cmd320

This. The same thing happened post-9/11. No more metal cutlery, slashed meal services, see-through class dividers, etc. all branded as 'safety' for passengers and crew.

mridley2

Gosh I know. You would think there was some global pandemic that has killed 400K people worldwide. I wonder what it takes for people to care less about themselves and more about others. Maybe next year.

Too bad about your cable. I have a long list of books I can recommend.

cmd320

People love to use this excuse but it's a bit of a red herring in most applications.

mridley2

I'm really not being argumentative here. but how is the prevailing point of view of all reputable medical experts a red herring? 400K people haven't died? Social distancing doesn't work? Protective measures to protect the health and safety of people in dense environments is not working to dramatically reduce the spread of the virus?

I don't think any of these things are red herrings.

cmd320

I don't think anyone is arguing that people haven't died, but as it pertains to perceived 'safety' there isn't any difference between a cabin crew member handing you a water or a gin tonic.

If the concern is that high then DL should be dressing its crew in full hazmat suits a la QR.

Social distancing isn't really a thing on an aircraft. Unless you block every other row entirely and stagger passengers in window seats only no one is going to be 6+ feet apart.

FlyBitcoin

I flew out of ATL back in April when TSA was processing around 100k passengers nationwide, not 500k like now. 3 SP bag check agents at ATL then compared to zero now (per FT reports).

Also, early in the pandemic, they were woefully slow at reducing flights (to prevent giving cash refunds for cancellations) so they created their own problem right now.

Seems like they need to fire some of the $150k systems engineers that are so great at squeezing the last penny out of the last seat prior to CV-19 who now were asleep at the wheel not downsizing fast enough, and not restoring ground services fast enough on the upswing. One of these engineers off the payroll could cover a few more ground service personnel.

cfabar1

I think it is a challenging situation. My guess is their view is that flying will only be for those who are absolutely needing to fly right now, so why do anything more than they must.

Additionally, all the things they are removing are being done to limit exposure during a major outbreak. Funnily enough my bigger questioning of their decision has to do with what they are doing on the ground. Wouldn’t additional bag drop agents be a good thing to limit exposure? Wouldn’t having acceptable wait times mean there are less people having to interact with each other at an airport? Wouldn’t serving food in the SkyClubs, and reopening more clubs, if even only for targeted hours and with spacing/distancing guidelines actually help limit the concern about long flights not having food, and especially when Restaurants/Bars/etc. have been ordered reopened in many of the localities in which these SkyClubs are based?

FlyingBeanCounter

That is not the prevailing point of view for even a majority of medical experts. I think so little is known about the virus and how it transmits that there are all kinds of responses. Many, such as yourself, take a hyper conservative approach. So do any elderly or imuno-compromised individuals. Others are not as concerned about the virus. There certainly is research that supports both conclusions. That being said, this is certainly not definitively different from other virulent flu's over the last 40 years. This matters because DL is forcing people into the hyper conservative camp. And that is a Mistake iMHO.

I was on F9 today and they were PACKED. no social distancing, but we had masks. They are not serving drinks either BTW - and they only sell them. I can't blame DL for their approach, but I agree it is a bit draconian. The idea that we need a company to protect us from the virus is a bit silly. If I was that worried about it I wouldn't be flying. The things pointed out above could be done with minimal touching or even no touch in the case of the sky club.

I think this reaction really hurts the airlines. There is no service differentiation I can see right now, and F9 really is pretty much the same as DL for me. I get the same economy comfort seat and the same lack of service. Guess who I fly most of the time? Since I pay for the fare myself and I am not seeing anything of note from DL right now F9 gets my money because they are 1/4 of the cost. At some point people will realize this is a commodity and that the cost of status is not worth the investment.

Adam1222

It's amazing how many people on flyertalk continue to be not only airline revenue experts, but public health experts, outraged that they can't get a G&T, as thousands of people continue to die daily.

Giving everyone a bottle of water and not stopping to take individual drink orders reduces exposure of the flight attendants who are putting their health at risk so you can travel.

cmd320

It’s even more amazing how many continue to use this as an excuse even though it’s basically irrelevant.

Adam1222

You keep saying that, but it's not. Every interaction with a customer increases risk of transmission, particularly given that the science is quite clear that airborne transmission of droplets is the #1 means of transmission. Leaning in to a customer, who will pull down his mask and say, "Give me a woodford reserve on the rocks and a slice of lemon that you peel for me because I am a very important customer and must go to the beach in Pensacola", puts a flight attendant at risk. Doing it 300 times a day even more so.

Sorry bottled water offends you.

The complaints about the Skyclub? You realize that people have to cook the food, and that kitchen staff are at extremely high risk of transmission, as most kitchens are extremely cramped.

You have the luxury to still travel and think about these things. But you don't appear to think about the hundreds of workers along the way that contribute to your "normal" flying experience, and how they are impacted by the pandemic.

Justin026

I have to say I am getting skeptical about the commitment at Delta to basic levels of service. Just returned from a round trip to Tampa and the lack of presence at the service counters in Atlanta is amazing. My understanding of the airline bailout is that all worker pay is protected until this fall.

I realize that flying the plane involves many variable costs, but if you have to pay the ground staff, why not provide some kind of presence at the different areas: bag drop, ticketing issues, international and, if it makes sense to them, for frequent flyers? Two people standing idle at bag drop with four agents covering literally everything else, in one snaking line, is poor service.

I also don't know why the phone system wait times jumped to their current levels. If the entire pre-covid staff is involved now in mass rebooking to the point it leaves a predicted 9-hour wait on the diamond line, then.... ok?

cmd320

This argument is very thin. I’m not sure why a customer must pull their mask down to order something. I’ve done it many times through the mask. I’m also not sure why the cabin crew must lean in... With that said, if this is the only issue I’m sure DL could easily put concerned cabin crew in full HAZMAT suits. QR is doing this currently.

On the contrary, I drink it exclusively. Though Dasani is a bit offensive on the palate.

Seems to not be a problem in restaurants...

I mean, there’s plenty of employees at this point. Anyone impacted or concerned could easily take leave, I’m sure DL would be happy to let people take leave at this point.

Adam1222

I'm not sure if any of these responses were serious, particularly since you used the phrase "easily" twice to describe things that are not accomplished easily.
1. Are you seriously suggesting that the nation should reallocate its limited PPE to Delta Flight Attendants so you can have a cocktail on-board? Do you know anything about the nation's PPE supply? If you did, you would not say it is "easy" to outfit flight attendants in hazmat suits.
2. Covid transmission is indeed a problem in restaurant kitchens. I am not sure what makes you say otherwise. But restaurants are strongly urged to reconfigure their kitchens, stagger shifts, etc., and there still is a high risk of transmission.
3. Saying "if you dont like putting yourself at risk of transmission of a virus, you dont have to work" shows an utter lack of understanding of worklife for the predominantly low-wage workers on the chain that get you your pasta salad at the Skyclub.

Your argument is offensive.

cmd320

Yes, 100% serious. See: https://www.travelandleisure.com/air...crew-ppe-suits

Personally I think that’s complete overkill but if it makes people feel better then use it.

I’m sure SkyClub ‘kitchens’ could be reconfigured as well. Someone is still back there pumping out plastic-wrapped sandwiches and salads so it’s not like things are shut down and empty. This is clearly a cost saving measure.

The low-wage employees you’re referring to will likely make more money on unemployment right now. In fact many business are struggling to get said employees back for this very reason.