DLPhoenix

The I94s are stapled to the boarding card at check-in and collected when the passenger boards.

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Regarding the LAX experience with KLM:
1) As I stated above, this is an administrative challenge, but you can solve it.
2) Rescanning the boarding cards won't satisfy the requirements of boarder control. You need to resturn the I94 to the passenger in case he doesn't make it back to the plane.

DLP

RobertS975

There is an entire security process that happens each time an international plane disembarks, and there is no way that the passengers could get off and leave their stuff on the plane at JFK. And what if somebody decides not to get back on... now you have to find their checked luggage...

Sorry, but as often happens on FT, people often fail to appreciate the complexity and multiple issues involved in running international flights (or even domestic flights). What seems like a logical step may have numerous unintended consequences. A lot goes into buttoning up that plane and getting it dispatched... luggage matches, APHIS reporting requirements and so forth.

gosha83

Thanks for all the replies. I will try to pen some sort of a complaint on my grandparents' behalf this weekend. We shall see. I agree with those who note the complexity of deplaning the pax, considering the immigration issues at hand. However, considering that the flight was on the ground for an extra 4.5 hours, food should have been provided. I would even go so far as to say that if DL couldn't afford to cater an extra meal, at least offer something for people to buy. It's not like everyone on the plane just loaded up on a heavy lunch ten minutes before they boarded the airplane.

skylady

If mx is involved, the door would be open at the gate for personnel to come on board and either fix the problem/or have access to the logbook. When the door is open, you are no longer "held hostage", and may deplane. The problem lies with reboarding.

alanh

FWIW, I had a six-hour ATL-ATL flight that was supposed to be ATL-SVO. We returned after a mechanical issue turned up shortly before starting the trans-Atlantic leg. There was no customs or immigration screening on the return. We all got off and went to the customer service desk in the center of the E terminal to get new tickets for an extra section the next day, along with meal and hotel vouchers.

flyingfran

Every time I read of an event like this it makes me want to pack my carry-on full of food. If you board a plane expecting to eat within an hour or so, it is likely that you will be hungry long before the plane is in the air. I appreciate the need to push meals to the backburner in a true emergency, but most of these delays are not what I would consider an emergency requiring that type of sacrifice.

I understand that they did not have enough food on the plane to feed the passengers, and possibly they could not have arranged an additional meal in that length of time from their catering service, but I think they could have bought pizza in the airport, or, much more sensibly, let everyone off so they could eat and stretch their legs before starting a very long flight.

I would certainly pursue some settlement with DL. I just think it should not be legal for them to hold you hostage on a plane for more than one hour, particularly when they had a specific timetable and knew approximately when the part would arrive and when it would be installed.

motytrah

As a perspective DL pax post NW merger it would be nice to know what I'm in for when it comes to MX. It seems it's a mixed lot. Sometimes the miles are automatically added, sometimes you have to throw a fit, sometimes it's tough cookies.

I can say that the standard on NW is automatic miles on any substantial MX delay. Everyone gets comp, however the more status you have, the bigger the auto comp seems to be.

As far as food and drink, it seems that all US Flag carriers stink at it. Whereas carriers like Cathy Pacific have been known to order catering refresh on both departing and arrival delays.

coz

"Ladies and Gentlemen, there is an ATC delay of 1 hour, we will be holding for the next while at our present position before landing. For those of you that are hungry, we have ordered some additional food and it will be arriving shortly. Thank you for flying"

One thing I have NEVER understood is arrival delays. There is nothing more frustrating than sitting on the ground waiting for a gate. I am always staring that the staircase truck wondering why they just don't let drive it over and let us off! Can't airports create a place for airplanes to taxi up and deplane and then move on? Sure I might still have to wait for my bag, and they can't board the next flight... but surely it beats holding passengers for hours on end!

SusanDK

The I-94s are not collected at check-in, but at the gate when boarding. My husband's has also sometimes been collected in the lounge (this was by SAS) when we've shown our boarding passes for lounge entrance.

Susan

GeorgeK

My partner and I were scheduled to come back from BCN on 9/10 and we were both on a business class award ticket. After a couple of hours of delay the gate agen told us that the flight was cancelled due to a mechnical problem and that everyone on the flight would not get another flight until the following day.

Delta was good about providing meal vouchers, hotel (in suburban BCN) and they bussed us to and from the airport. However, we both were out of pocket for our incidentials (extra day parking, dog sitter, plus both losing another vacation day from work).

Since we were on miles, is it reasonable to ask Delta to reimburse us for our miles for this trip or some other form of compensation?

Afterall, they are charging fees left and right and I don't think providing meals and a hotel room in a suburb is all that exceptional since it was a mechincal issue.

Anyone ever had a similiar experience and receive some sort of compensation?

SCEflyer

My experience has been if you ask, DL will offer 5,000 miles or perhaps 10,000, based on two travelers.

N808DE

I got 5K for a similar situation on a paid ticket.

motytrah

In this case DL in in Violation of EU Regulations. Specifically European Commission Regulation 261/2004.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europea...ation_261/2004

Based on what the OP stated, DL Owes every passenger on that flight 600 Euros, Hotel, Transport, meals, and a Phone call. Looks like they only covered hotel, and transport and meals.

kahuna613

Last summer my ATL-SCL flight was cancelled for mechanical reasons and I had to wait to the next night....the guy in the CRC changed my fare class from whatever award class it was (from NW, where I booked it) to Y and I got miles for that flight + 2500 miles from customer service when I wrote a complaint letter into my Skymiles account.

GeorgeK

Wow, thanks for the response....this would cover many out of my out of pocket expenses incurred by being forced to stay in Barcelona another day.