RDU check in fiascos
Dec 30, 2018, 1:12 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 24
RDU check in fiascos
Surprised to see no post here about this. Maybe DL FFs don't care or notice, given priority line access. On at least 12/26 (my travel) and 12/29 (friend's travel), DL stranded many, many pax who were on the 7am bank of flights out of RDU and had showed up 1.5-2 hours prior to travel. DL could not manage to accomplish bag drop for the number of pax they knew they had coming (and of course they knew they had holiday travelers, with more luggage and less likely preferred status). Two hour waits to drop a bag when check in all done online ahead? Four agents at the counter to handle all bag drop and all other issues? This was NOT a TSA problem, that line was long but moved efficiently. I was denied check in with my bag by the agent then I managed to pressure her into an override, ran through precheck and made it on as the last one to board my flight. I was at the airport one hour forty minutes ahead. My friend yesterday arrived at the airport two hours ahead, was denied check in, rerouted (after another hour waiting in the "special services" line) and arrived SLC 12:30am instead of her scheduled 10am the prior day. My flight pushed back on time (nice stat DL!) with many, many seats empty, landed 45 mins early at SLC and sat on the tarmac 45 minutes waiting for a gate. I was angry at what happened to people around me on 12/26, but then to hear it kept happening in subsequent days and management of ground staff had done nothing to adjust for its prior disasters--outrageous.
Dec 30, 2018, 1:18 pm
#2
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Was there a separate line for SkyPriority that was faster?
I hope you complain to DL about this. Perhaps no supervisors/managers were doing their jobs over the holiday period. Perhaps also the most experienced agents weren't working and the station could have mostly been operated by ready reserve workers, although apparently there weren't staffing problems on the tarmac or even at the gates.
BTW, it's not an excuse, but some airports were publicizing that people should arrive three hours early for holiday season travel. IMO this shouldn't be necessary because, as you point out, airlines (and TSA) know passenger numbers in advance and should be able to predict the required staffing levels.
I hope you complain to DL about this. Perhaps no supervisors/managers were doing their jobs over the holiday period. Perhaps also the most experienced agents weren't working and the station could have mostly been operated by ready reserve workers, although apparently there weren't staffing problems on the tarmac or even at the gates.
BTW, it's not an excuse, but some airports were publicizing that people should arrive three hours early for holiday season travel. IMO this shouldn't be necessary because, as you point out, airlines (and TSA) know passenger numbers in advance and should be able to predict the required staffing levels.
Dec 30, 2018, 1:55 pm
#3
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Sadly not surprised. I'm RDU based and checking bags is always a sh*t show even in the Sky line. I've done curbside check-in on domestic flights more than once to avoid the line. They are always understaffed and especially the afternoon when they've got a huge bank including the Paris flight it's a disaster.
If I have to check a bag I arrive at least 1.5 hours for RDU when it's not a holiday and that's as PM with access to SKY vs when I have no checked bags I show up 10 min before boarding and breeze right through with precheck
If I have to check a bag I arrive at least 1.5 hours for RDU when it's not a holiday and that's as PM with access to SKY vs when I have no checked bags I show up 10 min before boarding and breeze right through with precheck
Dec 30, 2018, 3:43 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: RDU
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Posts: 359
Sadly not surprised. I'm RDU based and checking bags is always a sh*t show even in the Sky line. I've done curbside check-in on domestic flights more than once to avoid the line. They are always understaffed and especially the afternoon when they've got a huge bank including the Paris flight it's a disaster.
If I have to check a bag I arrive at least 1.5 hours for RDU when it's not a holiday and that's as PM with access to SKY vs when I have no checked bags I show up 10 min before boarding and breeze right through with precheck
If I have to check a bag I arrive at least 1.5 hours for RDU when it's not a holiday and that's as PM with access to SKY vs when I have no checked bags I show up 10 min before boarding and breeze right through with precheck
Last edited by AviationFreak; Dec 30, 2018 at 3:49 pm
Dec 30, 2018, 7:24 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: ATL
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 37
No help for the OP, but this is my experience also - I'm (un)lucky enough at this point to know to never plan to check a bag at RDU unless I have time to waste. I can't think of another station where I've complained to Delta about the Sky Priority lines other than RDU - and repeatedly at that.
I’m also an RDU based flyer, and want to second this. I’ve often had to wait 15-20 minutes to check in at the Sky Priority lane. There is frequently only one person dedicated to priority checkin, and is inevitably dealing with one passenger for a long time because of rebooking or ticket issues. The regular bag drop line is almost always easily 100+ people deep. It’s a problem and source of incredible frustration that they cannot seem to staff it properly.
I’m also an RDU based flyer, and want to second this. I’ve often had to wait 15-20 minutes to check in at the Sky Priority lane. There is frequently only one person dedicated to priority checkin, and is inevitably dealing with one passenger for a long time because of rebooking or ticket issues. The regular bag drop line is almost always easily 100+ people deep. It’s a problem and source of incredible frustration that they cannot seem to staff it properly.
Dec 30, 2018, 9:08 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: RDU
Programs: DL PM, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 312
There always seems to be a family of 4+ fumbling with passports in front of me, and when I finally get to the counter the agent is clueless. Also, security would be a nightmare without precheck. I really miss MKE as my home airport, especially the Recombobulation Area!
Dec 30, 2018, 10:25 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,281
This is a problem at most major airports during the holiday system, and I'm pretty sure Delta recommends additional time during the holiday season; it might even come up with the check-in email. Regardless, they suggest a minimum of 2 hours for all US based itineraries. So you said you showed up 1hr 40 mins before and it was cutting it close, that's less than the recommended time. For your friend, not seeing what their confirmation said hard to say if 2 hours was sufficient.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.
Dec 31, 2018, 5:59 am
#8
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Sadly not surprised. I'm RDU based and checking bags is always a sh*t show even in the Sky line. I've done curbside check-in on domestic flights more than once to avoid the line. They are always understaffed and especially the afternoon when they've got a huge bank including the Paris flight it's a disaster....
Dec 31, 2018, 6:17 am
#9
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: Now just a lowly DL PM/1MM. This industry needs some competition. It's just not enjoyable anymore.
Posts: 3,543
Have to agree with most here. While RDU is a nice airport, the DL bag checking operation just plain sucks. Woefully understaffed, and this is over a period of time, not just the holidays. Given that this has been a glaring issue for some time, I'm amazed DL has not addressed it.
Dec 31, 2018, 8:07 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Gulf Coast
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Posts: 2,323
Was a PM out of RDU every year from 2012-2015. Had absolutely zero issues and loved coming home to RDU.
The very few times we ever had to check-in at the counter were a disaster. 20-30 minutes in the Sky Priority line, queues to nowhere, delayed bags, etc.
The very few times we ever had to check-in at the counter were a disaster. 20-30 minutes in the Sky Priority line, queues to nowhere, delayed bags, etc.
Dec 31, 2018, 8:46 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 24
This is a problem at most major airports during the holiday system, and I'm pretty sure Delta recommends additional time during the holiday season; it might even come up with the check-in email. Regardless, they suggest a minimum of 2 hours for all US based itineraries. So you said you showed up 1hr 40 mins before and it was cutting it close, that's less than the recommended time. For your friend, not seeing what their confirmation said hard to say if 2 hours was sufficient.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.
Dec 31, 2018, 9:33 am
#12
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This is a problem at most major airports during the holiday system, and I'm pretty sure Delta recommends additional time during the holiday season; it might even come up with the check-in email. Regardless, they suggest a minimum of 2 hours for all US based itineraries. So you said you showed up 1hr 40 mins before and it was cutting it close, that's less than the recommended time. For your friend, not seeing what their confirmation said hard to say if 2 hours was sufficient.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.
I find most of the assertions here to be implausible or beside the point. But as I am ordinarily an AA flyer--which for its many faults I have never seen have this problem at RDU, from which it sends a daily 772 to LHR (DL's CDG flight is a 757), among many other flights--perhaps those more familiar with DL ops can respond to these arguments.
Last year, we almost missed the cutoff time for our bags on RDU - ATL - LHR once because the SkyPriority line took over 30 minutes with only 2 people processing SKY and only about 10 people in line in front of us (random Thursday in May). We had to plead with the people in front of us in line to let us cut them so we could get our bags tagged before the cut-off (and then DL inexplicably left an entire cargo container off our ATL - LHR flight so my then GF now wife's bag didn't make it despite a 3 hour layover in ATL but that's another story in another thread).
One thing to note is that the flight to CDG is on a 767 these days not a 757, but as noted the AA flight is on an even bigger 772 so if AA can manage things in the lead-up to the LHR flight, DL should definitely be capable leading up to the CDG flight.
Dec 31, 2018, 9:40 am
#13
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Does RDU have an "all airlines" checked bag processing facility or does DL operate its own facility for checked bags? If it's the latter, AA might just have a better system or greater capacity.
Dec 31, 2018, 9:46 am
#14
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This article from 2013 suggests that T2 (serving AA, DL, UA, B6, F9, AC) has a single shared conveyor belt system that feeds in from the check-in counters and then sorts the bags back to the individual airlines after it routes through the screening process. It also cites a total transit time of 4 minutes 20 seconds (and most even faster) so I don't think it's the airport infrastructure holding back DL (and it's the same infrastructure everyone else in T2 is using).
A laser reading system scans all of the bags after they have cleared security. The scanner is looking for just the airline. During the conveyor process, bags from the various airlines are mixed together. After the laser reads the bag it is sorted onto a conveyor designated for a specific airline. Those that can’t be scanned are sent to a separate area for manual sorting via human eyes...
...From the furthest point in the system, the total transit time for bags in Terminal 2 is 4 minutes 20 seconds, though most bags have a quicker trip. Here, airline employees manually sort bags according to flights and place on carts destined for the specific airlines.
...From the furthest point in the system, the total transit time for bags in Terminal 2 is 4 minutes 20 seconds, though most bags have a quicker trip. Here, airline employees manually sort bags according to flights and place on carts destined for the specific airlines.
Dec 31, 2018, 2:08 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,125
This is a problem at most major airports during the holiday system, and I'm pretty sure Delta recommends additional time during the holiday season; it might even come up with the check-in email. Regardless, they suggest a minimum of 2 hours for all US based itineraries. So you said you showed up 1hr 40 mins before and it was cutting it close, that's less than the recommended time. For your friend, not seeing what their confirmation said hard to say if 2 hours was sufficient.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.
Staffing isn't usually the problem in these situations. Like has been said, the airlines know they are going to be busy. The problem tends to be having enough counter space available to add additional agents and behind the scene throughput to process that volume of baggage. It does know good if I have a ton of agents standing up front but the bags are getting backed up because they're checked in faster than they can be processed. Ultimately the check in process is going to be constrained by the system the airport provides. For what it's worth, I flew out of MSP on 12/27 at 7am. It took 30 mins to get through the premium line, and who knows how long for the regular line. It happens, it's a busy time of the year, them having more staff wouldn't have been able to speed anything up.