Military Priority
Feb 1, 2018, 5:34 pm
#16
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: CT
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Feb 1, 2018, 5:54 pm
#17
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 551
How about foreign active duty, foreign military, and foreign veterans?
I would have asked the GA to clarify.
Feb 1, 2018, 6:43 pm
#18
Join Date: Nov 2002
Programs: UA Plat; AS MVP Gold; BA Silver; LATAM Black; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Plat; GHA Plat
Posts: 289
The Economist had an interesting article on how "America's love affair with uniformed men ... leads to a lot of fuzzy thinking about the armed forces... Most obviously, it gives the Department of Defense an outsize advantage in the battle for resources with civilian agencies. Today’s cuts to the State Department, whose officers are not noticeably less patriotic or public-spirited than America’s soldiers, are a dismal case in point."
Feb 1, 2018, 11:25 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 20
Active duty is only your status in the armed forces as opposed to reserves (though reservists are frequently activated) and it depends on the individual branch of service for which uniform and where a service member can wear it. For example in the Marines it is generally not permitted to where the camouflage uniform off base (we can't even stop at a gas station on the way home).
Feb 2, 2018, 1:00 am
#21
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Join Date: Jun 2015
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We’re generally advised to travel in civilian attire for personal and operational security, though each branch has their own specifics. I seem to see more Army personnel in uniform (both service dress and combat uniforms) than USAF/USN/USMC/USCG. But it’s often recommended to avoid traveling in uniform because you stand out as a more obvious “target” if you’re in uniform. That said, military people can be somewhat easy to spot even when out of uniform, either by haircut or even by their luggage (IIRC, when there was the shooting at FRA where military were targeted, they were identified as military by the bags they had).
Last edited by ATOBTTR; Feb 2, 2018 at 1:10 am
Feb 2, 2018, 5:14 am
#22
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: DL DM PM
Posts: 2,033
Why not firefighters? Policepeople? Maybe nurses? Teachers? It's ridiculous. Limit early boarding to those who need the time for disability or maneuvering small kids. It's nothing to do with respect so please don't accuse me of not respecting anyone here.
Feb 2, 2018, 5:18 am
#23
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: LHR
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Just wait...eventually...there will be a complaint of, "a military person boarded before me and took a first class seat! How dare Delta GIVE them an F seat."
Of course, that service member might be an elite too..
And, yes, I've had people assume my military status was what got me an upgrade vice Medallion status.
Of course, that service member might be an elite too..
And, yes, I've had people assume my military status was what got me an upgrade vice Medallion status.
Feb 2, 2018, 5:21 am
#24
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Nearly always an endless argument - be it based on entitlement, right, respect, or something else - that ends up locking a thread. .
Feb 2, 2018, 5:27 am
#25
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: DL DM PM
Posts: 2,033
Almost every time the issue of giving privileges to military members comes up, someone brings up the argument of others who serve the public.
Nearly always an endless argument - be it based on entitlement, right, respect, or something else - that ends up locking a thread. .
Nearly always an endless argument - be it based on entitlement, right, respect, or something else - that ends up locking a thread. .
Feb 2, 2018, 5:41 am
#26
Join Date: Feb 2017
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Posts: 2,994
That's because it's true, they do serve the public, and I don't think any of us should fawn over them any more than over you with respect to being prompted to get onto a flying tube in advance of other travelers. Somebody above posted about the fetishizing of the military in the US, which you see all the time and makes me cringe, but it doesn't stop us from being comfortable sending them away to die to get back at some "bad guys" in foreign lands. Boarding a plane has nothing to do with the execution of one's duty whether one is a firefighter or a soldier.
In all seriousness though, out of all the things to bother someone this is pretty low. Agree that we overly fetishize the military but this is a (basically free) way for Delta to advertise to a significant demographic of the population that gets warm and fuzzies from "supporting our troops" and it probably won't really alienate anyone except for a few folks of FlyerTalk
... I'm not surprised they started doing it.
Feb 2, 2018, 5:48 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2011
Programs: DL DM PM
Posts: 2,033
We also send loggers off to die at higher rates than our military to get us the wood we need to build our houses... but I don't see a priority boarding announcement for them
In all seriousness though, out of all the things to bother someone this is pretty low. Agree that we overly fetishize the military but this is a (basically free) way for Delta to advertise to a significant demographic of the population that gets warm and fuzzies from "supporting our troops" and it probably won't really alienate anyone except for a few folks of FlyerTalk... I'm not surprised they started doing it.
In all seriousness though, out of all the things to bother someone this is pretty low. Agree that we overly fetishize the military but this is a (basically free) way for Delta to advertise to a significant demographic of the population that gets warm and fuzzies from "supporting our troops" and it probably won't really alienate anyone except for a few folks of FlyerTalk
... I'm not surprised they started doing it.
Feb 2, 2018, 5:54 am
#28
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Alaska MVP, Bonvoy (lol) Ambassador
Posts: 2,994
Completely agree, but this benefit isn't targeted to the military, it's for those who want to feel vicariously good for supporting the troops by flying an airline that lets the military board first (although I think United does this as well? Or at least used to?). Whether or not troops actually use the benefit is irrelevant.
Feb 2, 2018, 6:16 am
#29
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Yeah I'm not surprised either, and I guess that's what irritates me, just like Delta "raising money" for charity by enlisting its staff as shills to take money from its customers. It's a feel-good thing with no cost to Delta that capitalizes on the patriotic feeling to make themselves look good. When it comes down to it I really don't care who gets on the plane first, but if I were military, I'd be embarrassed to board ahead of my fellow passengers (whom I serve!).
Feb 2, 2018, 6:37 am
#30
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 15
Yeah I'm not surprised either, and I guess that's what irritates me, just like Delta "raising money" for charity by enlisting its staff as shills to take money from its customers. It's a feel-good thing with no cost to Delta that capitalizes on the patriotic feeling to make themselves look good. When it comes down to it I really don't care who gets on the plane first, but if I were military, I'd be embarrassed to board ahead of my fellow passengers (whom I serve!).
