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Delta deems NRT-BKK passengers unimportant

Delta deems NRT-BKK passengers unimportant

Old Oct 9, 2014, 9:54 pm
  #46  
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Originally Posted by gooselee
I guess my being able to count on ~95% of my DL flights leaving and arriving on time doesn't count for anything.

As someone else mentioned, your flight blocked in only 13 minutes before the scheduled departure of your connection, and it did not appear that any other flights were held. While YOU may have been able to clear the transfer in 25 minutes, what if one of your 11 connecting companions required wheelchair assistance? Or had checked bags that needed to be collected and re-checked? Or any number of other things that would require a longer transfer time?

Wonder what the threshold is on holding an outbound flight? 10 minutes? 30? 2 hours if a double DM DYKWIA is en route?

DL is accountable to the MX delay, but the accommodations you were offered seem quite reasonable to me.

I hope I get some of your luck if this is really the worst thing that has happened to you in 30 years of flying, or even 200k BIS this year. Also, I can't see any good reason to have 900k RDM banked. Live a little.
All 12 passengers cleared customs, got their bags off the baggage claim belt and were waiting for the bus to arrive by 19:07 (outside the terminal). No DYKWIA, simply Delta made zero effort to get us on the flight and that after their own 2.5 hour mechanical delay on their side in Portland. They couldn't even try to accommodate us by 10 minutes. Be an apologist if you want, 6 hours and a 1 hour+ bus ride to a new terminal because Delta didn't care about the BKK passengers time. No effort at all to help us make the connection, which only needed and extra 10 minutes. After they decided to book us on ANA that was it. Nice touch how they sent us on the bus without any Delta representative since that might have been inconvenient for them, not that I need my hand held but talk about dumping us into the bus and dusting off their hands...
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Old Oct 9, 2014, 9:59 pm
  #47  
formerly Mdanner423
 
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We don't know all the logistics behind the situation. There could of been extenuating circumstances with crew rest, etc.

Not caring about your time, or not caring about the time of the passengers waiting for an on-time departure to BKK?

Even jokingly blaming the Pilots for the delay kind of deserves a rude response, they did their job the best they could I'm sure, and aren't responsible for everything. I would tell them (or whatever DL employee did it) good job for finding the mechanical issue and waiting to get it fixed. They just got finished flying you to your destination safely, no need to get snippy with them.

In the grand scheme of things, a mechanical delay causing you to miss your connecting flight and rebooked same day on a different carrier isn't the end of the world. You will most likely get a gesture of good will in the form of miles.
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Old Oct 9, 2014, 10:27 pm
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Powers106
All 12 passengers cleared customs, got their bags off the baggage claim belt and were waiting for the bus to arrive by 19:07 (outside the terminal). No DYKWIA, simply Delta made zero effort to get us on the flight and that after their own 2.5 hour mechanical delay on their side in Portland. They couldn't even try to accommodate us by 10 minutes. Be an apologist if you want, 6 hours and a 1 hour+ bus ride to a new terminal because Delta didn't care about the BKK passengers time. No effort at all to help us make the connection, which only needed and extra 10 minutes. After they decided to book us on ANA that was it. Nice touch how they sent us on the bus without any Delta representative since that might have been inconvenient for them, not that I need my hand held but talk about dumping us into the bus and dusting off their hands...
Asking for 100k RDM compensation seems pretty DYKWIA to me.

Also, if we're splitting hairs, everyone clearing customs by 19:07 still puts you at 22 minutes beyond scheduled departure, so a 10 minute hold wouldn't have helped.

As someone else said, you're making this way too personal. We can discuss whether DL did or did not make the right decision, but understand that such a decision involved considerations like crew time, takeoff slot, anticipated (not ideal) transfer time, weather, and any number of other things. A factor that most certainly did NOT come into play was: "Oh hey, Powers106 and these 11 other people are on a short connection, but none of them are that important, so we'll make sure that we just send the BKK flight out on time specifically to inconvenience these 12 folks, and in the meantime lose some revenue buy buying them all tickets on ANA instead of making them wait a full day for the next DL flight."

You had probably a 18-20 hour scheduled journey that got extended to something like 24 hours. So a 25% increase in travel time - significant, but not devastating. By those standards, the 45 min WX delay I experienced on ATL-PHL last week should have been the end of the world. At this point, you've probably spent more time fuming about the delay than the actual length of the delay.

Originally Posted by Mdanner423
Not caring about your time, or not caring about the time of the passengers waiting for an on-time departure to BKK?
This.
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Old Oct 9, 2014, 10:30 pm
  #49  
 
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Flat out, you don't know all the logistics and issues behind their choice not to hold the flight. Its easy from your perspective to say they only had to hold it ten minutes for us. There are a lot of details and factors that go into those decisions. I'm sure they much rather would have put you on their own metal than pay for tickets on another carrier if that was the best option for Delta. It wasn't, they got you to your destination, end of story.

For someone with your travel experience, it shouldn't be a shock to have to put up with a 6 hour delay, particularly with international travel. It happens. Be glad it wasn't a full day. The reality is they already had a plan in place when you got there, and they got you to your destination with a small delay.

Your thought on how many miles this is worth puts this firmly into DYKWIA territory.

And nice job (even if it was joke, which I don't sense) for blaming the pilots for being late. Would you rather they flew an unsafe airplane? They were handed a broken plane. Not their fault.
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Old Oct 9, 2014, 11:15 pm
  #50  
 
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You sir have won the "biggest entitled Diamond award"
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Old Oct 9, 2014, 11:17 pm
  #51  
 
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I agree, the OP is taking this too personal and the comments about the pilots responding in such a way really does not have anything to do with why your onwards flight to BKK decided to leave on-time and you were unfortunately left behind.

Look man, we all go through this and on an international leg I'd say you made out well by being delayed by only 6 hours. DL themselves only have the single DL283 from NRT to BKK, you should be thankful that you were at least rebooked on a flight that left within 12 hours. In some cases you would have been stuck until the following days DL283, I would say that DL responded fairly well by recognizing that there were a dozen connecting passengers that would not make the flight and they did their best to rebook you on the next available flight that was not even on their own airline. I have faced 24, 28, 32, and 43 hour delays on international flights over the last few years...at the end of the day what I care about most is arriving at my destination safely. Some of the delays have been because of MX, others have been because of a late flight arriving and missing the next connection and no more flights being available for that day. It happens. Have I complained about it? Sure, it's natural to be frustrated especially when you don't understand why a simple thing such as holding a flight for x amount of time which you might perceive as a short amount of time, was not done.

But there are other things that you may not be aware of. First off, there's a very good chance...I would say I'm almost certain, the DL knew what time you and your 11 other fellow passengers were arriving, what gate you would be assigned, what gate your connection to BKK was leaving, and whether they had the ability to hold your flight or if it simply was not possible. In some cases in NRT, they will delay a flight if there are larger number of connecting passengers. I myself have taken DL295 from ATL to NRT which arrived on-time, connecting to DL283...but because of 40+ connecting passengers that were arriving from other NRT bound flights they decided to delay the 283 departure by about 45 minutes. Now, it's easy to point out that well they held a flight for that reason which is technically the same as your reason...but the next day there was no DL283 (at this time of the season it was not a daily flight) so obviously they'd have to look at additional hotel accommodations and since it was peak travel season, another available flight on let's say ANA may not have been possible. Therefore DL decided it would be best from an operational and cost perspective to delay the flight to BKK. Does it happen sometimes? Sure. Does it happen always? No, nor should you expect it to...no one should expect that. The airline decides what is best for its operations, their decision...whether you like it or not. After dozens of delays, canceled flights, IRROPs, unforseen situations, etc. I've come to realize that...the airline decides what is best for its operations, and one of the reasons why I am loyal to DL is because they have always taken care of me in an IRROPs situation. You are more than free to complain to them about how they handled the situation, and perhaps you will get a good number of skymiles as a gesture...but 75k miles? 100k miles? Seriously?

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on this, but if I recall correctly...NRT-BKK is usually a 2 pilot crew, it's about a 7 - 7.5 hour flight (sometimes an hour less depending on the season)...I am sure that there are limitations on the number of hours they can operate an aircraft per segment with that number of crew...it's not like your ULH that has 4 crew members and they can alternate to get some rest...I could be wrong on that, but it would not surprise me if the flight could not be held because of the crew not having enough hours.

Good luck with your complaint to Delta. I hope you receive a resolution, in this case points or some other form of compensation that keeps you satisfied and allows you to move on from this experience.
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 12:33 am
  #52  
 
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Although I sympathize with the frustration, the outcome was rather decent compared to some other airlines. DL got you on another flight with a reasonable delay, and yet you are upset. If this is the worst you experienced on the NRT-BKK route, count your blessings. I suggest you put this in perspective;
1. It is unfair to the other pax who have nothing to do with your flight delay to hold their flight. You want them to be wait so you can get on the plane. You claim that holding the flight would have only resulted in a 10 minute delay. I believe you are mistaken. You were at a busy hub where pushback has to be on time or else the plane can lose its take off slot and wait for a new slot.
2. I have suffered delayed arrivals and departures at NRT courtesy of TG, UA and AC and their response in comparison was dismal. Often, while I may have made the dash to a connection, my baggage did not. Baggage handling at NRT is one of the best in the world and the Japanese are the winners when it comes to transferring bags on a short connection. If they can't do it, then they really can't do it.

Honestly, I believe you are being unreasonable and are deluded. DL contracted with you to fly you to a destination. It had a maintenance issue and the contract allows for such a disruption in travel. The response from DL in terms of the relatively minimal disruption was excellent compared to other airlines. I've been stuck at NRT courtesy of AC mechanical issues and I have had disrupted travel plans courtesy of UA back when it flew the route. TG was always late. I'd have given anything for the response DL gave you. and for reference sake, when I had these disruptions I was elite/*A Gold and a paying J class pax. This is what air travel is today.
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 1:09 am
  #53  
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So this story in short is:

-You were delayed a few hours.
-You missed your connection because of the delay.
-You were re-accomidated on the next available flight to your destination, even though it meant the airline had to pay for you to get to another airport in Tokyo.
-You mouthed off to the pilots who had nothing to do with the delay and you are upset they didn't grovel on the ground for your forgiveness because they had to delay your flight due to a fuel line issue. We all know fuel isn't that important!
-You are considering stopping your illustrious 30 year relationship with Delta.

Cool Story. I think they Delta shoud name a plane after you in return for your inconvenience, write a letter and ask for that.
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 1:28 am
  #54  
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I am not an apologist, in fact I am on here hating on Delta most of the time, just wondering if this might be a possibility. I am going to assume that you landed on 34L taxied for about 6 minutes and were and the gate making it so you were only 10 minutes late. Due to your flight being late there was no way that Delta could know you would land on 34L. There might have been a good chance since you were on a 76 that NRT had you land on 34R. If by chance you do land on 34R you would have missed by 30-45 minutes easy if not more. My point is not to apologize for delta just to point that there are a lot of factors to take in and you are judging the entire situation by how it ended not how it could have ended.
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 1:32 am
  #55  
 
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Good posts above. If OP has traveled for 30 years and this is the worst thing that has happened - this is a shocker.

DL could have handled it different.

Put OP in a hotel at NRT until DL283 NRT-BKK leaves the next day (24 hours later). DL pays for a 2*-3* hotel, give him 2 food vouchers. Kick in a few miles for the trouble.

The next day OP boards DL283 NRT-BKK and they hold the plane for 10 mins for late connecting passengers due to a MX. Who would be the first to complain? Perhaps the OP. I'm already 24 hours delayed and now this, another 10 min's.

Instead DL paid ANA to get the OP and the others to BKK with a 6 hour delay, instead of 24 hours. Perhaps DL should stick to the CoC and OP would have arrived a day later. OP states he was the only one that said anything. This is the first clue. Second, after a 6 hour delay - demand a zillion miles. Third: Throw a smart remark to the pilots.

Instead of taking it out on the ground staff at NRT and the pilots, perhaps 30 years of flying experience should kick in and know that the decision to release the OP's seats was made by DL ATL HQ hours before the PDX flt even landed at NRT (which the pilots that had an insult thrown their way - made up time). How many of the dozen or so passengers had checked luggage, need a wheelchair or were to slow to run to make the connection, or were in the last row of Y and took 20+ min's to get off the plane and stop by the gift shop to buy a magnet or t-shirt?

I've flown 30+ years, as well and have learned to roll with the flow. Relax.

Thailand is a fantastic Country. Land of smiles. Take a deep breath and take a jaunt down to Pattaya Beach. Beautiful this time of year!
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 1:42 am
  #56  
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"Good posts above. If OP has traveled for 30 years and this is the worst thing that has happened - this is a shocker.

DL could have handled it different.

Put OP in a hotel at NRT until DL283 NRT-BKK leaves the next day (24 hours later). DL pays for a 2*-3* hotel, give him 2 food vouchers. Kick in a few miles for the trouble."


Please see my posts but I got 3 food vouchers not 2 for my 24 hours in NRT (on the exact same routing), I am jealous, I would have much much rather had his outcome then mine!
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 2:04 am
  #57  
 
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This is precisely why I have stopped flying on Delta. Do not worry, there are plenty of other airlines that value your business. This exact type of incident has happened to me twice on Delta. Minus the talking to the pilots bit. I use to pay a premium to fly on Delta and deal with two additional connections just to give them my business. Those days are long dead.
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 2:12 am
  #58  
 
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Originally Posted by jbalis
"Good posts above. If OP has traveled for 30 years and this is the worst thing that has happened - this is a shocker.

DL could have handled it different.

Put OP in a hotel at NRT until DL283 NRT-BKK leaves the next day (24 hours later). DL pays for a 2*-3* hotel, give him 2 food vouchers. Kick in a few miles for the trouble."


Please see my posts but I got 3 food vouchers not 2 for my 24 hours in NRT (on the exact same routing), I am jealous, I would have much much rather had his outcome then mine!
^^^ Agree, that is my point. DL did not need to help the OP and the others on the ANA flt. Stick to the CoC and DL would have been way ahead regarding $$$. DL did a favor to all involved.

I would have DEMANDED the flt from PDX-NRT with a MX depart on-time - not fixed. If we make it to NRT, I would than complain to DL - you flew us on a unsafe plane. If we do not make it - my family could make a complaint that my family member died on a unsafe plane.

DL did the OP right (and the others). I hear NRT area (not Tokyo) is booming this time of year, so perhaps OP should have demanded to stay at NRT take the next day DL283 flt, arriving in BKK 24 hours late.
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 2:18 am
  #59  
 
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Originally Posted by tfong007
This is precisely why I have stopped flying on Delta. Do not worry, there are plenty of other airlines that value your business. This exact type of incident has happened to me twice on Delta. Minus the talking to the pilots bit. I use to pay a premium to fly on Delta and deal with two additional connections just to give them my business. Those days are long dead.
So who do you now fly? I am looking to spread my wings. For the USA on-time in AUG:

1. Hawaiian Airlines, 94.0 percent

2. Delta Air Lines, 84.8 percent

3. Virgin America, 84.3 percent

4. Alaska Airlines, 83.8 percent

5. AirTran Airways, 83.7 percent

6. US Airways, 82.7 percent

7. Frontier Airlines, 77.5 percent

8. JetBlue Airways, 77.4 percent

9. SkyWest, 76.9 percent

10. United Airlines, 76.8 percent

11. Southwest Airlines, 75.3 percent

12. ExpressJet, 74.6 percent

13. American Airlines, 73.2 percent

14. Envoy Air, 70.1 percent
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Old Oct 10, 2014, 2:24 am
  #60  
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So who do you now fly? I am looking to spread my wings. For the USA on-time in AUG:

after a lot of looking I am personally going to go with CX and from my understanding they will do a match to PM, its not DM but good enough!

Last edited by VegasJosh; Oct 10, 2014 at 4:07 am Reason: typo
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