Originally Posted by BER Flyer

I just had an unreal experience this past sunday at JFK. Flew DL48 to AMS which is using the plane coming in from TLV hours earlier. To save on gate space that plane got parked on the old Terminal 3 parking spot for a couple of hours. It's then supposed to be towed to the departure gate...
Arriving at the gate about 1 hour before departure time ( the official boarding time ) only to find out no plane at the gate. Announcement from the gate agents "will be here any moment". Same announcement 15, 30, 45 minutes later. Plane finally arrives at the gate 10 minutes past the official departure time.
Explanation: no ground crew available to tow the plane to the gate! Something they knew about hours in advance. Story continues with no baggage loaders available to load luggage and freight. Departure time was 7.35 pm, luggage was loaded onto the plane at 10.10 pm. Actually departure time 10.55 pm, a
3,5 hour delay on a day with perfect weather in the northeast. Lots of people ( my estimate at least 30% ) with missed connections in AMS, everybody was looking at the app which was only saying "please contact reservations". Lots of people with the phones on the ear all listining to the same music.
Also, at the boarding time gate had two agents working the flight but one had to leave around our original departure time with only one agent holding position for the next three hours ( she did very good, handling a nearly full A330! ).
Story got even worse after arrival in AMS but that is an different story, AMS was a mess yesterday ( monday ) with extemly long lines at the "transfer" centres for rebooking.
After this experience i'm pretty certain that DL ( and KLM too ) have to cut the schedule even further then the already announced cuts, they are simply operationally not able to handle the number of pax & flights. July ( with all of europe in holiday mode ) will be a new all time low for travellers.

Originally Posted by belynch

Final note: seat mate on my flight out on Friday was a handicapped elderly woman. She slept on the ground in ATL Thursday night because she thought that was her only option. She wasn't feeling great and went to the lav before pushback. When the FAs realized she was still there as we pushed back they berated her, insulted her, and threatened her. We returned to the gate and offloaded her.

Zero compassion. Zero humanity. Zero reflection that DL caused her issues.
Is that a travel apocalypse? For that woman it absolutely was.

Originally Posted by coke cans and winglets

They must all have bartenders now, I’ve only been asked my age once and it was at ATL F. The lady checking me in just let me know that they have an open bar and that I can’t use it (wasn’t planning on it).

Originally Posted by nk15

You should be booking these on KLM/AF metal for EC 261 to provide compensation in these cases, at least for those with missed connections.

Originally Posted by BirdLawyer

DL105 ATL-GRU was supposed to leave at 1907 yesterday and has still not left. Originally a 12 hour delay, estimated departure is now 1059 today. The plane was ~5 hours late getting in, but out of ATL this delay is crazy. My only guess is that because this flight does the same route in both directions there was a crew time out issue or someone was sick?

Originally Posted by lindros2

appears to be in the air now... could have been maintenance or crew... but I'm nobody and just speculating...

Originally Posted by lindros2

I thought it also applies on DL metal?
I had an A330 issue (ironically) a couple years ago - ATL > AMS > ARL (AMS > ARL was KLM metal) where the ATL > AMS had a door sensor issue, repaired, then we returned after failing to gain pressurization.
EU261/2004 applied, but unsure if it was because of DL or the KL intra-Europe?

Originally Posted by BirdLawyer

DL105 ATL-GRU was supposed to leave at 1907 yesterday and has still not left. Originally a 12 hour delay, estimated departure is now 1059 today. The plane was ~5 hours late getting in, but out of ATL this delay is crazy. My only guess is that because this flight does the same route in both directions there was a crew time out issue or someone was sick?

Originally Posted by unitedbusiness

What a sh*tshow…. Imagine all the passengers who misconnected on GOL, elsewhere in Brazil or Latin America…
I would certainly hope DL would provide hotel vouchers to every pax in ATL, to those who missed their flights out of GRU!

Originally Posted by BirdLawyer

They've also renamed this flight 105A. I get that it needs to be something other than 105 (technically they should both be in the air at the same time), but is this perhaps an attempt to keep the on time stats for 105 better?

Originally Posted by wrp96

Probably so it doesn't clash with today's 105 - can't have two flights in the air with the same number at the same time.

Originally Posted by BirdLawyer

They've also renamed this flight 105A. I get that it needs to be something other than 105 (technically they should both be in the air at the same time), but is this perhaps an attempt to keep the on time stats for 105 better?