At the The 2010 Second Annual Delta Air Lines FlyerTalk Event we will have a 4 hour and 45 minute wide open Q&A session with DL Execs, followed by a dinner with some of those Execs (where we can continue the discussion one-on-one).

I think we need to focus on the most important issues first, and so to clarify them and prepare ourselves. I'd like to use this thread to zero in on the items that are of greatest importance. If we can structure our thoughts and define our key points and arguments, we will be able to get the most out of this opportunity.

I'm making a separate thread so that these ideas can be collected in one place, and not lost in the hundreds of other threads here in the DL forum. It is very easy for us to get off topic, or to mix trivia with significance such that the hierarchy of issues and quality of discussion gets confused.

Keep in mind that this thread will also give DL a chance to prepare their answers, so if you have serious paranoia, or think you have some blockbuster surprise question which will knock them off their seats, you may want to sit out this thread.

I'm after simple, clear questions, and rational supporting arguments; the drama can stay in the main thread. Remember K.I.S.S. - we need to articulate out points and be prepared to properly support them.

updated Oct. 20, 2010

TOPICS

1. SKY MILES
2. SECURITY
3. CUSTOMER SERVICE
4. OPERATIONS
5. MARKETING
6. SECURITY
7. AIRCRAFT
8. SKY CLUB
9. NON-US BASED CUSTOMERS
10. MISCELLANEOUS

SKY MILES

1. The vast majority of us are not well served by the current SWU's. We have posted many options for fixing them. Please give us specifics of your plans to improve or modify the SWU's.
2. Is the phantom upgrade program coming back? When? If not, why not?
3. The award calendar.... you've had 18 months to fix it. Please tell us outright, do you actually plan to fix it or has revenue management decided that it needs to remain broken?
4. Does DL plan to address the fact that PMNW customers have been particularly hard hit (but really everyone has) by a sharp increase in cost of awards AND reduction in availability of awards? Or is inflation (SkyPesos) just a fact of life now that we're part of the DL family?
5. Now that Diamond level has been added, will Delta be adjusting the 'complimentary' status levels awarded to those who have attained various levels of Million Miler? Silver Status is so marginal now that its not really 'goal worthy' anymore, and the jump from 2MM to 4MM is so large as to disincentivize it.
6. Also, there was a well received (on FT) proposal that MM status be made more meaningful by starting each year with a certain amount of MQMs (the suggestion was 25,000). What are your feelings about boosting the significance of long-term loyalty? Along the same lines, Air France has a policy that if one makes Platinum status 10 consecutive years, they will be considered Platinum for life, another way of rewarding long-term loyalty of the customer. Any chance at looking at an idea like this?
7. Can we do something better than 3 hours with same day confirmed. How about same day or 12 hours like other carriers have? Conversely, what is the rationale for the three-hour deadline for DMs to request companion upgrades?
8. Also, how about allowing one lower than GM companion to also SDC if on the same PNR without charging the $50 fee?
9. How about eliminating the archaic rule of no SDC on the domestic portion of international itins? We can usually get a good agent to do this for us, but it should be allowed by rule.
10. How about a SDC for international flights that are solely on DL metal?
11. Delta's award availability has been a subject of much contention. The general consensus is that the award seats are released much closer to departure date vs. having availability further out in advance (traditional 330 day out). This makes it very difficult for travelers trying to plan anything with their award miles. Is there any consideration for inventory management to do something about this? It in incredibly frustrating when the only award availability in the entire year is for the next few weeks.
12.What's the deal with the BUMP (Bring Us More Passengers) program that Northwest used to offer?
I've heard lots of conflicting information about this - some ex-Northwest agents are still willing to perform a BUMP, while most PMDL agents are not. I've had some awkward moments at ticket counters that can be summed up as "you want me to do what with your ticket?", and it would be nice to get an official word on whether this is still a valid program.
If Delta is moving forward with BUMP, please bring all agents up to speed in it so that it is a consistent, predictable experience for your frequent fliers.
13.As SkyTeam continues to grow, will there ever be a comprehensive award chart encompassing travel not involving the 48 mainland US states? Most airlines around the world publish such a chart, including many of Delta's SkyTeam partners. Being based outside the US, it is hard to justify accruing Skymiles when there is no way of determining the price to redeem them. The absence of such a chart implies that either (i) Delta is afraid to publish the rates for fear of exposing their medium and high tier redemption levels, (ii) it is actively trying to prevent redemption on partner airlines, or (iii) it does not value non-US Skymiles members as much.
14. There has been a general feeling that the perks offered at the Diamond level are not exceptional, causing many to deliberately hold short. There have been many suggestions to make the DM level more worthwhile. These include a more generous SDC policy, a higher bonus mileage, the ability to rollover all MQMs after 75,000 even if one hit DM level, the use of SWUs at lower fare buckets on international flights etc. What are your thoughts about boosting the perks offered to DMs without detracting from the PM level?
15. Will Delta be making any premium awards available again (specifically, international first class on 3-class airlines, like the old Singapore Airlines awards, the old Emirates awards, the old Air France FC awards and so on)? If so, when can we expect to see the expanded award options?
16. I would like a definitive answer on the "should I board if I am number one on the upgrade list (with theoretically no seats available but not all FC boarded yet), and if I board am I removed from the upgrade list?" I am sure the participants in the "Walk a Mile in a GA Shoes" will probably have first hand experience on this.
17. How does the upgrade process run at t24? Are your chances the same if you check in or will the system skip checked in pax. Rumors have circulated that if V inventory opens and you have checked in, you will not get the seat until the gate lotto begins.
18. Why is MM status or Sky Club Membership not used in the upgrade lottery when certain AMX membership is used? Sky Club membership is around $400, and AMX reserve is $450. Delta gets 100% of the $400 for Sky Club membership, but I doubt they get 100%of the AMX fee.
19. Copy what Continental does in regards to policing that the upgrade policy is followed 100% by gate agents (particularly in ATL)! I for one do not have much confidence that the policy is being followed when the upgrade is left to "The Gate Lottery". It is all about the upgrades, at least for me, and if I am supposed to get it then I want it. I do not expect it if it is not supposed to go to me. It really is that simple, and should be more transparent.
20. Recently when purchasing close in tickets on TATL routes I am finding KLUT, Y & B fares but no M. In addition, over the Thanksgiving holiday I appears to be much cheaper than M. Why not make M available so I can use my SWU? Why not float the M fare when I fares are decreased?
21. Is there any hope that spikes in M fares will stop?
22. Is it possible to put M fares using SWUs on a waitlist when Z inventory is not available at time of purchase for KLM segments in and out of AMS? (Note, I never purchase an international M without confirmed BE on DL metal.)
23. Could you revisit the requirement levels for segment qualifiers? It's been demonstrating through multiple threads that most of the time, segment qualifiers spend a good chunk more to reach each level than mid to long haul fliers.
24. I would prefer to pay for an international ticket to earn miles but would like to upgrade with miles....perhaps a sliding scale of $/miles not just $3000/80,000
miles to Europe. Will this ever be possible?
25. What's in the future for SkyMiles?
26. When will one-way awards at one-way (not round-trip) redemption levels be available? In a recent interview with Brett Snyder (Cranky Flier), Jeff Robertson was quoted as saying "There's no reason we haven't done one-ways. It's just not at the top of the priority list." Why not? Delta is at a clear competitive disadvantage here to AA/CO/UA and most international airlines.
27. When might the expected roll-out of PerkChoice return? That was the NW way of selecting half of a RT as an award and the other one way as a revenue ticket??? The revenue ticket earned miles and both were eligible for UG in your window.
28. If a flier happens to need to buy an extra seat (for size reasons), can that purchaser have MQMs for that extra seat??
29. Would DL consider extra FC award inventory for Medallions like they do for Y (and like NW did)?
30. Would DL consider some sort of fee structure (perhaps paid with SkyMiles) to allow Medallions to upgrade intl fares below M if they can't be competitive with competitors SWU?
31. Is there any major change coming to how Medallion status is earned?
32. Most companies are unable to measure accurately the customers that "balk." That is, the line at McDonald's is too long, so you leave. In DL's case, they have a lost a lot of former loyal fliers because of their uncompetitive SWU's (and the award-level hyperinflation). Why does Delta by its actions seem to think this is insignificant? In my case, my air travel business level is the same as it was last year, when DL/NW got all of it. Now I've given half of my business to *A. It would have been all of it if I had started redirecting my business at the start of 2010 rather than the middle.
33. Since DL recognizes UA/CO, and AA as its primary competitors, how can they justify keeping the least competitive SWU's vis-a-vis the fact that Jeff R admits that the #1 elite request is more competitive SWU's. It only stands to reason that eventually they would lose business over it. I doubt that DL is right and UA, CO, and AA are all collectively wrong.
34. Are the "Have one on us" coupons, offered when not getting upgraded, random? They seem to be offered on a hit or miss basis.
35. Why this indifference to Medallion passengers from Delta agents? The most common answer is KLMsque "No sir, that will not be possible"
36. When can I expect you to stop charging $20 telephone booking fee for Diamond Medallion members?
37. Job Well Done Certificates--can we get more than the three we get, or is there some way to order more once you have used up your three?
Perhaps some number could be given for every 25,000 miles above 75,000. I'd also be willing to pay a nominal amount of money or miles to have a few more to use.
Also, it would be great if these could be electronic so that one could print out one or two before a trip for GAs and FAs and so that one could easily read the number from the computer to a DM line agent on the phone without fumbling for the paper.
The current certs are only for PM/DM. Why not make a version of them available at ticket counters, gates, SC's, etc so all passengers will have access to them and reward DL's best?
38. At the ATL/DO- for just a few minutes, please sit down with a laptop with wifi connection- and try to book an award ticket. Please tell us about your experience, as a green value suddenly becomes unavailable.
39. How about having Theresa Wise show the audience how to book a revenue ticket on DL.COM? Doesn't have to be anything complicated (like an overseas itinerary that involves a SkyTeam partner) but perhaps a domestic routing with a stop or two.
If DeltaMatic doesn't choke on that formidable task, then the show-stopper can be having DL's CIO book an international award ticket at a low redemption level. I'm sure that this technical sleight of hand will bring the crowd to their feet, for she will have performed something that few mortals are able to replicate. (And remember, if it doesn't work she can always recover by calling the Diamond Line for help)
40. Is the new "Total Mileage Since Enrollment" field in the SkyMiles account (formerly tracked by NW) a pre-cursor to using lifetime RDM in calculating status / loyalty? AA AAdvantage works that way, with rewards at every MM.
41. UA has Global Services, AA has Concierge Key. Does DL have any level above DM? Quite a number of DM's choose to fly two programs, or burn miles after 125k because of a percieved lack of incentive to book more revenue tickets.
42. Is there a plan (and timeline) to fix the SkyMiles awards on KE so that the blackout dates used by DL correctly reflect the route-specific blackout dates announced by KE?
43. Since the introduction of the four-tier system, FO's are increasingly feeling marginalized. Many of them are quite loyal to DL and have great future potential as customers, but they don't get access to priority lines, and in many other ways are made to feel like they are just general members.


SECURITY

1. The TSA is alienating your customers without actually providing real security. More and more people are avoiding flying because of the disgusting indignity of the "security" procedures. The TSA has become a major threat to the financial viability of airlines. Will DL stand up to the TSA, tell them to treat your customers with respect, and eliminate the nude-o-scopes, gropes, and rudeness?
2. The TSA does not work and now has a 9-year track record of failure. Yet every time the TSA drums up a new way to turn passengers, who are your customers, into criminals, Delta goes along with it silently and willingly. When will Delta stick up for their customers?



CUSTOMER SERVICE

1. Who made the decision to take away access to an honored, and much-loved group of agents (Chisholm) from top customers and now send them to much-less helpful, less informed and less empowered agents in SLC? Also, what became of the Seattle call center? On the surface it's a bad decision, but maybe there were other factors...what were you thinking?
2. Why can't DMs opt to route calls to Chisholm? Why can't the recording estimate wait time and ask if we want the next available agent or if we prefer to be queued for a dedicated DM agent? In fact, why can't DMs have a specific person assigned if they want someone for concierge-like treatment or to handle problems and complicated situations? (This is what I expected for the Diamond VIP line privileges.)
3. Quality of service on the Elite lines needs improving. Yes, the SLC folks are very nice, but they seem tethered at the neck when it comes to creative problem solving or going above and beyond. I have had to call three times and demand a supervisor on the last try to get a quote for changing a return flight (the previous two transferred me, and I waited on hold 30 minutes). That really should not be the spirit in which DL deals with its Elites. The Elite agents need to be empowered to think creatively, and assured they won't be disciplined for doing so. I am sure fear is a factor right now.
4. I would like clarification of the "no 50 seaters on flights longer than 60 minutes" announcement made last year.
5. I know there are plans to "refresh" the facilities at JFK. Are there any plans to "refresh" the staff?
6. I've noticed that DL has created some perverse and counterproductive incentives for elite line agents. In particular, many seem to make up answers to questions when they don't know (and will be penalized for the time spend trying to find out), they refuse to spend the time needed (i.e., for complicated and expensive paid tickets as well as award tickets) with DL's best customers, and at times if rudeness doesn't work, they just hang up. This results in additional calls, more time spent explaining the problem again, etc., as well as lost business when customers simply take their travel needs to other carriers. Is Delta planning to analyze this from a cost-benefit perspective or to revisit their training and incentives, as well as hiring criteria, for elite call center agents?
7. FEBO or not to FEBO? Choose a strategy and go with it, every flight.
8. Is upper management aware that obtaining a legitimate ticket refund (a canceled flight, for example) can take many weeks and even periodically requires intervention of the credit card company to make progress?
9. Are the mojitos and margaritas coming back??
10. Is it true you will send an int'l flight out with empty seats in J and M+ fare customers in the back as Z space was never opened?
11. Would it really be so difficult to send an clear email to a passenger when you identify a change affecting our flights and implement this on a consistent basis? You have this information already so where is the harm in letting us know as soon as there is a change rather than us finding out about it only if we happen to be checking our itineraries?
12. Can your flight attendants be given lessons in gentility and manners? For example, two female passengers being addressed as, "You guys" never works but happens constantly on Delta. That is not way for a service person to address a customer.
13. Can you address the observation that Delta's domestic first-class product is uncompetitive. The catering is low-class (I mean, a bag of potato chips?) and your competitors offer meals even on flights mid-afternoon or after 8:00pm when Delta gives nothing. Your competitors will offer a choice of hot meals on flights where Delta gives nothing or just a cold sandwich.
14. Are there any plans to improve the quality and variety of snacks available in the snack basket to better differentiate first class from coach? And why not cater fresh fruit with all snack basket-equipped flights (i.e., do away with the 250 and 1500 mile minimums for fruit on non-meal and meal flights, respectively).
15. Is it feasible to automatically import our contact information from our SM account for each itinerary?
I primarily book through corporate travel website; however itineraries show up just fine on DL.com. None of them, however, have any contact info preloaded (despite being correctly associated with my SM#). Therefore each one prompts me to enter my contact info so that they can let me know of schedule changes. I got annoyed with entering it every time; so now I just am never alerted!
16. Can you improve the education of DL food service and their contracted caterers that non-dairy vegetarian means just that; non-dairy. Both my daughter and I have received meals that were requested in advance, labeled as such, and yet contained dairy and in two meals only discovered after the initial consumption. Once is excusable, but multiple times from different stations leads me to believe that there is a disconnect.
17. Can we get a Priority Security line at MCO. Add TPA and DFW to that list. Also, why there is no SkyPriority line when going through security after customs clearance in ATL and JFK? Also, the ATL security lines for connecting int'l pax in terminal E are understaffed in the afternoon, causing further delays.
18. Is there a possibility of comp upgrades to HI from west coast locations, as CO does. Would be better if they were comped for elites from the east, but west coast would be an improvement
19. Will DL be taking steps to ensure that SkyPriority security lines are adequately manned and run by the rules - esp PHL, LAX and ORD?
20. Will Delta be automating the process of volunteering to be bumped on potentially oversold flights (i.e. "volunteering" when checking-in with a list that the GA can see & use)? If so, will any priority be given to Medallion members?
21. Is there any chance the "snack bags" will ever reappear on Shuttle flights? During the morning hours, why not include butter (or some shelf-stable alternative) for those of us who don't like cream cheese and jelly with our bagels?
22. Why can't the phones be set up to give an estimated waiting time and then a choice of either the next available agent or waiting for a DM agent? And why can't DMs have the option of talking with agents, admittedly only PM, in Chisholm? There are many stories of regular agents charging DM's junk fees or being unable to carry out basic procedures.
23. As a DM and/or PM benefit, can DL block middle seats in the first 8-10 rows of Y to allow elite flyers to have a little extra space, only filling those seats where the aircraft is sold out?
http://www.expertflyer.com/screensho...rd-upgrade.jsp
is something I would like to see at delta.com for Delta and other Skyteam flights. Why should third party websites have more real-time information about Delta award availability than delta.com?

OPERATIONS

1. When will we see Delta-South style Gate Information Display Screens at key airports where Delta is using former PMNW gates extensively (including MSP, DTW, MEM and ORD). It would be great to have this information back to see where we stand on upgrade lists, etc. - PMNW had this at MEM/MSP (I don't think at DTW) but lost it in the cutover to Deltamatic.
2. Could the upgrade lists and standby lists display all the time instead of rotating every 1-2 minutes. That info is higher priority than the boiler plate messages, but currently we have to stare at the monitor waiting for that 4-5 second window of opportunity when the lists are displayed.
3. How is Delta approaching the increasing number of mechanical delays/cancellations driven by the over-use of the existing fleet? When will Delta return its planes to the regular maintenance schedule previously done?
4. It seems lately with increasing frequency, flights are being delayed or canceled outright due to crew scheduling issues (pilot calls in sick, FAs stuck in traffic, etc.) and there are not enough replacement crew available. What is being done, if anything, to remedy this? (Beyond the recent announcement of hiring more FAs)
5. With ATL being the busiest airport in the world, it is also one of the most delayed. Even in perfect clear blue sky weather, you can end up waiting on the tarmac for 20-30 minutes for a gate to open up or for your new gate assignment. What are the plans going forward for utilizing the rest of the new, expansive network to ease some of the congestion at ATL (and JFK, to a lesser degree).
6. In addition to the always expanding ATL, there has been a lot of expansion at JFK, DTW, and SEA in terms of international flying. What it the plan for MSP? Can we expect any fortifying of this hub, or should we expect status quo (or worse)?
7. I'd like to get a feeling for what plans Delta has for their route network and hubs, both internationally and domestically, over the next few years. Where do they see the growth opportunities and where will they likely be pulling back?
8. Fifteen minutes before departure, GIDS shows "on time" departure but there is no plane at the gate. What will it take to get real-time info? An aside here: Sometimes GA's know more than they are telling us; sometimes they are in the dark, too.
9. When can we expect the DL IT system to let us know where a flt is coming from? For example, if we know our plane will be arriving 30 min late, we can plan accordingly instead of relying on GIDS which we know to be wrong. BTW, CO has been offering this service for years with great success.
10. Do the executives feel frustrated like I do that Delta has absolutely no ability to be very nimble in anything it does.

• It takes years to fix an award booking engine.
• It takes years to convert a total of 8 777-200ERs to the lie-flat arrangement.
• When promotions come out with flawed or ambiguous terms, it takes weeks to get any sort of clarification out to the front line.

And so forth. It just seems like Delta is this whale of a carrier which has all the potential in the world to be quite good, and which we all want to be quite good, but even the most simple message takes forever to get to the frontline, and even the most important fix takes months to years to complete.
Do you have plans to speed up these processes, in particular the lie-flat roll-out and the award calendar? Or, is this the way it's supposed to be in their view given the size of the airline? (And I don't want to hear about how complex this merger was; the merger is done and anyway, many of these things predate the merger).
11. What's the retirement plan for the MD-88's?
12. What's in store for BOS in terms of destinations, Terminal A, etc?
13. What are Delta's plans for smaller regional airports such as PVD, which are in the process of expanding their capabilities? (At PVD, the runways are being lengthened to close to 10,000')
14. What are Delta's plans for EAS airports in the Northeast such as PQI? (As US has hinted that they may not take up the contract again).
15. Recent flt from GNV - ATL arrived 20 min early. DL knew we would be early yet sent us to our originally designated gate even though the aircraft occupying this gate would not be departing for 15+ minutes. After sitting on the taxiway for 10 mins we were directed to another terminal and gate. Why the lack of communications?
16. Would DL considering changing the flight numbering system in order to avoid "change of gauge" situations?
17. Can DL get service consistency between the regionals and mainline - service varies wildly.
18. Why does Delta constantly change the flight numbers and switch departure times on reservations to plus 5 minutes, minus 5 minutes and then also require you to again get the seat you booked on original flight back?
19. DL does a number of surveys of passengers but have they considered taking this a step further? What I was thinking was how about setting up a focus group to bounce ideas. Yeah, there would have to be NDA's but maybe this instant insight from outside DL would give them valuable info from another perspective.
20. When SLC-SBA was discontinued, why weren't code shares put on the American Eagle LAX-SBA evening flights that connect with the afternoon/evening JFK-LAX departures? (They are on flights up to about 1:30pm) The only way for me to book on dl.com and have Delta-coded flights is for me to take a day off of work to travel (meaning take a morning JFK-LAX flight)...not going to happen.
21. Most of us here have spent countless hours witnessing the operations of Delta while waiting at the gate, etc. Those observations, coupled with time to kill, can result in ideas on how DL could do some specific operations faster/cheaper/more efficiently/more productively. How can objective outsiders like many of us here share those operational observations and ideas with DL in a way that they actually reach the departments or individuals that could benefit from them?
(Note that I am not advocating a general "suggestions box" or general website e-mail, nor am I referring to Medallion issues. I am talking about purely operational observations and ideas.)
22. what is the status of AVOD rollout to former NWA metal? I like the comfort of the a320 on MCO-LAX, but would really appreciate AVOD / power outlets on those longer A320/319 flights.
23. UA has Channel 9 (live cockpit/ATC audio feed). AF has the nose cam (you can view a live video feed of the view in front of the plane on the PTV during takeoff and landing). Does DL have plans to offer us anything similar?
24. Why does Delta rebook all passengers, including non-elites and non-SM members, into full Y after IROPs, VDB, IDB, etc.? Any why are non-elite and non-member VDBs frequently reaccommodated in FC/BE? This practice seems to give away premium cabin seats to passengers who have displayed no loyalty to DL, frequently those who are extremely likely to buy tickets solely on price, at the expense of elites in the upgrade queue.
25. Please explain the rules and differences for SDC and standby.
26. Frequently I want to do OLCI at T-24, but I don't yet know whether my bag will be carry-on or checked. I'm DM/AmEx so the fee will be zero anyway (and I'm usually confirmed in FC or BE), and hence the payment isn't an issue. However, I can imagine that if I say 1 bag but decide on carry-on only, my reservation could be cancelled at the bag drop deadline (usually T-30 for domestic), or if I say 0 bags and then try to check one (usually in the SkyPriority line, but sometimes in a bag drop line depending on the airport layout), the agent might need to uncheck me in and then check me in again with the bag. If I'm unsure, can I still do OLCI and should I say 0 or 1 bag?
27. Why can't Delta use standardized and logical flight numbers? For example, only international (or domestic continuations of international or vice versa) less than 1000, RJ above 7000, east/west and north/south odd/even conventions, etc.?
28. Why are the Delta Connection carriers apparently playing musical chairs? From one week to the next, the set of particular Delta Connection carriers serving an outstation or a city-pair seems to flip-flop. Surely this cannot help the quality and consistency of service.
29. Does Delta plan to continue to force revenue passengers, especially in BE, to route through ATL or possibly JFK instead of AMS (using KLM connecting flights)? This caused me to fly United in business class through ORD and MUC to Central Europe rather than a DL BE revenue ticket because I didn't want to fly DL to Prague and then connect further, with a very bad schedule.
30. You seem to be cutting back on Hawaii service, and canceling the direct MSP and DTW to HNL flights. The Midwest sometimes gets chilly in the winter, and we'd like to visit the sun. Also, your competitors offer upgrades mainland-HNL, putting DL at a disadvantage.

MARKETING

1. If Delta is part of Skyteam, then why aren't all of the Skyteam destinations available on deta.com? (PVD-CAY is not bookable on delta.com)
2. Why can't I delete my expired promotions? If they no longer have value, they are worthless to keep in my list.
3. When using www.delta.com for trip planning, in the available flight segments screen, under the flight and cabin class, there is a link to "in-flight services".
Could you add a line item to tell us if a flight has gogoinflight wireless internet on-board.
4. Is there a plan to offer discounted or complimentary in-flight internet service to Delta Medallion clients?
5. Recently I've notices some anomalies when booking and pricing domestic revenue tickets when the outbound and return have different fare class availabilities and checking the fare rules doesn't explain it, nor can DM agents either explain it or book it. For example, one direction might have availability in a fare class such as M/H/Q/K and the other direction has availability in L/U/T, but the RT must be, for example, booked in B (and two one-way tickets are even more expensive). In fact, delta.com consistently gives errors on such bookings. Is this a glitch or intentional and, if the former, when will it be fixed?


AIRCRAFT

1. Does DL intend to implement some sort of retrofit on the old 767's in order to make them viable in the current marketplace? They were never a competitive product with their six-across seating in B/E and now they are particularly disgraceful and outdated.
2. What are the Delta's plans for new aircraft and what current aircraft types or styles are likely to be phased out?


SKY CLUB

1. SC related - why the move to bottom shelf adult beverages? In-flight why limit some adult beverages to only two bottles per round trip?
2. With the loss of Continental's Presidents Clubs from the network, and some other NWA/Delta merger losses (IAD for example), there are significant gaps in the Sky Club network. LAS is probably the most significant DL airport without a SC. With the merger of CO/UA, the CO lounge is poorly located for CO/UA but central to the DL gates. Any chance DL will take over that location?
3. What are your plans, if any, for a "Sky Club Lite"? Which locations are being considered?
4. Will there be expansion of the Sky Club Cafe concept? If so, what locations?
5. Will Sky Clubs be moving more to the self serve model like LAX? Is there a timeline for this?
6. The bagels offered during breakfast hours are terrible at most locations. Can these be sourced from a real bakery? Also, the B/E croissants, even ex-CDG, are undercooked and lousy.

NON-US BASED CUSTOMERS
1. Why are Non-US based customers (in particular European-based) not getting any love from DL? We are stuck with:

• almost no perks other than an occasional priority security line
• almost no promotions, highly constraining us in terms of status: my DL-metal flights this year are ~70k with 100% of the miles flown. The AMEX-bonus alone would kick me to Plat, the occasional double-MQM even to Diamond. I am not even counting in the 5/10/15k MQM-give aways from last yer.
• Why is DL paying to advertise like hell in European markets while not being up to the task in terms of customer service: no genuine personnel at the airports and phone CSR is often speaking Polish instead of German!
• Why can't I check in online when I am an European (for the TATL outbound)?
• Why do I have to search by schedule when I want to book TATL's on DL metal? There is a reson why I navigate to delta.com and not af/klm.com!
• Why are we Europeans banned from the skymiles marketplace, car rental and hotel boni, and CC offers while the respective companies are operating in our market?
• Why is a regular flight (with mileage credit) to JFK ~450€ and an award SkyPesos flight in Y ~100k SkyPesos plus ~300€ in fees? My lady booked the very same flight vice-versa with miles and paid less than $50!

2. No targeted offers are ever sent to Israeli SkyMiles members. Why is Delta not making an attempt to lure them away from the competition?
3. I realize that US-EU-US and EU-US-EU RT tickets are in somewhat different markets, but what justifies the extreme differences in prices for M fares, although generally not so large differences in other fare classes? This issue relates to the escalating M fares and requirement of M+ for upgrades using miles or SWUs, but checking the price differences for the same routes in reverse is especially annoying.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. How about adding a new 2-letter designator in addition to the ones like PM and MM: either RW (road warrior) or AB (Able Bodied Person). RWT grads, first responders, and medical professionals could be given these designators. FA’s will see this on the manifest and know they can rely on us. Program Delta.com to not ask us the four exit row questions every time we select seats, and maybe even grant us extra priority for the exit rows.
2. Why have so many Delta employees stopped posting, officially and unofficially, on FT? The forum is obviously void of any official DL voice these days, and many of the unofficial voices dare not post. Clearly Delta is pulling out the stops for this DO, but it's in stark contrast to DL's lack of participation in the FlyerTalk forums. What gives?
3. Other than being to the point and business-like in our feedback, what can we as FlyerTalker's do better here in the forums to help Delta Execs?
4. This is in regards to the ability to have PNRs combined. Easy to split but cannot merge.
Situation: I purchased a ticket along with an AMEX companion ticket for my daughter. Good price, good deal. My wife was traveling with us and her ticket had the same class and fare as mine. However, it was not possible to combine the two PNRs for SkyPriority benefits. Even though her ticket was purchased with a DL Reserve card, because she was not the primary card holder and not on the same PNR as me, she would have had to pay a baggage fee as well as a higher zone for boarding (as it turned out she only used a carry on and she was able to board with us anyway.)
5. Why can DL not make associating a second pax easier than having to always enter the name and SM account #s? When making reservations for my wife and myself I am constantly prompted to enter her information. Once I select 2 for the number of pax I would like to see a prompt asking if the second pax is Mrs. Italy and automatically populate the requisite fields if I do select Mrs. Italy as the second pax.
6. Why is our email being dropped sporadically by the DL IT systems? When we log in we will be greeted with a message that our email address is missing, however, checking our profile the correct email address is displayed.
7. How does DL feel about WN moving into ATL with the purchase of FL?
8. What safeguards/restrictions are put on shipments of lithium ion batteries and the products (computers, cellphones, etc) that can flame up in the cargo hold?
9. Looking up a new itinerary by schedule/multi-city, why can't I sort them by departure time? For that matter, why can't I set a preference that I want to view all schedules by departure time?
10. Will we ever be able to see prices and mileage, segment-by-segment, while searching a multi-city itinerary?
11. Why doesn't delta.com allow me to do a multi-city search by fare class? The same question for "my dates are flexible" RT searches? And why does the flexible date search automatically revert from BE/FC to coach whenever I go back or start over? These seem to be basic functions that would help Delta to sell more expensive revenue tickets, such as M or FC/BE.
12. Why can't mileages be displayed on delta.com on the booking pages (for revenue tickets), or at least be consistently available by clicking (on booking and itinerary pages) either flight details or services?

5. When will we see Delta-South style Gate Information Display Screens at key airports where Delta is using former PMNW gates extensively (including MSP, DTW, MEM and ORD). It would be great to have this information back to see where we stand on upgrade lists, etc. - PMNW had this at MEM/MSP (I don't think at DTW) but lost it in the cutover to Deltamatic.

How is Delta approaching the increasing number of mechanical delays/cancellations driven by the over-use of the existing fleet? When will Delta return its planes to the regular maintenance schedule previously done?

Note, I live near a lot of Delta mechanics, several of which are friends. They are mostly 767 and 757 mechanics. I know from the horse's mouth that Delta has delayed maintenance and has had a much higher incidence of mechanical failures at the gate. Also note these are not safety related issues (hopefully).

Does DL plan to address the fact that PMNW customers have been particularly hard hit (but really everyone has) by a sharp increase in cost of awards AND reduction in availability of awards? Or is inflation (SkyPesos) just a fact of life now that we're part of the DL family?

Who made the decision to take away access to an honored, and much-loved group of agents (Chisholm) from top customers and now send them to much-less helpful, less informed and less empowered agents in SLC? On the surface it's a bad decision, but maybe there were other factors...what were they thinking?

Now that Diamond level has been added, will Delta be adjusting the 'complimentary' status levels awarded to those who have attained various levels of Million Miler?

Gargoyle has hit most of my major beefs but one now is hitting me after yesterday's trip EWR-AMS in one of those ratty old 763s.

Does DL intend to implement some sort of retrofit on those things in order to make them viable in the current marketplace? They were never a competitive product with their six across seating and now they are particularly disgraceful and outdated.

I, for one and I am sure that there are others, will now book away from them and take my business across the street when there is any competition on the route that I need.

Agree with previous posters regarding the needs for better SWUs and Chisholm agents. My contribution:

Can we do something better than 3 hours with same day confirmed. How about same day or 12 hours like other carriers have? Also, how about allowing one lower than GM companion to also SDC if on the same PNR without charging the $50 fee? We are already likely giving up our upgrade in such a circumstance, how about a little SDC help? And while we are at it, how about eliminating the archaic rule of no SDC on the domestic portion of international itins? We can usually get a good agent to do this for us, but it should be allowed by rule. Also, how about a SDC for international flights that are solely on DL metal?

Should we enumerate all the different ways it is busted?

No (limited) partner availability?
Lack of awards?
Different results depending on how you search (multi-city vs direct)?
etc etc?

I'll also add the whole seat selection mess if you are flying on AF/KLM (or have they fixed this? I never trust dl.com so I always go direct to their website anyways)

Wirelessly posted (BB Curve: BlackBerry9700/5.0.0.714 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Delta's award availability has been a subject of much contention. The general consensus is that the award seats are released much closer to departure date vs. having availability further out in advance (traditional 330 day out). This makes it very difficult for travelers trying to plan anything with their award miles.

Is there any consideration for inventory management to do something about this? It has been incredibly frustrating trying to redeem award tickets when the award calendar shows no availability the entire year except for the next few weeks. This is geared mainly for international premium travel.

Case in point: almost 9 months ago I looked for premium award seats to PVG. No seats whatsoever for the time frame I was looking for (upcoming couple of weeks). I look again now, after buying tickets on another airline, and I see a few days where there is availability.

This delayed strategy/tactic is good for spontaneous travelers or those that are willing to gamble, but terrible for those who need to plan months in advance.

Here's my contribution, even though I can't make it to the DO so someone else will have to ask it on my behalf: what's the deal with the BUMP (Bring Us More Passengers) program that Northwest used to offer?

I've heard lots of conflicting information about this - some ex-Northwest agents are still willing to perform a BUMP, while most PMDL agents are not. I've had some awkward moments at ticket counters that can be summed up as "you want me to do what with your ticket?", and it would be nice to get an official word on whether this is still a valid program.

If Delta is moving forward with BUMP, it would be nice for them to officially train ticketing agents on how it works so it's more predictable for us as frequent fliers.

If someone can ask on behalf of non-US Skymilers who can't attend:

As SkyTeam continues to grow, will there ever be a comprehensive award chart encompassing travel not involving the 48 mainland US states? Most airlines around the world publish such a chart, including many of Delta's SkyTeam partners. Being based outside the US, it makes it hard to justify accruing Skymiles if there is no way of determining the price to redeem them. The absence of such a chart implies that either (i) Delta is afraid to publish the rates for fear of exposing their medium and high tier redemption levels, (ii) it is actively trying to prevent redemption on partner airlines, or (iii) it does not value non-US Skymiles members as much.

+1, even as a US flier. The cynical side of me thinks DL did this so when they finally *do* bring back the world chart, it will give them yet another chance to raise skypesos rates.

Questioning this and the "international origination surcharge" would be my questions.

Glad you started this thread... I was thinking along the same lines.

Q: There has been a general feeling that the perks offered at the Diamond level are not exceptional causing many to deliberately hold short. There have been many suggestions to make the DM level more worthwhile such as a more generous SDC policy, a higher bonus mileage, the ability to rollover all MQMs after 75,000 even if one hit DM level, the use of SWUs at lower fare buckets on international flights etc. What are your thoughts about boosting the perks offered to DMs without detracting from the PM level?

Also, there was a well received (on FT) proposal that MM status be made more meaningful by starting each year with a certain amount of MQMs (the suggestion was 25,000). What are your feelings about boosting the significance of long term loyalty? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...ion-miles.html

Along the same lines, Air France has a policy that if one makes Platinum status 10 consecutive years, they will be considered Platinum for life, another way of rewarding long-term loyalty of the customer. Any chance at looking at an idea like this?

They are adding AVOD to those planes in Y and also lie-flat in J (like the 764 seats). Don't know the time line but this was announced a couple of months ago.