChk % for most Medallions is a recent development...just in the past few month. It's still likely that a Medallion WILL receive PreChk but the % is down from what it used to be. If your wife is 80% in the past month then you're saying 4 of 5? That's a lot of flying for a FO in one month

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...eck-fails.html

DCAproducer

My experience with DL has been mixed at STL. I think the main issue is just lack of staff and once you are in A, getting a gate agent to help you can be tough.

DL's ticket counter still beat AA, where there was one agent helping both their regular line and priority customers. A second agent was cleaning his keyboard with a paperclip.

I was also shocked how full the flights were yesterday. EVERY ATL flight was overbooked, an early DTW flight and CVG flight were also booked up. It seemed like the CRJ700/900's did the bulk of the AM flying and the mainline planes took over in the afternoon. (I was in A from about 11a-4pm)

fpmurphy

STL-ATL flights are nearly always overbooked in the mornings and fully booked in the afternoons based on my experience over the last few months. I do not like Delta at STL. Slow service at the check-in desk if you have to check luggage. Poor facilities at the gate. Shortage of staff at gate. The Bongo wifi is dreadful. Funny, STL has some of the most pleasant TSA agents I have come across.

DCAproducer

With US now out of A, DL does have some room for more flights if they want them. I think LAX would be successful. I was surprised how many aircraft they brought into the few gates they have and they turn them fairly fast.

They definitely need more staff. There is nowhere to get help past security other than at the gate and agents are few and far between.

I agree on the TSA agents. They always seem to be very pleasant. Odd.
Plus, when you use the first class lane they don't give you attitude like at some other airports.