STBCypriot

I thought I'd share a very positive experience that I recently had with DL on international travel during the delays due to the closure of European airspace when the volcano in Iceland created all kinds of havoc. I have written Richard Anderson about this positive experience, including mentioning by name the many DL employees who made this delay quite bearable.

I was scheduled to fly MLB-ATL-MSP-CDG-SOF on 19 April. I was in constant contact with DL to verify that the MSP-CDG flight was a go. It was when I got to MLB at 5:30am. The MLB-ATL flight was overbooked, so I took a bump, armed with the info that there was a MCO-MSP flight that would get me to MSP in plenty of time to get on the CDG flight. DL sent me via airport shuttle from MLB to MCO, and I got on the MCO-MSP flight (upgraded); at this time the MSP-CDG flight was still a go. Got to MSP 3 hours later and the flight to CDG was cancelled.

First time in MSP, so I found the SkyClub and asked for assistance. An agent there said the soonest she could rebook me was 26 April (a week later) . Since I was not going on vacation (I work in Bulgaria), I asked if she could do better and she suggested I call the DM line. Meanwhile she booked me on flights back to MLB - no sense staying in MSP for a week, when I had a home in MLB to stay at - and she gave me some meal vouchers . The DM line agent was able to rebook me on ATL-CDG on 20 April (the next day) ^ . I didn't have much time to sort anything else out, so I went to the gate and asked the gate agent what I should do about my checked luggage. She told me she could not help me and that she didn't understand why they had sent me to MSP in the first place . I said that the flight to CDG was still on schedule when I left MCO - she was a bit annoyed that DL was sending people to MSP when the international flight was eventually cancelled. She was the only person in my whole experience that was the slightest bit unpleasant. I understand where she was coming from but I also understood that DL needed to get people to their international flights as long as the flights were still on schedule.

I got on the MSP-ATL flight (again upgraded ) and when I got to ATL I went to the SkyClub to see if I needed to do anything about my luggage and ask if I could just spend the night in ATL rather than go back to MLB and turn around and come back to ATL the next morning. I was fully expecting to pay for the hotel myself. She said sure and gave me a hotel room voucher (a nice hotel!) and some meal vouchers ^. I was extremely pleasantly surprised.

On 20 April, I checked again on the flight to CDG. It was a go, so I went to the airport about 3 hours early knowing that there could be problems. The agent sorted everything out, confirmed my checked luggage had arrived in ATL from MSP, and activated me on the BE upgrade waitlist (I had very little hopes of getting an upgrade - I did have a confirmed upgrade on the cancelled 19 April flight and was traveling on an M fare). I went to One Flew South and had a nice lunch (thank you very much DL) and then went to the SkyClub. Went to the gate a little early to see if my upgrade came through (I was #1 on the list) and as I was standing in line to check, the gate agent paged me - I had an upgrade! The flight left for CDG pretty much on schedule - it was the first DL flight to CDG out ATL since the whole volcano ash thing started. I was a happy camper!

Got to CDG, checked the monitors, and the flight to SOF (DL codeshare on AF) was on schedule. Got in line at the transfer desk and waited about 40 minutes to see an agent. The agent told me that the flight was cancelled. I asked to be put on a later flight and she told me those flights would be cancelled too. I was a bit confused because the monitors showed the flight on schedule, leaving in 2 hours . I asked where I could speak to a DL rep and where the lounge was (hoping to get a shower as I expected that I would be camping in CDG that night). I went through passport control to the departure area to find a DL rep. CDG check-in was chaos and when I asked for info on where to go to get info I got bounced back and forth between counters. I finally found a SkyTeam info counter with a relatively short line. After about 10 minutes, I got to the agent and asked her about the flight to SOF. She said it was NOT cancelled, gave me a boarding pass and off I went through security and passport control again. A quick stop at the AF lounge for a croissant and a cappucino and I was off to SOF. And the final miracle - my checked luggage arrived in SOF with me!

I have to say that DL treated me like Royalty. :-: This was a HUGE turnaround from what happened to me due to a mechanical delay in JFK late last year (coming in from SOF). Cancellation of the international flights was DL's fault, yet they provided me with a hotel and meal vouchers and got me and my luggage to my final destination with only a 1-day delay. Just about everyone I dealt with was extremely pleasant, understanding, and accomodating. This is what customer service should be and all I can say is Thank you very much DL and keep up the good work.

DLItaly

+1
also for me DL make a great job in bringing me at home.

lhahne

Nice that everything work for you. I think that the difference to your last time was mostly because your flight was going into EU so Delta's only options were to provide meals and hotels or risk getting sanctions or sued in the EU.

TravellingMan

Glad to note that someone had a positive treatment from Delta.

I had one of the worst experiences in my travel life with Delta in the past week. I was transferred to various departments within Delta where every agent simply wanted to transfer me to someone else instead of sorting it out. I sent an email to Delta and that took 2 days to respond and asked me to call the Diamond Medallion line to sort it out. Making it a full circle.

With the tools one has in terms of availability and rules, it was not too hard to find that I got lied to by every one of the Delta agents that I came across. I have just decided to move on and find another airline/alliance to build my loyalty with.

STBCypriot

I don't think that's it. Because once I got to CDG and they told me that the flight to SOF was cancelled, they also specifically told me I was on my own for a hotel (not that I expected to find one in Paris due the chaos). I think the difference was that I was now DM (as opposed to PM, but DM didn't exist during my last IRROP) and because I really believe thta DL is improving their customer service.

zsmith2

EU rules do not apply when you are in the states and a US based airline.

lhahne

Ok. I checked and think you are right. The rules would have applied if it would had been a DL flight departing from the EU or an EU airline departing from the states to the EU. Another good reason to choose an EU based carrier ...

socrates

As to be expected with something as large of a problem as this was...some folks get terrific service and others no so much....I'd recommend the OP use TTU to give kudos to those that assisted along the way - it's through positive (and negative) responses that DL is able to tell how things are going in the field

DiverDave

True. I expect they would have applied in Paris.

David

FlyingUnderTheRadar

Nice to hear a positive ... probably cause you have the right attitude and went with the flow.

FlyfromLAS

Considering the chaos I was very happy with the service. I did repeatedly call the DM desk to follow up on availability. Was scheduled for 17 Apr MAN-LAS (cancelled), then rescheduled for 21 Apr (cancelled), then 27 Apr (!) but they found seats for myself and a colleague on 24 Apr. When I got to ATL midpoint on DL65 they upgraded me as well. Obviously all experiences were not good, but considering the disarray across the pond for that period I was happy enough with the service. I also sent them an email telling them so.

TheMadBrewer

I was schedule to go LAX-DTW-FRA on Friday, April 16. Got to LAX and flight was canceled. Earliest out was Tuesday April 20. The trip was mainly pleasure but there was a meeting on the 21st that it would be nice to attend (not critical) so I could still make it. Called the Plat Line because I wanted to extend my trip by the 4 days I'd lost. No problem, was booked LAX-JFK-FRA and back the same way. Turned out I was booked in J on JFK-FRA for the outbound!

After a nervous weekend watching flights canceled, got to the airport way early. Yep, everything was going, all was good, etc. etc. Got upgraded -- all was well with the world.

Landed at JFK turn on my iPhone and there was an email from TripIt saying JFK-FRA had been canceled Went to the skyclub -- looked like it was probably going to be a couple days before they could get me out. So I went back to LA on the same plane I came in on. Since I was re-booked in Y I was first on the upgrade list -- at least it was a different seat

I missed my meeting, not the end of the world. I spent the day in BE, got a couple of meals, a bunch of drinks and 7500 MQM for free. Oh, and when I rebooked by flight for the end of May, it turns out it was $120 cheaper than my original so I got a refund -- just enough to pay for the pre-paid train tickets.

The lady in the JFK Skyclub (I'm not even sure which terminal I was in) was so helpful in trying to get me out and then get me home, I gave her one of my "Good Job" certs.

Not as complex as the OP, but this was my first DL IRROPS and I was happy with the way I was treated. Didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes when calling, as well.

UPDATE: It turns out I got 25K bonus miles as well for the LAX/SFO-JFK promotion. I had forgotten about that -- I tend to register for everything because you never know... and this time it paid off

gogreyhound

You cant possibly be right. There has to be somebody with another foam-at-the-mouth rant that has nothing to do with the volcano IRROPS.

itsaboutthejourney

Nice to hear such great stories! Let's hope this is the start of something big.