Xeno

I apologize if not all my words were carefully chosen, but this change of policy will have a major impact on me. I fly almost 90% international and do not get a lot of trips to places like LHR.

I am flying to GVA on Tuesday to be re-crowned DM and have no choice but to stay with DL for another year.

5khours

All this discussion of DOT is irrelevant. This is not something that DL has to do, and it has a huge negative impact on some non-insignificant number of passengers.

The only thing surprising about this is that Delta announced it, which is quite contrary to their normal policy of stealth "enhancements".

MSPeconomist

Did DL announce it? We learned about the change in this thread, but there has been no DL rep present and I haven't seen a link to anything on DL's website.

mnbp

Here's a link to the travel agent announcement from post #6 in this thread (from DL's home page, click on Travel Agents, USA to navigate to the referenced public page)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19565598-post6.html
and now,
http://www.delta.com/traveling_check...cked/index.jsp

MSPeconomist

The material on delta.dumb seems new. The link in post #6 is material that DL provides for travel agents on a site meant to be used by travel agents, not passengers or the general public. This is my point. In fact, the OP here is a travel agent IIRC.

RealHJ

If you have to have checked luggage, have you considered sending it separately via FedEx, UPS or such a few days before you fly out, so that it is already waiting for you at your destination? While that will surely be extra $$, it may be less extra $$ (or at worst, about the same) as an extra overnight stopover/transit hotel, and should be worth it to reduce the inconvenience factor. (And almost surely will be much less extra $$ than getting all the flights on the same DL ticket, if so is even possible.)

I forgot which airline(s), but I know that someone, a year or two ago, rolled out such a service of sending your checked bags separately with FedEx at reduced rates. If I was DL marketing, then I would be also rolling out such a service at this service "enhancement" time and have the check-in agents offer that to customers who ask bags to be checked all the way through (which in many cases may be the only option away, most being caught unaware of this major "enhancement" and otherwise needing to part with their luggage for good or miss their connecting flights).

Xeno

I haven't thought about that for a while, but not sure how it would work in both directions. I think more problematic would be trips, like late last year, that had me home for less than 3 days between Crete and Latvia.

Xeno

I wonder how we could get some kind of official statement on this scenario?

STBCypriot

You almost always have a choice. Just because you are DM, does not mean you have to stay with DL.

I am DM and have given up my loyalty to DL. The lowest cost carrier that best meets my schedule now gets my $$. Especially when I can buy a business class ticket on another carrier for less than an M class DL ticket (to upgrade using SWUs). I tried to remain loyal to DL but at some point, all their changes (schedule, policies, customer service, etc.) have pushed me away. At this point, cost and schedule is the bottom line for me.

RealHJ

+1. Just what I was going to say (as a DM for this and next year as well).

In a few days I'll be flying UA HNL-IAH-ATL vs DL HNL-ATL direct. First time I need to go to ATL for business, and I am not flying DL to there. A year ago that would have been unthinkable. Both (personal and business) DL AmExs are long gone.

Once you make the cut, you will fee like a giant heavy stone is lifted off your chest and so liberated. Try it. You'll love it.

I've flown on AA, BA, CX, and JL so far this year, and soon will be on UA and OZ, then on LA next year.
There's so many (good) choices out there. And the travel booking experience with every other airline is just so many fold easier and quicker (and stress-free), unlike with Delta. So right away from the time you book the ticket, not dealing with DL and all its excess baggage is just so much easier and more pleasant.

RealHJ

Ship then from Crete to Latvia directly and don't bother shipping your items back home, or delay ship out from home things to LV before you leave for Crete. It'd be a hassle, that's for sure, but I'd think less so than changing all your booked travel plans and adding unnecessarily long layovers just to claim and re-check your bags.

MSPeconomist

This might work for domestic trips, although it requires advanced planning and some inconvenience in either taking the bag to FedEx or having someone around who can give it to them. However, for international trips, customs can become an issue. Most countries allow you to bring personal effects dutyfree provided that they enter and leave
with you as accompanied luggage. If you ship something, duty can be assessed and customs clearance can add a day or more to the delivery time. In addition to the cost, for most people's schedules, this isn't a practical solution.

In addition to the new AA luggage delivery scheme, various travel providers have tried to offer similar plans but without much apparent success. German rail DB has had the option of bags going as cargo door to door for decades, but my impression is that few have used the process. IIRC some foreign airlines, perhaps in Japan, have tried this too. I think some hotels have also been in the game temporarily. For most people and most situations, these procedures simply aren't convenient and they can be very expensive.

RealHJ

Actually in most countries you specifically declare what is coming as unaccompanied baggage at the time of entry into the country, get a printout stating that so was declared and allowed, and it is duty free as long as it is within the duty-free allowance (need to usually produce that paper issued by customs to the shipping co). However, that sure can be additional hassle (speaking from experience, getting the shipping co. to honour the customs-free allowance as per the customs form).

I think it should work for clothing and personal items which are not being imported in the country, but not so much for other things, true. I think that ultimately it'd vary a lot by country. No problem shipping to US as US Customs is very efficient and quick, but I'd never ever do that to Canada, for example, as Canada has some of the slowest, most inefficient, and embarassingly bad customs of any country (worse than many third world countries). So really yes, this would not be a universal solution and would depend on the country and its customs and the items being shipped.

exwannabe

OK, I buy M fares for about 3k RT SEAsia to US East coast. I would gladly switch if these cheaper fares actually exist. Can somebody ever post one of these cheap C fares?

Jaimito Cartero

He didn't mention Asia M fares, that I can see. He did mention flying to Cyprus.