Just to interject a personal question along the same line:

I was supposed to leave from YOW (Ottawa) Cananda yesterday 7:40 am (-30 to -40 DF or DC!) on a Delta Connection (ASA) 4595. A hydraulic pipe to the front wheel broke prior to take-off and the plane was dead in the water and we were returned to the terminal (whereafter the crew immediately took an air-Canada flight to get out as they obviously knew this was not going to be fixed quickly!). No information was given to us paxes, other than the plane was "delayed" even after the crew was gone!There was one station managaer who could work the computer and it took more than 4 hours to process all 40 passsengers. Some had cruises to catch (and missed!), some had other urgencies, some had been given a paper printout of being on the next DL flight out but when going toget their BC weretold there were no more seats. (I immediately called the Platinum desk and got rebooked on the only other YOW-ATL flight that day scheduled for 12:25 PM and rebooked to connect to SLC from ATL). That plane came, also had weather related problems and didn't leave until 2:40 PM. arrived in ATL 5:15 PM and by running like a mad-man from Concourse C (gate 29) to A (Gate 24)! I got to 709 for SLC 5:35 PM 5 minutes before door closure and made it home 7:50 PM instead of the scheduled 1:45 PM (But better than the next arrival at 9:30 PM)

No useful information what-so-ever was given in YOW. I had to call the automated flight info every 30 minutes to be kept updated un the fate of the second flight as there were so many more irrate people in front of me with bigger fish to fry that I didn't even bother to get in line. No food vouchers were given and little to do or buy in this little gate-area beyond the US border inspection.

I didn't ask for any compensation for this tedious travel, but given this thread, should I? with any expectation of results?

By the way, one of the Delta crew members said that CRJ's do not do well in very cold weather on the ground as they had ongoing problems on these Central Canadian routes during the Winter, which is a pitty as it seems that RJ's is all Delta fly to destination who's call letters start with a "Y".

[This message has been edited by Flying_Duck (edited Jan 11, 2004).]