The RWT/DO Thank You thread
Jun 27, 2009, 5:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Huntsville, AL
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The RWT/DO Thank You thread
This is kind of a duplicate perhaps, but I sit here in the Hilton still kind of giddy over the past few days. I see some minor controversies over the event, and would like to at least put those aside to say a big Thank You to more people than I could possibly name. I hope the mods don't mind me starting a thread just for us to express our thanks and appreciation.
My most vivid impression is of the many Delta people we met. Every one glowed with happiness, enthusiasm, and pride about their company and their jobs.
Some few of us are fortunate enough to enjoy what we do for a living. These folks really love what they are doing. Makes for a heck of an impression, at least for me.
My second most vivid impression is floating around in the pool with 50 people in that raft.
I am depending on Delta to ensure I never have to do that for real! ^ (Plus DiverDave got to use his waterproof camera housing in the pool. 
)
We got to see and do so much, and so many people worked so hard to pull this off. I was lucky enough to just show up and enjoy the event. I was also lucky that some other FTers had to cancel and I was able to squeeze in!
There were our own FT organizers Steven and Brian, the many many Delta folks (both active and retired), the Atlanta airport firefighters, and Aircell.
Just too many folks and moments to list. I still think the funniest moment was Josh Weiss's slide that showed his kids wondering why Daddy's web site is so bad.
I will treasure the 767 model I won at the Delta Q&A session, and I will remember the Delta Museum visit when my Amex bill from the Museum store arrives.
And to top it all, I got to meet some fellow FTers and put faces to screen names. It is great to meet you folks in person. ^
My heartfelt thanks to all for a great 3 days.
Go ahead and put me first in line for the next one!
David H.
My most vivid impression is of the many Delta people we met. Every one glowed with happiness, enthusiasm, and pride about their company and their jobs.
Some few of us are fortunate enough to enjoy what we do for a living. These folks really love what they are doing. Makes for a heck of an impression, at least for me.My second most vivid impression is floating around in the pool with 50 people in that raft.
I am depending on Delta to ensure I never have to do that for real! ^ (Plus DiverDave got to use his waterproof camera housing in the pool. ) We got to see and do so much, and so many people worked so hard to pull this off. I was lucky enough to just show up and enjoy the event. I was also lucky that some other FTers had to cancel and I was able to squeeze in!
There were our own FT organizers Steven and Brian, the many many Delta folks (both active and retired), the Atlanta airport firefighters, and Aircell.
Just too many folks and moments to list. I still think the funniest moment was Josh Weiss's slide that showed his kids wondering why Daddy's web site is so bad.
I will treasure the 767 model I won at the Delta Q&A session, and I will remember the Delta Museum visit when my Amex bill from the Museum store arrives.
And to top it all, I got to meet some fellow FTers and put faces to screen names. It is great to meet you folks in person. ^
My heartfelt thanks to all for a great 3 days.
Go ahead and put me first in line for the next one!
David H.
Jun 27, 2009, 5:44 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Incredible weekend. Thank you to Steve and Canarsie, to all the amazing DL people, to the firemen and Sylvester (our bus driver). We haven't even had time to look in the gift bag from DL, we know that's great, and we'll wear our t-shirt with pride. Our certificates will get framed and hung up in our office.
^
Mrs. Gargoyle just opened the gift bag- how do we work the RW luggage tag- does it unscrew?
^
Mrs. Gargoyle just opened the gift bag- how do we work the RW luggage tag- does it unscrew?
Jun 27, 2009, 5:45 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Programs: DL Silver, UA Silver, Marriott Lifetime Silver, IHG Plat, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,695
I don't think I can say thank you any better than DiverDave, so I will just second the sentiments.
I will say an additional thank you to Delta for the DL/Amex co-branded luggage tags they gave to us. Those were very nice. And also thank you to our FT comrade who had the T-shirts made for us all!
However, I think the funniest moment was when Josh posted the FlyerTalk website he had snagged from the forum. Ouch, we don't mince words sometimes!
I also want to thank DiverDave for clarifying which aircraft model I won! I'm a chick who does not pay that much attention to that sort of thing, unless I want to know where the best seats are.
I will say an additional thank you to Delta for the DL/Amex co-branded luggage tags they gave to us. Those were very nice. And also thank you to our FT comrade who had the T-shirts made for us all!
However, I think the funniest moment was when Josh posted the FlyerTalk website he had snagged from the forum. Ouch, we don't mince words sometimes!
I also want to thank DiverDave for clarifying which aircraft model I won! I'm a chick who does not pay that much attention to that sort of thing, unless I want to know where the best seats are.
Jun 27, 2009, 7:37 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MCO
Programs: DL GM/2.7MM, Marriott Lifetime PL, SPG Lifetime PL,Hilton Gold, Natl Lifetime Exec Elite
Posts: 841
I had already posted this in the other thread but what the heck this event was so impressive it probably needed to be said twice, so here goes again with some slight modification:
A final thanks and a tip of the hat to atldlff & Canarsie for the great job in organizing this event. A special thanks to all the others that helped including our fantastic bus driver, Sylvester (did y'all know he is an avid RC modeler and has 4 planes, one that cost over $4,000, quite an interesting guy!). A last but not least thanks goes out to the many Delta employee we met on this trip. Remembering the tag line Delta used in the advertising quite a few years ago "We love to Fly and it Shows" is just as appropriate today as it was then. Every employee, even the ones we simply "ran into" on the tours, showed incredible enthusiasm. For me personally it meant that the front line employees we meet every day are simply the tip of the "iceberg". Finally I am sorry I could not make the RWT part but the good news is I was able to witness a very emotional reunion between my son, SPC Eric Mason (10th Mountain/Ft Drum), who recently returned from a deployment to Iraq and his 2 precious daughters. Hopefully I will be able to partake in Delta RWT Do II .
Safe return travels to everyone, it was great putting faces on the many posts I have read over the years.
Blake
A final thanks and a tip of the hat to atldlff & Canarsie for the great job in organizing this event. A special thanks to all the others that helped including our fantastic bus driver, Sylvester (did y'all know he is an avid RC modeler and has 4 planes, one that cost over $4,000, quite an interesting guy!). A last but not least thanks goes out to the many Delta employee we met on this trip. Remembering the tag line Delta used in the advertising quite a few years ago "We love to Fly and it Shows" is just as appropriate today as it was then. Every employee, even the ones we simply "ran into" on the tours, showed incredible enthusiasm. For me personally it meant that the front line employees we meet every day are simply the tip of the "iceberg". Finally I am sorry I could not make the RWT part but the good news is I was able to witness a very emotional reunion between my son, SPC Eric Mason (10th Mountain/Ft Drum), who recently returned from a deployment to Iraq and his 2 precious daughters. Hopefully I will be able to partake in Delta RWT Do II .
Safe return travels to everyone, it was great putting faces on the many posts I have read over the years.
Blake
Last edited by MM/PM widget; Jun 30, 2009 at 5:40 am
Jun 27, 2009, 8:08 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Huntsville, AL
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Posts: 7,859
or I could fess up that there is a label on the end of the box that identifies it as a 767-300! Safe travels to all.....!
David
Jun 27, 2009, 8:10 pm
#6
Moderator: GLBT Travelers & Hyatt Gold Passport
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: CVG
Posts: 15,300
A big thank you to atldlff & Canarsie for the organization & to DL and Aircell for their very generous hospitality. It was a truly memorable Do!!!!
Jun 27, 2009, 9:09 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Hopefully on a plane...
Posts: 6,580
Though it sounds repetitive, wanted to thank all of the FT-ers who made my first DO truly memorable.
I will say that there were too many highlights for me to mention here, I would say that working with everyone to collectively make our water ditching exercise work out was great, just wished that we'd done the teambuilding parts of the RWT on the first day, I think it'd have been a different group dynamic had that happened.
I will also treasure my gate pass obtained tonight though I am not willing to tell the story of that, there are others that must.
To the DL staff reading this (since I know y'all are here) thank you again for the wonderful hospitality, I've already told Steven that I'll be back next year whenever y'all can plan something else.
I will say that there were too many highlights for me to mention here, I would say that working with everyone to collectively make our water ditching exercise work out was great, just wished that we'd done the teambuilding parts of the RWT on the first day, I think it'd have been a different group dynamic had that happened.
I will also treasure my gate pass obtained tonight though I am not willing to tell the story of that, there are others that must.
To the DL staff reading this (since I know y'all are here) thank you again for the wonderful hospitality, I've already told Steven that I'll be back next year whenever y'all can plan something else.
Jun 27, 2009, 9:14 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Programs: DL Silver, UA Silver, Marriott Lifetime Silver, IHG Plat, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,695
I swear I looked all over the box, but perhaps I imbibed a little too much during the evening activities. LOL
Jun 27, 2009, 9:20 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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BTW, WBurcham, you performed especially in the raft, taking a command role directing the assembly of the canopy.
Remember CPR-
Collection (the canopy collects drinking water)
Protection (from the elements)
Reflection (the top reflects light, so it is easier for airplanes to spot)
Jun 27, 2009, 9:25 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Metro Detroit
Programs: DL Plat, NW Plat
Posts: 708
atldlff and Canarsie,
I know I thanked you in person, but wanted to acknowledge what you did in public. What you pulled off in 8 weeks was nothing short of incredible. I anticipated so much, but this weekend far exceeded my expectations. Thanks for your hard work and the huge effort you put in to make this happen for all of us. I think I can speak for many of us when I say that we've taken away an expanded appreciation for what it take to make air travel succeed, and most importantly the lasting memories of the wonderful people you've introduced us to.
To ALL of the Delta staff that we had the pleasure to interact with this weekend- you folks are just simply fantastic. I can't imagine walking into another company of this size, and having each and every person exude the warmth and love for their jobs like you all did-and always with a huge smile on your faces! . Your attitude is truly infectious. And your generosity of your time was well appreciated. (to add to a previous post about one of the DL staff coming in on her birthday- the RWT ended at 4:30 and Jerry (Gerry?) spent the next 2 1/2 hours taking some of us on a tour of things we missed).
It was a weekend that will not be forgotten.
I know I thanked you in person, but wanted to acknowledge what you did in public. What you pulled off in 8 weeks was nothing short of incredible. I anticipated so much, but this weekend far exceeded my expectations. Thanks for your hard work and the huge effort you put in to make this happen for all of us. I think I can speak for many of us when I say that we've taken away an expanded appreciation for what it take to make air travel succeed, and most importantly the lasting memories of the wonderful people you've introduced us to.
To ALL of the Delta staff that we had the pleasure to interact with this weekend- you folks are just simply fantastic. I can't imagine walking into another company of this size, and having each and every person exude the warmth and love for their jobs like you all did-and always with a huge smile on your faces! . Your attitude is truly infectious. And your generosity of your time was well appreciated. (to add to a previous post about one of the DL staff coming in on her birthday- the RWT ended at 4:30 and Jerry (Gerry?) spent the next 2 1/2 hours taking some of us on a tour of things we missed).
It was a weekend that will not be forgotten.
Jun 27, 2009, 9:55 pm
#11
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: Hilton HHonors, Delta SkyMiles, United OnePass, American AAdvantage, National Emerald Club
Posts: 7
Awesome time!
Thanks to all the FT organizers and the Delta crew. These were an incredible few days to meet great folks from the site and engage the Delta folks in an amazingly open and honest forum.
Jun 28, 2009, 8:16 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Atlanta
Programs: DL:PM - Reserve, 2MM, FC, RW; HH: SILVER MR: SILVER
Posts: 1,225
Thank you
I don’t seem to be able to make my posts short, and this one won’t break that tradition, but it certainly seems appropriate in this case.
It was my honor and a true pleasure to coordinate this event! It is hard to put into words how much I completely enjoyed this from the beginning to the end – and I am sure my brain is a little worn and frazzled around the edges now that we are at the end… so please bear with me, but I think it is essential to pause and give some thanks to so many for the last three days:
First and foremost - Thanks to the many outstanding people from Delta, as stated before, you are simply the best! No doubt that your love and pride for Delta and your roles in our experiences as passengers with Delta is clearly present! I have been talking about the great team of people I have worked with at Delta , since I began planning this event, and now every one of the FT members that attended can see why. We all now have a new found appreciation for the enormous scope of what really goes on behind the scenes to make Delta run 365 days a year, around the clock! I am still in awe of what you do and how you do it! I think I speak on behalf of everyone of the FT members that attended when I say, thank you, thank you, thank you, for going above and beyond, at every single venue we visited the last three days. I will be attempting to reach out to many of you over the next week to pass along our thanks individually. The once Delta slogan, “We Love to Fly and it Shows”… is so appropriate when I think about the many people we have all met over the last few days at Delta. You absolutely make me want to be a Delta employee too! Just tell me where to send my Resume (new addition).
Thank you to our sponsors Aircell, and the Delta SkyMiles program that made the evening portions of this event really fantastic. Not only were the dinners were both outstanding, but we had the distinct pleasure of your company at those social and fun events.
A HUGE thank you to the many FT volunteers, Flyin'Mom, scoow, ShopAround, bennos, WesNSpace, davakkar and atl runner that worked so hard to pull this event together. From registration, to transportation, to group leaders… you all pitched in without hesitation to make this event run flawlessly. Thank you Flyzabit for those great T-shirts. Your efforts to hand them out to the many Delta employees along the way were not only a great idea, but also greatly appreciated !!! Thank you to Sylvester our bus driver, who even joined us for dinner last night, told me that he had a great deal of fun with our group too!
Thank you to the staff at Fire and Rescue Station # 33 and # 40. What a terrific time we had!! You guys are incredible and were so accommodating and fun to be with. Watch for us waving from those Delta planes as we taxi by your stations! We will be back, and as I said in an earlier post – you might even have some FT members “camping” out your grass next to the runway.
A HUGE Thank you to the 63 FT members, who took their time away from their busy schedules and lives to all come together for this absolutely incredible event. We started as a collection of individuals, many of whom had never met, and by the end of the three days - we became a team. I am deeply honored to have met so many wonderful people over the last three days, and built a foundation of memories and new found friendships that I hope will continue to last for years. This was MY first FlyerTalk DO, so I didn’t really have a benchmark to go by, but the 3 days with all of you GREATLY exceeded even my highest expectations and I hope it did for you too!
Finally, thank you is too simple of a word to express my gratitude to Canarsie, who has been there to encourage me, support me and been a guiding light for what just a little over 2 months ago - seemed like such a formidable task.
While this was my first official DO, it certainly won’t be my last! We are already thinking and planning for the next event. We have the good list of lessons learned, and I love the enthusiasm and excitement that Canarsie has as we discussed everyday - what we would do next time, and trust me, there is a LONG list of ideas already! You will laugh at this, but when we were on the TOC tour, our group leader asked him, I know you guys already spend so much time on the planes, you think anyone would want to go inside?... he practically jumped up and said loudly in true FT fashion: YES... of course!
I SMILE when I think back on the last 3 days. Just know that I am fully on-board for doing this again. I know that I will be able to count of so many of you again, and when I reach my hand out, as I did today on that life raft, I will be pulling so many of you into that venture with me!
Good night, safe travels home, and until next time… stay tuned.
P.S. I want to know how many of you newly "Certified RWT" told your FAs on the way home, "I am your designated ABP"? For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about... you should attend the next Road Warrior training.
It was my honor and a true pleasure to coordinate this event! It is hard to put into words how much I completely enjoyed this from the beginning to the end – and I am sure my brain is a little worn and frazzled around the edges now that we are at the end… so please bear with me, but I think it is essential to pause and give some thanks to so many for the last three days:
First and foremost - Thanks to the many outstanding people from Delta, as stated before, you are simply the best! No doubt that your love and pride for Delta and your roles in our experiences as passengers with Delta is clearly present! I have been talking about the great team of people I have worked with at Delta , since I began planning this event, and now every one of the FT members that attended can see why. We all now have a new found appreciation for the enormous scope of what really goes on behind the scenes to make Delta run 365 days a year, around the clock! I am still in awe of what you do and how you do it! I think I speak on behalf of everyone of the FT members that attended when I say, thank you, thank you, thank you, for going above and beyond, at every single venue we visited the last three days. I will be attempting to reach out to many of you over the next week to pass along our thanks individually. The once Delta slogan, “We Love to Fly and it Shows”… is so appropriate when I think about the many people we have all met over the last few days at Delta. You absolutely make me want to be a Delta employee too! Just tell me where to send my Resume (new addition).
Thank you to our sponsors Aircell, and the Delta SkyMiles program that made the evening portions of this event really fantastic. Not only were the dinners were both outstanding, but we had the distinct pleasure of your company at those social and fun events.
A HUGE thank you to the many FT volunteers, Flyin'Mom, scoow, ShopAround, bennos, WesNSpace, davakkar and atl runner that worked so hard to pull this event together. From registration, to transportation, to group leaders… you all pitched in without hesitation to make this event run flawlessly. Thank you Flyzabit for those great T-shirts. Your efforts to hand them out to the many Delta employees along the way were not only a great idea, but also greatly appreciated !!! Thank you to Sylvester our bus driver, who even joined us for dinner last night, told me that he had a great deal of fun with our group too!
Thank you to the staff at Fire and Rescue Station # 33 and # 40. What a terrific time we had!! You guys are incredible and were so accommodating and fun to be with. Watch for us waving from those Delta planes as we taxi by your stations! We will be back, and as I said in an earlier post – you might even have some FT members “camping” out your grass next to the runway.
A HUGE Thank you to the 63 FT members, who took their time away from their busy schedules and lives to all come together for this absolutely incredible event. We started as a collection of individuals, many of whom had never met, and by the end of the three days - we became a team. I am deeply honored to have met so many wonderful people over the last three days, and built a foundation of memories and new found friendships that I hope will continue to last for years. This was MY first FlyerTalk DO, so I didn’t really have a benchmark to go by, but the 3 days with all of you GREATLY exceeded even my highest expectations and I hope it did for you too!
Finally, thank you is too simple of a word to express my gratitude to Canarsie, who has been there to encourage me, support me and been a guiding light for what just a little over 2 months ago - seemed like such a formidable task.
While this was my first official DO, it certainly won’t be my last! We are already thinking and planning for the next event. We have the good list of lessons learned, and I love the enthusiasm and excitement that Canarsie has as we discussed everyday - what we would do next time, and trust me, there is a LONG list of ideas already! You will laugh at this, but when we were on the TOC tour, our group leader asked him, I know you guys already spend so much time on the planes, you think anyone would want to go inside?... he practically jumped up and said loudly in true FT fashion: YES... of course!
I SMILE when I think back on the last 3 days. Just know that I am fully on-board for doing this again. I know that I will be able to count of so many of you again, and when I reach my hand out, as I did today on that life raft, I will be pulling so many of you into that venture with me!
Good night, safe travels home, and until next time… stay tuned.
P.S. I want to know how many of you newly "Certified RWT" told your FAs on the way home, "I am your designated ABP"? For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about... you should attend the next Road Warrior training.
Last edited by atldlff; Jun 29, 2009 at 5:47 pm Reason: Moved the thank you to this thread
Jun 28, 2009, 8:56 am
#13
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Northern Ireland
Programs: MR Lifetime Titanium, United Silver
Posts: 625
Ditto Ditto ditto. I too posted an abbreviated thank you in the other thread, and if started to list all the amazing things that happened I'd run out of space.
HUGE thanks to atldiff and canarsie and to all the Delta employees we encountered. The DL employees were so incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. I have so much more respect for the company now and it makes me want to patronize them more.
And it was totally badass to ride in the firetruck, slide down the slide, and jump in the water. Best. field. trip. ever.
HUGE thanks to atldiff and canarsie and to all the Delta employees we encountered. The DL employees were so incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. I have so much more respect for the company now and it makes me want to patronize them more.
And it was totally badass to ride in the firetruck, slide down the slide, and jump in the water. Best. field. trip. ever.
Jun 29, 2009, 6:54 pm
#14
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Mostly living in the basement
Programs: Newly minted free agent; MR LT(!)TE, HH SE, BA SECM, DL MM, UA PS, 2V Fanboi, CBP GE
Posts: 5,108
Thanks again to all involved! It's clear that the DL folks who hosted this event take great pride in their work, whether at the OCC, TOC, Training, delta.com, or the RWT-heavy return flights. That's always great to see.
Jun 29, 2009, 7:09 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: DL AA UA
Posts: 2,359
Thanks to everyone at DL. It is obvious that most there off of Virginia Ave. love their jobs. We were welcomed at every venue and I got the feeling that everyone there really wanted us to be there and enjoyed the interaction as much as we did. I can't really say it better than MemphisQueen which is also the way Mrs. ADLFO and I described it to our three elementary age kids: Best Field Trip Evar! Oh, and Mom, if you are reading this, thanks for watching the kids while we played.