No compensation due, except maybe the amenitie packs and coupon.
 

Despite the inconvenience, I too agree that there is no compensation due to you. Granted, a you had experienced a rare event, the delays were part of safety precautions(sufficient sleep for pilots, etc). Every airlines have these irregular operations and you were just unlucky that day. The latest data at DOT indicate that NW's 75% ontime record is the industry average. Even with this though, delays happens.

If anything, I'd say you have a high chance of scoring the amenity packets. It includes a phone card and a discount travel voucher good for future travel. Since you had to notify someone of your delay, you could make a case that you had to use the phone. Discount travel cert is the compensation associated with the taxi cab tab.

As for incomopentencies, I don't think NW is not incompentent. NW has taken steps in operating your flight safely with reasonable delay, instead of cancelling. They have many safety precautions/procedures in place for irregular ops. They often notify the connecting airlines of your delays and rebook your flights. They might sometime book you on a competing carrier. (Many LCC can't even do that).

(On a side note, Alaska Airlines recorded a 55% to 65% ontime record in April - June, 2005. 4 out of 10 flights were at least 15 minutes delayed, and that excluded those flights which were cancelled..... For me, Flying Alaska at those times was my test of my nerves...... Northwest, in my opinion, keeps a lot more of its flight, on-time)

Jiburi

Sadly, a two-hour delay just isn't that big a deal. But the unscheduled jetBlue stops are somewhat common and IMO are their fault -- they fly transcons with A320s, which just don't have transcon range. At least NW doesn't do that.

A double negative = you think NW is incompetent?!?!
:)

jiburi, I'm specifically responding to your statement that it was for safety reasons.

I don't buy it. While I understand cutting costs by reducing staff to the bare minimum (maximizing "efficiency"), they've aparantly cut it too close. You can't plan to have everyone 100% utilized 100% of the time, and not build in some buffer. I understand there IS a buffer, but from the number of flight cancellations I've seen/heard of/been a part of, the buffer is currently insufficient. So this is their screw up, 100% attributable to cutting staff. Which should be none of our concern - we keep paying them, they should keep FLYING us, not cancelling and delaying for non-weather


But I agree that no compensation is due for a 2 hour delay. I plan all my schedules with a 3hr buffer on the flying end - if i land after that point, I'm less happy, but 2 hours just means you didn't plan well enough

If you send a well thought out email to the "Talk to Us" link posted above you will probably get 2000-4000 miles. Just make sure the email is balanced and reasonable ($300 travel voucher is not reasonable), if the person reading the email finds it offensive they will just hit delete...

If I received $$$ back for everytime I have been inconvienienced while traveling, I could probably retire and just travel. (Nice idea)

NW met their obligation to you by getting from BWI to SJC...

I was 2 hours late 2 weeks ago on a flight from DTW to GSP because of 2 mechanical problems on 2 different planes, but they got me there and I got nothing. I did not feel they owed me anything because they delivered what the were contracted for. Transportation from one point to another.

They don't have to do anything legally. The Contract of Carriage, which you agreed to when you bought your ticket, gives them up to 24 hours after the arrival time stated on the ticket to get you to your destination. If you have Elite Status, they might give you a few miles as a customer service gester. If you don't have Elite Status and send them a letter, I would expect it would go into the circular.

I have to agree with most posts... no compensation for 2 hr delay. Just write to them and hope for the best. I wrote to complain and to comment about my recent Asian flights last month... lo and behold, I got 19.5K miles (11.5K miles outbound for DTW-NRT delayed flight, and 8K miles for SIN-NRT flight).

The DTW-NRT flight was a poor judgement call by the pilot - he should have had the sick passenger removed instead of being treated on board... that was just at the start of a 12.5hr flight! The return flight was annoying b'cos they op-up'd me but not the rest of my party (my sister and kids). I switched with sis and sat in the back with the kids. Unfortunately, the seat was broken -- no recline and no AVOD.

Moral of the story... put it in writing.

By the way, lightning strikes thrice. On the return flight, SJC-MSP, 10 days later, my flight was delayed 30+ mins because no pilot was available even though we had already boarded. I understand that there's a contract of carriage, and I'm not expecting anything out of Northwest, but this experience leads me to believe that if I ever plan to get to a destination on time that NWA is not the airline I would choose.

This near 100% utilization idea seems like it's NWA's attempt to increase efficiency, but it's doing the opposite. Customers will not be happy.

Few things for you to think about:
1. Any company that isn't running employees at or near 100% utilization is just throwing away money. I would guess that all airlines are the same way.
2. No airline has 100% on-time record. Delays happen no matter who you fly.
3. I've flown 150+ segments in the last 12 months on NW and I can count on one hand the number of times I've arrived late due to controllable reasons. If you count weather delays, it's probably twice that but I'm pretty sure I don't need to use any toes.
4. There's someone out there I'm sure who has flown only 15 segments and has had more delays than me. Bottom line is sometimes things just don't go your way no matter which airline you are on.
5. Yesterday, my flight left early and got in early. Does that mean I owe NW compensation???? :D :D :D

My red-eyes to DTW have been early, which is usually cool. I feel like I should pay, sometimes, when you're 30-45 minutes early (tailwinds). :)

Steve B.

That's weather related -- no compensation!!! :D :D

Wow! Some folks plan a lot more time for traveling than I do...2 hour buffers. I must be on the edge taking connections in DTW with barely more than half hour ground time and drop-off and entering the terminal 25 minutes prior to departure.
Before elite, I think I recevied 1000 miles for 2.5 hr unscheduled maintenance delay without any writing or calling...just showed up as a Cust Svc Bonus a week later. I do feel your pain and sometimes wonder why NW doesn't have an extra CRJ at MEM when one goes down for maintenance. Where do they keep spare tonka jets? I suppose all the airlines put their entire fleet on the schedule unless it's hard down for scheduled or unscheduled maintenance.

There ARE spare planes floating around the hubs, but if there's excessive delays, cancellations, or maitenance problems, then they run out of spares and you're stuck.

I am sure that I am the only one that got that double meaning! :D