Our Response From Delta

Delta sent me an email asking for some feedback about our flight.  I got this response in my email today.

This is what I said:
The first leg of our trip was from Chicago to Atlanta. We took off on time from Chicago but landed in Atlanta behind schedule. Then we ran to our connection flight to our destination of Tulsa, OK. The flight was delayed because they were waiting for the crew to show up. We were finally in the air and ready to land and because of the storm we were rerouted in Little Rock, AR. I actually thought this part of the trip was well taken care of for us. Some other passengers were sent to really bad hotels but we were sent to a really nice hotel for a free night. We also received meal vouchers and a $200 travel voucher. I really appreciate how the pilot decided at the last minute not the land because it would have been too dangerous. The gentleman that helped us book a room seemed genuinely concerned about getting everybody a hotel room for the night. Delta redeemed itself but unfortunately the rest of the trip was not so good. On our trip back, we had a layover in Minnesota and then a flight back home to Chicago. We arrived at the airport early and got to the gate just to find out that they were overbooked on the flight or so we thought because they were looking for people to give up their seats. Our flight was not even boarded yet at the time we were supposed to be taking off. We found out later that the real reason that we were delayed was not because they overbooked, but because 3 flight attendants and pilot wanted to fly deadhead and there wasn't room for them. So Delta kicked off paying customers and delayed our flight because a flight crew wanted a free trip to Minnesota. We finally started boarding 20 minutes after we should have been taking off. On top of that, since only 3 people volunteered to switch flights they actually kicked a guy off the flight involuntarily. I don't get too upset if the delay is caused by a mechanical problem because I understand that safety is a priority, but delays caused by a missing flight crew or because a flight crew wants a free trip is not acceptable to me, especially if there no room for them and they are delaying a takeoff. Well our flight finally got into the air and we landed in Minnesota only 15 minutes before our flight to Chicago was scheduled to take off. The flight attendant told the gate number the Chicago flight was supposed to at and told us she hoped we made it. We ran through the terminal to the gate thinking we would get there barely on time anyway just to find out the flight attendant was WRONG!!! We were at the wrong gate and so we had to run through the terminal to the right gate thinking there was no way we were going to make the flight. Well it turns out that Delta's inability to take off on time worked in our favor this time. We finally got to the right gate just to find out that the flight hadn't even boarded yet due to engine troubles. Our 2:15 flight finally took off at 3:30. So where I am thankful that we didn't miss our flight, if the flight would have taken off on time, we would have because of the delay taking off in Tulsa and the flight attendant giving us the wrong gate information. This is not the first time we have had problems with Delta, but certainly the most upsetting.

This is Delta's Response:
Dear Mrs. Pitney,
RE: Case Number 3185831
Thank you for writing about your recent flight experience while traveling with your companions. On behalf of Delta Air Lines and our Connection partner SkyWest and Compass Airlines, I sincerely apologize for our flight delay and lack of assistance from one of our flight attendants. It is abundantly clear that your experience was far from a shining moment in airline travel and far from the level of service you had every right to expect. It was good to know that despite of a flight diversion on your departure flight your situation was handled appropriately.

Moreover, I understand the frustration you experienced when your plans were disrupted due to the delay of our flight for crew reasons departing Tulsa. Your report about the manner in which this was handled by our representatives concerns us. We clearly recognize that we cannot become complacent, and we are actively and aggressively seeking ways to improve all areas of our operation.

Also, it was disheartening to learn that our flight crew advised the wrong gate number for your flight. As our customer, you are in the best position to point out areas that need attention as our goal is to provide accurate information at all times. We will not tolerate discourtesy, and we do all possible to prevent anything similar from happening in the future. Your feelings are very important to us and please know your feedback will be shared with our Airport Customer Service leadership team for internal follow up.

Mrs. Pitney, as our valued customer, you are an integral part of our customer base and we are always interested in your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to write about the flight disruption and poor customer service. Your business is important to us and given the opportunity of serving you in the future, I am confident Delta will not only meet but exceed your expectations.

Sincerely,
Henry P. Torrence, Coordinator, Customer Care
Delta Air Lines/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Our Tulsa Vacation was Definetly Memorable

So we had a pretty eventful vacation.  I'm going to call this vacation, "If it can go wrong, it probably will."  I am going to premise the story by saying that I really hate to fly.  I get nervous and have a small panic attack at take off and with even the smallest turbulence.

Thursday: We left for our trip around noon and headed to Chicago.  We met up with Damian and got to see him for a little while and he brought us to Midway.  Midway is pretty good airport.  We don't normally have a problem with flights going out of Midway.  Our flight was on schedule and we headed to our layover in Atlanta.  I don't know if it's Delta or just the Atlanta airport, but we never seem to have flight in or out of Atlanta be on time.  Some how we took off from Midway on time, but landed in Atlanta late (which is typical).  We ran to our connection flight and of course if was behind schedule because they were waiting for the crew to show up.  We finally took off and we should have been in Tulsa an hour and a half later.  The pilot told us that we were on our final decent and that we should be in Tulsa in the next twenty minutes.  Apparently, it was storming in Tulsa and the pilot came back on the speaker and said that he didn't feel that it was safe for him to land during the storm (which we found later was probably the right decision), so we were on our way to Little Rock, Arizona.  The rest of the flight was nothing short of terrifying.  The plane shook and it felt like at any moment it would break apart.  Now as much as I will complain about Delta in this situation I thought they did a great job.  The Delta representative gave us hotel vouchers for a really nice hotel.  Apparently some on our flight were not so lucky.  A few of the passengers were given vouchers for a hotel called Roadway Inn, which we found out later is similar to the Wooden Indian Inn.  Those passengers showed up at our hotel and luckily were able to get a hotel room.  One lady said her cab driver refused to even take her to that hotel and brought her directly to the hotel we were at. 
Friday: The storm followed us to Little Rock and the tornado alarms were going off all night.  Friday morning, they gave everyone a breakfast and lunch meal voucher and $200 flight voucher for our next flight.  I don't know if a lot of people complained or if they just felt really bad about the situation.  Getting 109 people booked in different hotels at 10pm is probably not easy after all.  So by 9:30, we were on our way to Tulsa for the second time.  I was so tired by the time we actually got to Tulsa.  When we picked up our rental car and finally got settled into our hotel room, we met up with the Steinbachs and helped them finish setting up the hotel.  I was good to finally see Liz and her parents.  I have missed them.  If I can find a bright spot so far the Little Rock issues did give us a free hotel room for a night and one less day for the rental car.  That saved us at least $100.  We went to dinner at the same restaurant they had the rehearsal dinner. We weren't with the party, but we sat at a table near them. 
Saturday: Saturday, we did some shopping around the city and got ready for the wedding.  Amy was a beautiful bride.  After the reception, we helped clean up and hung out at Liz's house for a little while with her family. 
Sunday: We showed up at the airport on time. Of course, per normal Delta, the flight was delayed.  We only had a 40 minute layover in Minnesota, so I was getting nervous that if we didn't take off on time that we would miss our flight home.  We thought the reason the flight was not taking off was because Delta overbooked the flight because they were asking for volunteers to leave the flight.  We actually considered it because they were going to give us $400 each but they couldn't get us on a one-way flight to Chicago until after 10pm, so wouldn't have gotten home until long after midnight.  Since we had to work today, they wouldn't work for us.  We found out later that they actual reason we were waiting was because three flight attendants and a pilot wanted to fly deadhead on the flight and there wasn't room for them, so Delta kicked paying customers off the flight because some employees wanted to fly for free.  I don't mind waiting if there is a mechanical problem because I understand they want to keep us safe, but waiting for flight crews to arrive or kicking off passengers for a non-paying flight crew is unacceptable in my book.  We finally boarded the plane almost twenty minutes after we should have been taking off.  Only three fliers volunteered, so actually had to kick one guy off not voluntarily.  He did not look happy at all.  We landed in Minnesota with fifteen minutes to spare before our flight to Chicago was to take off.  We asked the flight attendant for the gate of our connecting flight and ran to that gate just to find out that the attendant was wrong.  We were at the wrong gate, so we ran to right one knowing that we probably would get there just in time to watch the plane take off.  That however was not the case.  They hadn't even boarded the plane yet because there was an engine issue with the plane.  This time the delay actually worked in our favor.  Our 2:15 flight finally got off the ground at 3:30 and we were on our way home.  Damian picked us from the airport, we drove home and went to bed. 

It was a crazy vacation that involved a near nervous breakdown, but Steve knows my comfort food and he got me some ice cream while we were waiting for our Chicago flight to board.  He is such a great husband! The positives are that I got to see Lizzy and her parents and we did save some money on hotel and rental fees, but the rest of it...Let's just say that I'm glad to be home.