At the end of the day, please don't let one poor experience on here be the downfall of your communication on this board.

Dov et al - I wasn't very clear.

I do agree that the amateur, backyard version is certainly better than nothing.

Just makes me jealous to see the Rolls Royce in the driveway next door (to mix my metaphors).

PS - Dov, now I'm ticked off you didn't choose me.

+1

I believe from personal experience that this approach can actually be better than the “professional” approach.

But nobody's going to start with the Rolls. The CO DO's started on a much smaller scale. I believe UA only had space for a hundred or so FT'ers at their event last year (someone who was there please correct me!).

All I can say is WOW. I was gone yesterday, so I missed the thread that caused the issue, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it wasn't good. I won't speculate on that at all, it seems better left in the past.

With that said, I am surely dissappointed to hear this news. I was really looking forward to this event, and as I said in this and other threads earlier, I was more than willing to help out anyway I could to help pull this off.

Thanks DWD for trying to make this happen. Thanks to everyone of your co-workers that was willing to help pull this together. You went way above the call here, and I know that many of us appreciate your efforts and willingness to do that. You didn't have to do this, nor did your co-workers, so you haven't let anyone down. Was I excited, looking forward to the event? You betcha... am I sad to hear this news... that would be an understatement. Guess we can't change it, so we should move on.

Thanks again for trying, and please continue to participate in this forum. It really makes a difference when we have someone from Delta on here, that actually reads and responds to a lot of the issues with insight, concern and action.

I, like atldiff, missed the thread in its entirety, and want to thank DeltaWebDev for his efforts. Would someone mind sending me a PM as to what exactly happened as I feel out of the loop. I take it that the thread was removed so as to stop the ongoing discussion there. I will keep the issue in privacy, but am eager to learn what created such a stir to stop the event. Thanks!

haha - I definitely think there is a CRJ or 2 going in and out of ILM with the Norm from Cheers name-on-the-back of 8C for me :)

If only I could have gotten a full cushion I would have been set!

Thanks everyone for filling me in on what happened. Hopefully when some time passes everyone involved will realize how a DL DO is not a one-sided passenger benefit, but a two-way street of benefit that can provide the airline with meaningful feedback and customers with an inside look at how operations run. When we all walk in each others' shoes, we can really understand how things work.

Thanks DeltaWebDev for your efforts to make this a reality and zsmith2 for your offer:)

In an ideal world, I agree with you. But is this really the case? I mean, read the forum. There are probably 80 percent of the people that this is all true and they look at things objectively but 20% (oh probably not that much even) that are not rational and are out to get Delta at all costs....could this turn ugly at some event like this?

What do you think probably could happen "at some event like this" that constitutes "ugly"?

To me, this point is spot on. ^ DL has to see some benefit in this for them, whether it's a handful of FTers flying a simulator, or a hundred of us in a 737 buzzing the tower at ATL. As I pointed out upthread, the way this whole thing went down seems to indicate DL doesn't see much value in it.

Thanks for all of your effort & time DWD, much appreciated! ^

First, just because someone complains, does not equate to them being out to get DL. In fact, the case could be made (and I'm am trying to do just that) that they complain because they like DL and would like to see some MUTUALLY beneficial changes for both DL and its passengers. Are most of our views skewed because we are the pax? Certainly yes. Then should our collective views still be considered by DL using the filter that we are selfishly biased? Certainly yes as well.

As to turning ugly, there is always that possibility, just as there is always that possibility in normal life or even when travelling on an a/c. You have to trust the security in place as well as the fact that trained professionals and lay people alike will handle any situation that may arise. I think that the possibility of disruption at a DO is minute at best. If DL didn't want the possibility of uncomfortable questions, then don't have a q & a, but besides that, I can't imagine anyone here taking the time to go to a DO just for the purpose of disruption. I'm sure even if any "disruption" did occur, then they would be quickly escorted off the premises.

Again, I know no one here was trying to copy the CO style DOs, but those corporate type DOs are relevant because they show that even though there are often "complainers" who attend, to my knowledge there have been no major disruptions. In the preliminary questions by DWD earlier, there was mention of signing an NDS as well as a disclosure of who you are, so at least some amount of vetting was planned for any possible event/DO.

I agree that there needs to be benefits to both. If DL doesn't see a benefit to them in hosting all or part of an event, then they should not do so. I would try to persuade them that such a decision would be incorrect, but they have the final say. The thing that is the most frustrating to me is that a good amount of trust had been built that was decimated in one day by the actions of only one (or a very few, who except for the OP may not have even been registered FTers) and the fact that the transgressors lost nothing by the cancellation of any possible DL sponsored DO.

Most of us here have had at least one very bad day involving multiple failures on the part of DL while travelling. Similarly, most of us did not mail in our Skymiles cards and quit DL over that one bad day. Just sayin'

This is only an airline pax meeting.

We are not talking about food riots, human rights issues, etc. I can envision no reason whatsoever for anything to turn 'ugly.' I really doubt that someone that disgruntled over lack of upgrades or award seats would take it upon themselves to fly/drive/walk to the meeting and then cause an incident.

If so, then they should get a life.