RDU check in fiascos
Apr 15, 2019, 1:36 pm
#31
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: RDU
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Posts: 2,667
The only time I had issues at RDU was during one of the IT meltdowns in the last couple of years. I fly out of RDU about every other week.
Apr 15, 2019, 2:23 pm
#32
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: RDU
Posts: 5,239
Thanks. In our case we'll visit the small Delta lounge, if time permits.
Apr 15, 2019, 6:30 pm
#33
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: RDU
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Posts: 2,667
Apr 16, 2019, 4:56 am
#34
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM+(segs)/MM, UA Ag, Hilton DM, Marriott Ti (life Pt), TSA Opt-out Platinum
Posts: 3,226
Apr 16, 2019, 5:28 am
#35
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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I have no issue with it being 45 min (though am a little baffled why RDU needs 45 min) rather they no longer had it listed as an exception airport online which is where the confusion and annoyance came from
Apr 16, 2019, 8:14 am
#36
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: RDU
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 44
Two amusing anecdotes related to RDU's check-in, occurring between February and last week.
1. Related to the baggage check cut off time, I thought it was 30 minutes in February and arrived at the Sky Priority line with +40 before departure. The agent tells me that the cut off is 45 min, I don't push it and take my bag (and laptop bag, and ski boots
) through security and gate check. I did look later on delta.com to see whether RDU had a cutoff exception of 45 minutes or more, and it didn't at the time (checked in March). Sounds like the Delta website overlords have rectified the issue and put RDU back on the 45 minute list...Had I known in Feb that RDU wasn't on the list at the time, I would have pushed harder to get my bag checked! Lost a good can of shaving cream in security.
2. Just last weekend - spouse and I were heading to BOS - checked our bags and were pleasantly surprised to receive an upgrade to FC when the agent printed our boarding passes (on thick cardstock, no less!) - somewhat unusual given that I'm a lowly GM these days, but shrugged and headed for the club. I did suspect something might have been amiss with our FC upgrade, as we weren't particularly high on the UG list, nor were there that many seats available. But who am I to argue? Somewhere in the middle of zone 1, we decided to board and as the gate agent scans our tickets, he looks at them and frowns, immediately reaches over to the desk where he had already had our "new" boarding passes printed - back to Comfort+! No matter really, we had the "bulkhead" row on the CRJ and you get a ton of leg room anyway. But, c'mon, who wants an upgrade taken away!? ...in passing as he re-scanned our new boarding passes the gate agent said that the upgrades were processed out of order. Isn't that something the gate agent does anyway and is mostly automated? Why would we have been upgraded out of order? Perhaps the ticket desk agent where we checked our bags moved us by accident?
1. Related to the baggage check cut off time, I thought it was 30 minutes in February and arrived at the Sky Priority line with +40 before departure. The agent tells me that the cut off is 45 min, I don't push it and take my bag (and laptop bag, and ski boots
) through security and gate check. I did look later on delta.com to see whether RDU had a cutoff exception of 45 minutes or more, and it didn't at the time (checked in March). Sounds like the Delta website overlords have rectified the issue and put RDU back on the 45 minute list...Had I known in Feb that RDU wasn't on the list at the time, I would have pushed harder to get my bag checked! Lost a good can of shaving cream in security.2. Just last weekend - spouse and I were heading to BOS - checked our bags and were pleasantly surprised to receive an upgrade to FC when the agent printed our boarding passes (on thick cardstock, no less!) - somewhat unusual given that I'm a lowly GM these days, but shrugged and headed for the club. I did suspect something might have been amiss with our FC upgrade, as we weren't particularly high on the UG list, nor were there that many seats available. But who am I to argue? Somewhere in the middle of zone 1, we decided to board and as the gate agent scans our tickets, he looks at them and frowns, immediately reaches over to the desk where he had already had our "new" boarding passes printed - back to Comfort+! No matter really, we had the "bulkhead" row on the CRJ and you get a ton of leg room anyway. But, c'mon, who wants an upgrade taken away!? ...in passing as he re-scanned our new boarding passes the gate agent said that the upgrades were processed out of order. Isn't that something the gate agent does anyway and is mostly automated? Why would we have been upgraded out of order? Perhaps the ticket desk agent where we checked our bags moved us by accident?
Apr 16, 2019, 11:16 am
#37
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2. You could ask DL to follow up to see why you were downgraded. IMO it's unlikely to be a FAM on an RJ, especially as two seats were involved. I wouldn't normally expect to see two GMs get FC upgrades on the RDU-BOS route (elite-heavy business-oriented city pair), but over a weekend, it's not so surprising. You might be eligible for downgrade compensation, although DL might resist since you were only upgraded for a short time. OTOH with such an upgrade, I would have wanted to board early and get a PDB to celebrate, which might have slightly decreased the chance of the downgrade happening.
Apr 16, 2019, 11:18 am
#38
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: BUR
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Two amusing anecdotes related to RDU's check-in, occurring between February and last week.
2. Just last weekend - spouse and I were heading to BOS - checked our bags and were pleasantly surprised to receive an upgrade to FC when the agent printed our boarding passes (on thick cardstock, no less!) - somewhat unusual given that I'm a lowly GM these days, but shrugged and headed for the club. I did suspect something might have been amiss with our FC upgrade, as we weren't particularly high on the UG list, nor were there that many seats available. But who am I to argue? Somewhere in the middle of zone 1, we decided to board and as the gate agent scans our tickets, he looks at them and frowns, immediately reaches over to the desk where he had already had our "new" boarding passes printed - back to Comfort+! No matter really, we had the "bulkhead" row on the CRJ and you get a ton of leg room anyway. But, c'mon, who wants an upgrade taken away!? ...in passing as he re-scanned our new boarding passes the gate agent said that the upgrades were processed out of order. Isn't that something the gate agent does anyway and is mostly automated? Why would we have been upgraded out of order? Perhaps the ticket desk agent where we checked our bags moved us by accident?
2. Just last weekend - spouse and I were heading to BOS - checked our bags and were pleasantly surprised to receive an upgrade to FC when the agent printed our boarding passes (on thick cardstock, no less!) - somewhat unusual given that I'm a lowly GM these days, but shrugged and headed for the club. I did suspect something might have been amiss with our FC upgrade, as we weren't particularly high on the UG list, nor were there that many seats available. But who am I to argue? Somewhere in the middle of zone 1, we decided to board and as the gate agent scans our tickets, he looks at them and frowns, immediately reaches over to the desk where he had already had our "new" boarding passes printed - back to Comfort+! No matter really, we had the "bulkhead" row on the CRJ and you get a ton of leg room anyway. But, c'mon, who wants an upgrade taken away!? ...in passing as he re-scanned our new boarding passes the gate agent said that the upgrades were processed out of order. Isn't that something the gate agent does anyway and is mostly automated? Why would we have been upgraded out of order? Perhaps the ticket desk agent where we checked our bags moved us by accident?
Can't explain what the deal was with the desk agent.
Apr 16, 2019, 4:23 pm
#39
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Last time I was in RDU, I was 1st of many for 1 F seat on RDU-ATL. Now as a PM with no reserve, I never clear anything with ATL except the 10:30pm ATL-ORD, which I always clear if it's not Thursday night. I happened to mention it to the SkyClub desk person as I was checking in, and I laughed that somebody will change onto it and take it from me. Amazingly, that didn't happen and I cleared it.
I start to head to the gate, and the SkyClub agent sees me and starts cheering! She was legitimately happy that the upgrade cleared, and had printed me a cardstock boarding pass and gave it to me as I left so I wouldn't have to dig my phone out of my jacket to board.
I start to head to the gate, and the SkyClub agent sees me and starts cheering! She was legitimately happy that the upgrade cleared, and had printed me a cardstock boarding pass and gave it to me as I left so I wouldn't have to dig my phone out of my jacket to board.
Apr 17, 2019, 7:48 am
#40
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: RDU
Posts: 679
IIRC, based on agents checking BPs at the regular bag drop, skycaps only accept bags for domestics. No idea about domestic connecting to international.
May 17, 2019, 10:17 am
#43
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: BUR
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Not to Chicago. That flight’s delayed. 
EDIT: RDU-ORD delayed 16 minutes. No big deal. But due to the delay, various ground crew (baggage loaders, gate marshals, etc.) that ware scheduled to load our flight went on to other flights so we had to wait for them to be done with them and then come to our gate. That made our delay 36 minutes. I know RDU is a substantial airport, but I didn’t expect it to be so LAX-esque.
EDIT: RDU-ORD delayed 16 minutes. No big deal. But due to the delay, various ground crew (baggage loaders, gate marshals, etc.) that ware scheduled to load our flight went on to other flights so we had to wait for them to be done with them and then come to our gate. That made our delay 36 minutes. I know RDU is a substantial airport, but I didn’t expect it to be so LAX-esque.
Last edited by Oakshadow; May 17, 2019 at 11:35 am
May 17, 2019, 12:54 pm
#44
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM+(segs)/MM, UA Ag, Hilton DM, Marriott Ti (life Pt), TSA Opt-out Platinum
Posts: 3,226
Not to Chicago. That flight’s delayed.
EDIT: RDU-ORD delayed 16 minutes. No big deal. But due to the delay, various ground crew (baggage loaders, gate marshals, etc.) that ware scheduled to load our flight went on to other flights so we had to wait for them to be done with them and then come to our gate. That made our delay 36 minutes. I know RDU is a substantial airport, but I didn’t expect it to be so LAX-esque.
They're also rehabbing RWY 5L/23R (except during the CDG/LHR arrival/departure hours), which means most flights are using the other side of the airport (significantly longer taxi times).
Last edited by HDQDD; May 17, 2019 at 1:01 pm