Delta computers down

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Aug 11, 2016 | 4:10 pm
  #901  
Quote: I suspect RM probably has people who used to work in RES and know AXIS and/or DLTERM. I think a more plausible scenario would be sending them to the airport to help in the lobby, direct traffic, scan boarding passes while the actual gate agent works the computer, etc...

RM people hired off the street that never worked RES working the RES phones and rebooking people? No chance....
It wouldn't surprise me if DL had some sort of program that trains people in all departments to jump in when things like this happen. When I used to work for a major electric utility nearly everyone in the company had "storm duty" assignments including high-ranking fresh out of biz-school management folks. Everyone had to get re-certified each year and when major storms hit most other functions stopped. We would even loan out people to other utilities for bad storms. I would assume airlines do something very similar.

I actually expect this sort of mobilization is somewhat common (a few times a year) related to weather events. I don't think it would make sense for DL to carry enough dedicated reservation staff to cover the occasional massive surges that occur as a normal part of the airline business. I also to hear all to often of multi-hour waits like you do over on the UA boards.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 4:20 pm
  #902  
Quote: This should definitely happen. I haven't been impressed with DL's recovery from all this, and I just have a feeling deep down that things are going to continue to get worse in the long run. I have PM again for next year, but after that, I'm going to seriously consider switching to United. The time I spend connecting is starting to add up, and is becoming increasingly difficult to justify.
Hey, fellow DCA-ite: if you're going to switch, why not to AA given their presence at DCA and non-stops, etc.? United out of DCA doesn't offer much. Unless you're going to schlep out to IAD. I'm currently status challenging on AA. I'm so much more used to DL, so it's weird, but I also get the feeling that hopefully AA and UA are working to improve their product while DL might be slipping.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 4:24 pm
  #903  
Quote: Umm the technology hasn't really caused an IROP in days. The long recovery is the result of crews being out of place from the original cancellations earlier this week. But if you want to continue your blind crusade, then let me get some popcorn. I love reading people dumbly blame the wrong reasons for delays.
That is a circular argument. Why do you think the crews and planes were not in the right place? Time for your popcorn.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 4:38 pm
  #904  
Quote: That is a circular argument. Why do you think the crews and planes were not in the right place? Time for your popcorn.
People are saying the computers still aren't working. That's not true. Crews aren't in the right place because of cancellations caused by the outage earlier this week. Pretending like flights are still canceling because the technology simply isn't working still is wrong. The technology is working, it's just the problem of positioning crews that were screwed up in the beginning. That's all I'm saying. The technology is working right now.

Crew positioning problems caused by the outage can't be fixed overnight. 3.5 days to recover from a worldwide stoppage isn't terrible given the circumstances. What other airlines have recovered faster?
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Aug 11, 2016 | 4:47 pm
  #905  
Quote: Same here. Haven't gotten any notice about the $200 voucher, but that may have to go towards future corporate travel. I'll have to find out the policy.

David
I haven't gotten anything and the door on my flight Monday night closed a minute late.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 4:47 pm
  #906  
I just cancelled an award ticket for tomorrow. It's outside the waiver period. No problem. Cancelled, waived re-deposit fee and thanked me for my business



While Delta is far from perfect they are far from the bottom. (I'll take them for the horrid AA agents I have dealt with any day)
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:08 pm
  #907  
Not the best day to be flying into LGA (weather issues not outage related), UGH, Shuttles from ORD cancelled this afternoon and my then 430pm departure which cancelled turned into the 730PM which is now delayed until 9pm....wonder if I will get a voucher since this is all taking place within the waiver period lol.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:20 pm
  #908  
Quote: My Tuesday AM flight MSP-DCA at 7AM was canceled and rebooked on 10:30AM flight so I jumped on 8:50 AM flight MSP-IAD today my 14:40 DCA-MSP flight was canceled and rebooked getting home at 7PM. Changed to DCA-CVG-MSP and when I just got up found 20K pesos in my account. Thanks DL
Quote: I too found 20,000 sky pesos in my account today. I still want the segments I was in the middle of flying when I was forced to flee ATL and rent a car for the rest of my journey.
Quote: I got 20k "medallion appreciation miles" today as well...
Hmmm. I did not. Of course, I don't have status, and my ticket was an award one. But I did have a 27 hour delay and paid for my own hotel and uber to and from airport. And my own meals (and son's). Didn't see any pizza or snacks or anything. I did get the $200 voucher email, but I'd like to see my 30k refunded. For a variety of reasons that 27 hour delay--while not horrible--was worth more than $200, IMO.

I'm hoping I'll get reimbursed for hotel by trip insurance, but if not, that would also be a welcome credit from DL, though I don't want to push my luck.

What's reasonable compensation with a 27 hour delay and hotel stay?
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:21 pm
  #909  
Quote: Umm the technology hasn't really caused an IROP in days. The long recovery is the result of crews being out of place from the original cancellations earlier this week. But if you want to continue your blind crusade, then let me get some popcorn. I love reading people dumbly blame the wrong reasons for delays.
However, I think it's fair to ask whether DL had appropriate contingency plans in place, including rescheduling algorithms to move crew to where they could have the most positive effect on the network system. There should have been advanced planning for how something of this nature would be handled, but instead we get the impression that it's being done in a seat of the pants mode.

One part of the job is to avoid meltdowns but it's equally important to know how to recover optimally when a meltdown does happen.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:33 pm
  #910  
3.5 hour delay
After my JFK-FLL flight was delayed on 8 Aug for 3.5 hours, I got $250 voucher and 20,000 SkyMiles. Do you think this is fair?
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:41 pm
  #911  
If there is a small silver lining (and I'm not ignoring that fact that many thousands of pax were seriously inconvenienced) it may be that DL might be slightly less obnoxious and arrogant with regard to operational reliability
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:41 pm
  #912  
Quote: It wouldn't surprise me if DL had some sort of program that trains people in all departments to jump in when things like this happen. When I used to work for a major electric utility nearly everyone in the company had "storm duty" assignments including high-ranking fresh out of biz-school management folks. Everyone had to get re-certified each year and when major storms hit most other functions stopped. We would even loan out people to other utilities for bad storms. I would assume airlines do something very similar.

I actually expect this sort of mobilization is somewhat common (a few times a year) related to weather events. I don't think it would make sense for DL to carry enough dedicated reservation staff to cover the occasional massive surges that occur as a normal part of the airline business. I also to hear all to often
of multi-hour waits like you do over on the UA boards.
This comment reminded me of the time I was in Germany when PMNW pilots went on strike and almost all NW flights were being cancelled one day at a time. When I called to be rebooked, the agent seemed to be a BA employee (or maybe a British travel agent who mostly booked BA flights) as she had a lovely accent and constantly referred to WBC on NW and KLM as Club. I never did figure out whether NW somehow outsourced their European call center to BA during the crisis. It seems highly unlikely to go to a competitor for support, but the person really did seem like a BA agent.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:44 pm
  #913  
Quote: After my JFK-FLL flight was delayed on 8 Aug for 3.5 hours, I got $250 voucher and 20,000 SkyMiles. Do you think this is fair?
IMO, yes. At the 1 cent per mile pay with miles valuation, that's $450 - or $125/hr. As a salary, that would be $260,000 a year, which seems quite generous. Or, looking at it differently, I'd usually cheerfully take a $400 voucher for a VDB that resulted in a 4 hour delay.

I don't know that this amount would be sufficient for me if I was delayed overnight and DL failed to provide hotel accommodations, for example. But for an average domestic delay of this length, I think it's pretty reasonable compensation.
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:46 pm
  #914  
Quote: If there is a small silver lining (and I'm not ignoring that fact that many thousands of pax were seriously inconvenienced) it may be that DL might be slightly less obnoxious and arrogant with regard to operational reliability
One hopes they're scrubbing the IFE and other ad channels to suppress the "Reliability Means Delta" marketing message for the next month or two...
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Aug 11, 2016 | 5:49 pm
  #915  
Quote: After my JFK-FLL flight was delayed on 8 Aug for 3.5 hours, I got $250 voucher and 20,000 SkyMiles. Do you think this is fair?
When/how did you get notified of the $250? Is that instead of or in addition to the 200?
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