This service veteran had mistakenly wandered into the check-in desk at the old MSP Crown Room (C14), thinking he could get help with a re-ticketing issue. He's got an Army ball cap on with lots of gold braids on the brim (I know there's a term for that, but what is it?) ... Delta rep asks "Sir, do you have Medallion status?" No. "Do you have a Delta American Express card?" Uh, no. Several other probing questions, then "Sir, you're in the wrong place, this is a private club, and these agents can't help you, you'll have to go to your gate to get assistance."
I step up and say "I'd like to host this gentleman and have him be my guest here in the Sky Club, and that way, the agents can give him a hand". She says "No, we really don't like to do that, we strongly discourage that, you'd have to stay with him at all times, and our policy blah blah blah ..." and by this time the fellow had sheepishly made his way out the front door.
I gotta say I was pretty steamed. I wandered around the SC for a bit, then came back to the desk and we went toe to toe. She eventually conceded she can't really keep me from inviting (any) guest into the SC and should have handled things differently. This was a truly epic failure and a crappy way to handle the situation, especially on Veteran's Day. Oh, the irony. And yes, it was lost on her.
I'm a defender of Delta staffers, for the most part, but this one baffled me.
I am a vet and currently serving. Just because the person wore a hat and the braiding suggests they were mid grade officer or higher, it's still just a hat...not proof of the person's service.
Was the DL staff unnecessarily rude? That could be something to address. I saw the JFK SC staff say the same to an AF FFer last night who did not meet the requirements for entry.
As a service member, DL has taken good care of my family and I when needed due to deployments and other military requirements.
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This service veteran had mistakenly wandered into the check-in desk at the old MSP Crown Room (C14), thinking he could get help with a re-ticketing issue. He's got an Army ball cap on with lots of gold braids on the brim (I know there's a term for that, but what is it?) ... Delta rep asks "Sir, do you have Medallion status?" No. "Do you have a Delta American Express card?" Uh, no. Several other probing questions, then "Sir, you're in the wrong place, this is a private club, and these agents can't help you, you'll have to go to your gate to get assistance."
I step up and say "I'd like to host this gentleman and have him be my guest here in the Sky Club, and that way, the agents can give him a hand". She says "No, we really don't like to do that, we strongly discourage that, you'd have to stay with him at all times, and our policy blah blah blah ..." and by this time the fellow had sheepishly made his way out the front door.
I gotta say I was pretty steamed. I wandered around the SC for a bit, then came back to the desk and we went toe to toe. She eventually conceded she can't really keep me from inviting (any) guest into the SC and should have handled things differently. This was a truly epic failure and a crappy way to handle the situation, especially on Veteran's Day. Oh, the irony. And yes, it was lost on her.
I'm a defender of Delta staffers, for the most part, but this one baffled me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by patriciamartin1954
This service veteran had mistakenly wandered into the check-in desk at the old MSP Crown Room (C14), thinking he could get help with a re-ticketing issue. He's got an Army ball cap on with lots of gold braids on the brim (I know there's a term for that, but what is it?) ... Delta rep asks "Sir, do you have Medallion status?" No. "Do you have a Delta American Express card?" Uh, no. Several other probing questions, then "Sir, you're in the wrong place, this is a private club, and these agents can't help you, you'll have to go to your gate to get assistance."
I step up and say "I'd like to host this gentleman and have him be my guest here in the Sky Club, and that way, the agents can give him a hand". She says "No, we really don't like to do that, we strongly discourage that, you'd have to stay with him at all times, and our policy blah blah blah ..." and by this time the fellow had sheepishly made his way out the front door.
I gotta say I was pretty steamed. I wandered around the SC for a bit, then came back to the desk and we went toe to toe. She eventually conceded she can't really keep me from inviting (any) guest into the SC and should have handled things differently. This was a truly epic failure and a crappy way to handle the situation, especially on Veteran's Day. Oh, the irony. And yes, it was lost on her.
I'm a defender of Delta staffers, for the most part, but this one baffled me.
Sorry, I'm going to call Shena on this coincidental Veterans Day event. Why would a SC staff say "Do you have Medallion Status"? Except for Diamond that has nothing to do with the Sky Club. Also, I agree with rwoman's post that a hat does not make you a veteran. And I have witnessed nothing but excellent service from DL to members (current and past) of our Armed Forces.
Second, MSP as a decent Armed Services Lounge (which I think should be in even more airports than MSP, DTW, ANC..etc). Although there's no ticketing support there, I feel like maybe the OP felt like posting a "look what I did today" post...sorry if you beat me up for saying that.
Last edited by FlyingDL4Fun; Nov 13, 12 at 7:01 am..
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I'm surprised that the lounge dragon wasn't Minnesota nice but MSP has never been an airport where GAs traditionally give a lot of upgrades to people in uniform because they're in the military IME. I only noticed it happen once in all the flights I've taken from MSP, although this might also be because most flights have enough elites to fill FC.
By the Armed Forces Lounge at MSP, do you mean the USO on the mezzanine level overlooking the check in counters? If so, it's land side and using it would require re-clearing TSA security.
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I'm surprised that the lounge dragon wasn't Minnesota nice but MSP has never been an airport where GAs traditionally give a lot of upgrades to people in uniform because they're in the military IME. I only noticed it happen once in all the flights I've taken from MSP, although this might also be because most flights have enough elites to fill FC.
By the Armed Forces Lounge at MSP, do you mean the USO on the mezzanine level overlooking the check in counters? If so, it's land side and using it would require re-clearing TSA security.
Years ago in the dim ages NWA made much it's money hauling troops. Armed Forces folks were not likely a novelty for NWA staffers and perhaps that culture continues to this date. In any case, I do find the MSP folks to be, in general, very friendly and very helpful. It is my home base and I see them frequently but it seems to me they treat everyone well. (BTW I am a vet - Fly Navy! - but I'm sure nobody at MSP knows.)
Sorry, I'm going to call Shena on this coincidental Veterans Day event. Why would a SC staff say "Do you have Medallion Status"? Except for Diamond that has nothing to do with the Sky Club. Also, I agree with rwoman's post that a hat does not make you a veteran. And I have witnessed nothing but excellent service from DL to members (current and past) of our Armed Forces.
Second, MSP as a decent Armed Services Lounge (which I think should be in even more airports than MSP, DTW, ANC..etc). Although there's no ticketing support there, I feel like maybe the OP felt like posting a "look what I did today" post...sorry if you beat me up for saying that.
The guy was in there by mistake. The agent (with my offer) had a chance to handle things with some finesse. She didn't. End of story.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rwoman
I am a vet and currently serving. Just because the person wore a hat and the braiding suggests they were mid grade officer or higher, it's still just a hat...not proof of the person's service.
Was the DL staff unnecessarily rude? That could be something to address. I saw the JFK SC staff say the same to an AF FFer last night who did not meet the requirements for entry.
As a service member, DL has taken good care of my family and I when needed due to deployments and other military requirements.
I'm active duty as well (and also grew up in a military family) and have to say DL has been pretty good at taking care of me and my family when my parents were serving and they continue to take good care of me (and my fiance) when we travel now. Let's not forget this is the same DL that just dedicated an aircraft to Veterans last week. DL also runs a military lounge in ATL in Concourse B (staffed by DL employees volunteering their time) during the Christmas holiday season. DL was the first airline to offer a gate pass for my then girlfriend so she could spend a little extra time at the gate with me before I flew home. I wasn't even deploying. I was just visiting her and she was dropping me off at the airport. Check-in agent saw my Air Force jacket and offered a gate pass.
**Side note: AA is also very good when it comes to taking care of the troops.
Second side note for AA: AA is offering 15 miles per $1 donation to the USO through AA.com through Nov. 14th in honor of Veterans' Day. You can also buy $50 AA gift cards where AA will donate $5 to the USO for each donation.
To the OP, thanks for offering to sponsor the gentleman into the SkyClub. A very kind gesture on your part. But I would not hold anything against the SC agent. We didn't sign up for any extra perks and we should not expect them, but we do appreciate when someone extends a sign of gratitude.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingDL4Fun
Second, MSP as a decent Armed Services Lounge (which I think should be in even more airports than MSP, DTW, ANC..etc).
Many airports do have a military lounge. Some are official USOs while others are courtesy lounges run by the airport or by one of the airlines. At some airports, these USOs are landslide so getting to them requires leaving and reclearing security, while other USOs are airside which is very convenient when in transit. DFW has a great one in Concourse B that's airside (and another smaller one in D). The "Bob Hope USO" at LAX is great, but it's landside, near the "Encounter" restaurant. DTW doesn't have an official USO but does have a military lounge somewhere in the terminal (I hear the announcements for it all the time). CVG has a military lounge in the B Concourse down the east wing of the terminal.
If this happened any other day would you have stepped in?
Actually, the Veteran's Day connection didn't occur to me right away ... only after the fellow left did the irony occur to me, that the agent missed such a great opportunity to help out a veteran...
Was the fail because she didn't help the man at first or because she didn't initially let you sponsor the man?
My complaint is that when I asked her to let me sponsor the gentleman, she said no, and had three or four reasons why that couldn't be allowed....and her reasons were not valid. I paid cash for my SC membership, having only attained DM status in the last couple weeks (where SC membership is gratis),and if I want to invite Attila the Hun as my guest, so be it...in my opinion, it's not up to the agent.
To the OP, thanks for offering to sponsor the gentleman into the SkyClub. A very kind gesture on your part. But I would not hold anything against the SC agent. We didn't sign up for any extra perks and we should not expect them, but we do appreciate when someone extends a sign of gratitude. :
Thank you for your kind words..... but I do hold the SC staff accountable when the solution was so stinkin' simple ... the fellow in question had no expectations, but really, how simple it would have been to accommodate him and honor him (and his service) at the same time. That's all I'm saying....
