Lazy F FA
Jan 10, 2020, 6:35 pm
#16
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
That absolutely should not comply with any reasonable expectation of what F service should entail on a 2 hour flight. MCO-ATL is a 1h10m flight (or 1h40m now thanks to modern schedule padding) and I'm consistently offered multiple rounds of beverages in flight in addition to being offered a PDB. It's not as thought the FA had a meal service to provide or anything.
Also shouldn't make a difference whether it's a regional or mainline. If it has the Delta logo on the side of it the service should be streamlined with what is expected on any other Delta flight.
As an aside, on a two hour flight which is essentially just drinks service, I don't really see how DL F would be much better than NK BFS, especially considering the latter could easily cost a third of the price.
Also shouldn't make a difference whether it's a regional or mainline. If it has the Delta logo on the side of it the service should be streamlined with what is expected on any other Delta flight.
As an aside, on a two hour flight which is essentially just drinks service, I don't really see how DL F would be much better than NK BFS, especially considering the latter could easily cost a third of the price.
As to mainline v. Regional, it would be relevant to the claim a flight is worse than Spirit. Things like seat pitch and seat comfort vary, for example.
But I guess on a 2 hour flight in regional or mainline, I wouldn't be outraged if there was only a single drink service and pass of a snack basket. Is it the best service ever? No. But is it an outrage? No.
Jan 10, 2020, 6:45 pm
#17
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
This. Yeah, it's not the best F service, though it's not something I would spend time complaining about. And please, go ahead and enjoy the 28" pitch with no recline and crappy snacks that you have to pay for if you really think it's better than sitting in a first class seat (mainline or connection) with a cocktail and snacks.
Jan 10, 2020, 7:47 pm
#19
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Title should be "Lazy F FA or normal"
Just flew Delta for the first time in a long time. Bought F. 2 hour flight.
PDB = Dasani water bottles which is crap water anyway. No offers of anything else.
Light load, boarding finished way early.
No PDB.
One run through F cabin for drink orders LUV style.
One run with the snack basket.
One run to collect glasses.
Is this normal? Spirit is better.
Just flew Delta for the first time in a long time. Bought F. 2 hour flight.
PDB = Dasani water bottles which is crap water anyway. No offers of anything else.
Light load, boarding finished way early.
No PDB.
One run through F cabin for drink orders LUV style.
One run with the snack basket.
One run to collect glasses.
Is this normal? Spirit is better.
If you didn't ask, can't possibly be worth the bandwidth it took to start this thread.
Jan 10, 2020, 7:52 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
However, with regards to Spirit and it being comparable to DL F, on a ~2 hour flight of less in Spirit’s BFS product there really isn’t much of a difference. Yeah you’ve got to pay for drinks and snacks, but the reality is all you’re going to get for free on DL is drinks and snacks anyway. F on DL will cost 2-3 times the all in price for Spirit BFS + luggage + all the snacks and drinks I could get on DL. With that in mind, it’s not that ridiculous of a claim to imagine a flight on NK being better than the OP’s experience on DL.
Perhaps to some this isn’t a big deal, but for an airline which seems to take some kind of pride in its consistently, this is a complete failure to deliver F service IMO. Had I paid for F on the OP’s flight I would certainly walk away from that experience wondering why I did so.
Jan 10, 2020, 9:42 pm
#22
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 15
This thread made me think of my most recent flight on Lufthansa from Berlin to Frankfurt in first class. Completely full, 7 rows, 4 passengers per row. Block time was 57 minutes. Actual flight time less than 45. We got beverage service, a full meal on proper plates, and everything picked up. 45 minutes. That's service. It was a beauty to behold how efficient it was, compared to a flight of that duration of a flight in the US. I don't think I have terribly high expectations anymore, but geez, a PDB and at least 2 passes in a flight of that length. Come on.
Jan 10, 2020, 11:06 pm
#23
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: LAS HNL
Programs: DL DM, 5.7 MM, UA 3.1 MM, MARRIOTT PLATINUM, AVIS FIRST, Amex Black Card
Posts: 4,479
This is very, vary rare on DL in FC. Complaing about the bottled water brand? Take a look up and see the flight attendant call button and push it. WOW!
Jan 11, 2020, 9:06 am
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
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Disagree. There's pretty much nothing to an F flight on DL (or AA, or UA) that's under 2 hours unless wide body equipment is being used. The only differentiator is complimentary drinks and snacks which were basically not provided either. Certainly not something I would have paid for.
Jan 11, 2020, 10:56 am
#26
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: MSP (Or FAR if I stay another night at the lake)
Programs: Delta DM (no bag tags), United Silver, Spirit - one and done, IHG Spire, Hertz PC, Avis- owes me one
Posts: 74
This sounds like the same experience I had in December on a MSP-SEA flight where Joel was the flight leader. I was seated in 1C so I had a good view of what was going on. Boarding was on time and normal but we were not served PDBs. Except for at the last minute they came thru and offered us the mini Dasini bottles. Catering was not late so that isn't a valid excuse.
In air, C+ cabin was served drinks and snacks before we got our first drinks in F. Meal service was fine but there was essentially no passes through the F cabin afterwards. At one point I realized I had watched an entire documentary while waiting to have trash picked up, about 45 minutes.
It it wasn't that the flight attendants weren't busy. Joel had them huddled up in the front galley to snivel and complain about schedules and union talk. These conversations went on for extended periods. Upon deplaning I told Joel this was the worst service I've ever received in F. He seemed surprised. There was a red coat at the gate I talked to requesting they talk with Joel and let him know his level of service needs to improve on the next flight. She looked like the type that would throughly enjoy chewing someone out and proceeded hastily down the jetway. Incidentally, Joel was chewed out by a red coat in MSP for not monitoring the OH bin fill rate and reporting back to the GA before BE zone boarded. This resulted in about 10 bags being taken off the plane and checked in the jetway.
I don't expect anything out of the ordinary on a flight but this was definitely substandard service. I hope the crew got the message for the sake of the passengers on their next flight.
BTW, on my connecting flight on Delta Connection (SkyWest E175) we had excellent service in F by Brenda. I've generally had as good or better service from SkyWest FA's than DL mainlines in the last year or so.
In air, C+ cabin was served drinks and snacks before we got our first drinks in F. Meal service was fine but there was essentially no passes through the F cabin afterwards. At one point I realized I had watched an entire documentary while waiting to have trash picked up, about 45 minutes.
It it wasn't that the flight attendants weren't busy. Joel had them huddled up in the front galley to snivel and complain about schedules and union talk. These conversations went on for extended periods. Upon deplaning I told Joel this was the worst service I've ever received in F. He seemed surprised. There was a red coat at the gate I talked to requesting they talk with Joel and let him know his level of service needs to improve on the next flight. She looked like the type that would throughly enjoy chewing someone out and proceeded hastily down the jetway. Incidentally, Joel was chewed out by a red coat in MSP for not monitoring the OH bin fill rate and reporting back to the GA before BE zone boarded. This resulted in about 10 bags being taken off the plane and checked in the jetway.
I don't expect anything out of the ordinary on a flight but this was definitely substandard service. I hope the crew got the message for the sake of the passengers on their next flight.
BTW, on my connecting flight on Delta Connection (SkyWest E175) we had excellent service in F by Brenda. I've generally had as good or better service from SkyWest FA's than DL mainlines in the last year or so.
Jan 11, 2020, 11:22 am
#28
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
Disagree. There's pretty much nothing to an F flight on DL (or AA, or UA) that's under 2 hours unless wide body equipment is being used. The only differentiator is complimentary drinks and snacks which were basically not provided either. Certainly not something I would have paid for.
Seriously? You are ignoring everything about the customer experience aside from food & beverage service.
A comparison of Delta vs. Spirit (I can't believe we're even comparing these) also needs to include the whole experience:
the airport experience
customer service
handling of IRROPS
Also, the hard product is inferior on Spirit: narrower seat, no recline, no IFE or power, no dedicated lav, no bulkhead divider.
And yes, drinks and snacks were provided on DL, but proactively offered only once (not ideal, but all OP had to do was ask). Still, OP had a superior soft product in that the rink was served in real barware and there was a high quality pillow and blanket in OP's seat.
Jan 11, 2020, 12:33 pm
#29
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
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Posts: 12,809
Seriously? You are ignoring everything about the customer experience aside from food & beverage service.
A comparison of Delta vs. Spirit (I can't believe we're even comparing these) also needs to include the whole experience:
the airport experience
customer service
handling of IRROPS
Also, the hard product is inferior on Spirit: narrower seat, no recline, no IFE or power, no dedicated lav, no bulkhead divider.
And yes, drinks and snacks were provided on DL, but proactively offered only once (not ideal, but all OP had to do was ask). Still, OP had a superior soft product in that the rink was served in real barware and there was a high quality pillow and blanket in OP's seat.
A comparison of Delta vs. Spirit (I can't believe we're even comparing these) also needs to include the whole experience:
the airport experience
customer service
handling of IRROPS
Also, the hard product is inferior on Spirit: narrower seat, no recline, no IFE or power, no dedicated lav, no bulkhead divider.
And yes, drinks and snacks were provided on DL, but proactively offered only once (not ideal, but all OP had to do was ask). Still, OP had a superior soft product in that the rink was served in real barware and there was a high quality pillow and blanket in OP's seat.
The hard product may be slightly inferior but again, for a 2 hour flight it's not really going to make a bit of difference to me if I'm being honest. DL F lavs are not dedicated, I've never seen an FA turn someone back, and honestly I don't really care about the lack of a bulkhead divider, on DL it's just a small piece of plastic anyway, not really a wall. And yes, while power, IFE, and glassware are nice, they still aren't really worth 3x the price IMO.
As always, YMMV, however on a nonstop flight of 2 hours or less where you're not going to get anything more than a snack and a drink in F on AA/DL/UA, I stand by the statement that NK BFS could be an acceptable substitute, especially considering how much cheaper it can be had. Now if the on board product on DL were something like SQ regional J for 2 hours that would be a very different story, but the reality is that it's just not that good. When they drop the ball in the OP's scenario and don't even properly execute the bare bones service they already provide on a 2 hour flight, the value of the product is diminished enough for me to think twice about it the next time I go to book a similar flight.
Now I wouldn't personally advocate taking NK on a longer flight or something with a connection (I'm not really sure what the OPs routing was based on the post), but if I paid for F on DL on a nonstop 2 hour flight and received the same lack of service as the OP, yes I would seriously consider just flying NK BFS the next time, buy all the snack and drinks I wanted, and still walk away with an extra few hundred dollars in my pocket.
Jan 11, 2020, 2:00 pm
#30
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
Yes, absolutely seriously. For me the airport experience consists of parking my car, walking through pre-check, and walking onto the plane on the departure end, and walking out of the airport on the arrival end. I don't really ever need to talk to CS and honestly I only very rarely encounter IRROPs however when they happen I'm pretty competent at dealing with it.
The hard product may be slightly inferior but again, for a 2 hour flight it's not really going to make a bit of difference to me if I'm being honest. DL F lavs are not dedicated, I've never seen an FA turn someone back, and honestly I don't really care about the lack of a bulkhead divider, on DL it's just a small piece of plastic anyway, not really a wall. And yes, while power, IFE, and glassware are nice, they still aren't really worth 3x the price IMO.
As always, YMMV, however on a nonstop flight of 2 hours or less where you're not going to get anything more than a snack and a drink in F on AA/DL/UA, I stand by the statement that NK BFS could be an acceptable substitute, especially considering how much cheaper it can be had. Now if the on board product on DL were something like SQ regional J for 2 hours that would be a very different story, but the reality is that it's just not that good. When they drop the ball in the OP's scenario and don't even properly execute the bare bones service they already provide on a 2 hour flight, the value of the product is diminished enough for me to think twice about it the next time I go to book a similar flight.
Now I wouldn't personally advocate taking NK on a longer flight or something with a connection (I'm not really sure what the OPs routing was based on the post), but if I paid for F on DL on a nonstop 2 hour flight and received the same lack of service as the OP, yes I would seriously consider just flying NK BFS the next time, buy all the snack and drinks I wanted, and still walk away with an extra few hundred dollars in my pocket.
The hard product may be slightly inferior but again, for a 2 hour flight it's not really going to make a bit of difference to me if I'm being honest. DL F lavs are not dedicated, I've never seen an FA turn someone back, and honestly I don't really care about the lack of a bulkhead divider, on DL it's just a small piece of plastic anyway, not really a wall. And yes, while power, IFE, and glassware are nice, they still aren't really worth 3x the price IMO.
As always, YMMV, however on a nonstop flight of 2 hours or less where you're not going to get anything more than a snack and a drink in F on AA/DL/UA, I stand by the statement that NK BFS could be an acceptable substitute, especially considering how much cheaper it can be had. Now if the on board product on DL were something like SQ regional J for 2 hours that would be a very different story, but the reality is that it's just not that good. When they drop the ball in the OP's scenario and don't even properly execute the bare bones service they already provide on a 2 hour flight, the value of the product is diminished enough for me to think twice about it the next time I go to book a similar flight.
Now I wouldn't personally advocate taking NK on a longer flight or something with a connection (I'm not really sure what the OPs routing was based on the post), but if I paid for F on DL on a nonstop 2 hour flight and received the same lack of service as the OP, yes I would seriously consider just flying NK BFS the next time, buy all the snack and drinks I wanted, and still walk away with an extra few hundred dollars in my pocket.
OK, enjoy Spirit.