vincentharris

So recently at SLC (the best hands down employees work at SLC in all of DL) I was checking in and dropping a bag and instead of the usual "thanks for being (blank, insert medallion level)" we all get at check in or when boarding he said "thanks for keeping me employed and my family fed, what do you do that keeps you in the air so much?"

Not a big change necessarily and I am sure the next 7 DMs after me he said the same thing but it was unique and felt like he was genuinely thanking you and instead of reading the DL script came up with a unique way to thank you and engage in conversation at the same time.

Troppy

Eddie98

I get the best treatment at NGO. The manager comes and greets every DM and know some of us by name. They are very accomodating to my requests of moving me to a row with no person next to me. I get a "greeting card" on my seat every time.

ATOBTTR

That's a different yet nice recognition for the appreciation of the repeat business. And it goes both ways because I always thank the aircrew and staff because they get me where I'm going to do the things I want or need to do - be it for work or go on vacation or to visit family or friends, especially over the holidays.

bjohnsonmn

I have a similar experience when I fly through EWN (New Bern, NC) once per year. The station is small and has infrequent service, but the crew there shows that out-station performance can absolutely beat the hubs any day! When I arrived, they thanked me for traveling to New Bern and for choosing Delta. They said they looked forward to my return and recognized me when I did two days later. During boarding, Medallions were handed a card which was signed by everyone working the flight that morning. It was a -200, but it felt like a king's chariot that morning

josephstern

RealHJ

+1

Unfortunately, DL really likes to fire its best staff like that, usually in a bad manner with little notice and no consultation with staff. FUK ground staff are just as good, if not better, than NGO, yet everyone there is getting fired with less than 4 months notice - it coming as a big shock to everyone there. Something that DL has done so many times at so many stations (usually the best staffed ones), as it continually keeps shrinking. It's seems like DL is determined to put out its brightest stars of the best staff, by never holding onto them.

fotographer

had that said to me on a AA flight from ATL to DFW... nice touch but well it came out of the blue

indufan

Complete and utter BS.

aquamarinesteph

I've never had a good experience at SLC, but I am glad that someone did.

pgh234

While I understand it might have sounded heartfelt and genuine, that type of response makes me feel odd.
#1 - I don't think I deserve applause for keeping food on your table like the Scrooge giving away a Christmas Bonus. You deserve that (as the employee) by coming to work reliably and doing your job.
#2 - I am sure that Delta has lost money flying me around on the mistake airfare deals, old mileage runs, etc that I have flown over the years
#3 - Any time a DL employee (or Porsche driver) asks me why I fly so much...saying "because I am a travel dork", "because I love gaming the system", and "because I am on a mileage run" never really leads the conversation to a place either one of us wanted it to go.

I have also never had a good experience in SLC.

SecurityTheaterFanClubPresident

I was in FC on a ATL CTG flight and the pilot came out during boarding, thanked us for being customers and told us he put 3 kids through college due to people like us. It was a nice touch and got a good laugh.

RealHJ

Clearly you are not following the DL route cancellations and station closures, and it seems that you don't really fly much (if you did, you'd have likely experienced several canceled routes/stations closed first hand) and don't talk to the DL staff either (well with an attitude like yours, likely no one wants to talk to you).
Not sure why you want to showcase your sheer ignorance though.

Take a few minutes to search and see just the number of stations that DL has closed over the last few years.
Hint: airlineroute.net and flyertalk are two good resources for that.

gitismatt

regardless of the price you paid for the ticket, you contributed to the revenue of the airline and thus the overall profitability. delta just announced that they shared over $1bn back to their employees so I would really argue that your points #1 and #2 are incorrect. any extra cash given to delta most certainly does help their employees. as for #3 I have actually had more interesting conversations with people (employees and fellow pax) about my crazy mileage runs or other stupid travel behavior than I ever have about my travel for work. and I live in LAS which is always a guaranteed convo starter.

pgh234

I find it hard to believe that Delta makes money when I spend $500 R/T taking up space on a first class seat to Europe on a full flight, then get a $1000 VDB or EU Compensation Voucher. ...and then I repeat the process for about 8 years, collecting SkyPesos along the way. It makes me feel dirty for an employee to thank me for helping their company. haha

I have never explained the concept of my "stupid travel behavior" to anyone and not had their eyes glass over (in particular, my coworkers, friends, and every Porsche driver that has picked me up). Luckily my wife finally understood the year we traveled to Asia three times.

I would like the DL employees to please just stick to the "thanks for your status" line so I don't feel dirty, guilty, and weird about my hobbies when engaging in small talk with them.