leongood

I just flew ATL-TPA - a journey of about 90 mins. We were delayed and arrived 90 mins late due to an air conditioning failure.
I realize that 90 minutes is not the longest delay we've ever experienced, but it caused me to miss two events out of my two day trip. Does DL have a compensation policy, or is it case-by-case? I was flying on a CO OnePass FF #. Do they sometimes give miles, and would that include non DL customers?
Thanks

zsmith2

Generally MTC delays of less then 1-2 hrs can be compensated by 500-1500 miles or a $25 ETCV. YMMV

GBadger

unlikely, AFAIC.

AndyTLe

Just curious, why did you schedule your two day trip so tightly that you missed 2 events because of a 90 minute delay? With so many unknowns with travel (weather, traffic getting to/from airport, airport congestion), a 90 minute delay is almost expected.

WBurcham

Honestly, 90 minutes? You want compensation for that?

bmw303

no you would not get bonus points. If you complain, you'll probably get a $50 e-voucher, but that would just be an attempt to make you happy....

monitor

It is absolutely ludicrous to expect compensation for a 90 minute delay and that can only be among the expectations of someone careless and/or inexperienced enough to schedule himself so tightly that his trip is blown by such a minor glitch.

This is one of the "What should I get for compensation when nothing really happened" threads that we have been laughing about around here for years.

obscure2k

Speaking as a "private poster" and a member of FT, I have to give a big ^ to monitor. My thoughts, exactly.

flightattendantsteve

I worked a JFK-ATL trip today... 45 mins from touchdown to the gate..
You never know with ATL....

COpltASgldPHX

You never know @JFK either!

But c'mon folks, give the OP a break. Some people just love living dangerously. Who among us hasn't scheduled a flight that arrives FLL @3:05 PM when their cruise ship pulls up the gangway @4!

icurhere2

I saw the "two missed events due to a 90 minute delay" and immediately thought Andy Azula was flying Delta again

Jazzop

Thus far no one except the OP knows the exact details of what happened, so please put the standard flame-fest on hold.

Nonetheless, experienced travelers usually schedule trips with <90 min connection times with the expectation that they will misconnect, not the other way around.

leongood

I was trying to fit 3 events into one day. One was in Atlanta, the other two were in Tampa. I didn't schedule the time or the place of any of them. Should I have caught an earlier flight, and missed out on Atlanta just on the assumption that Delta would make me late for the other two?
I'm an experienced flyer. I've had engine failures, go-arounds, snow ice and lightning strikes. I've been delayed over 24 hrs more than once.
I did anticipate Delta's negligence. I bought food to take on the plane for a 90 minute flight, even though I wasn't hungry, because I expected the plane to break down. When I'm forced to fly DL, they generally do.
You Delta flyers have your expectations set too low. This wasn't a thunderstorm or an air traffic delay. We waited precisely one minute on the runway when we eventually left. This was just Delta's lack of good maintennance. This is precisely when paying customers should expect compensation, otherwise DL is encouraged to continue running their planes unreliably. Do you know the last time I was on a plane that was delayed by a faulty air conditioner? It was the last time I flew Delta. Are you seeing a pattern? I try to avoid flying DL, but sometimes they just fit my itinerary, and I'm dumb enough to think they won't let me down this time. If I knew they had a financial disincentive to run their fleet this way, I would trust them and fly them more often.

iTanNicNic

You're kidding me, correct??

Delta TechOps has won more awards than I care to count, and is pulling in contract after contract to have their talent and skills put to work on many fleets, from all corners of the world. I'm sure that wouldn't happen if Delta had a "financial distinctive" for doing so. I've been on many, many Delta flights and have not once had to question the integrity of the aircraft that I was on. Sure, planes to have mechanical issues every so often, but to put things into perspective, I was on a US Airways flight that had pack problems and that 90 minute flight was miserable.

And if you ran late to work because you got a flat tire, would you expect Goodyear to send you a check for the hour of work that you missed? There's 24 hours in a day, if your schedule is so tight that 90 minutes causes so much of a ruckus for you, you have another thing coming for you. And with the WX in ATL lately, I'd say plan on a delay and hope for the best. I've lost all sympathy for passengers who wind up inconviencing themselves by creating stupid travel plans, for god's sake, if you're in a wheelchair or traveling alone with 5 kids, DON'T plan a 20 minute connection, or take the last flight of the night out of an outstation to a hub! (ESPECIALLY if you're catching an international flight!!)

Robert Leach

No. I am seeing anecdotal reports from you.

That means about as much as me saying, "I've flown Delta all my life and never been delayed by a faulty air conditioner."

Just like the Concorde went from having the best safety record to the worst with one accident, all because the numbers were too small and hence the statistical power wasn't there. Your air conditioning experiences or mine are both statistically insignificant when it comes to knowing whether Delta really does do a crappy maintenance job in general, or with air conditioning in particular.