I shouldn't maybe be writing this now as I'm tired, pissed off and have been stuck in an airport for over 5 hours waiting to get on a 25 min. flight. This morning I started out leaving Denver at 5:00 am to get to the airport 90 min. in advance of my flight. At the ticket counter, Delta was helping other passengers whose flights were canceled and told the rest of us (about 50 - 75 people) that it was a free for all to get to the self check in kiosks. This started the day off poorly with some of us trying to form organized lines, and others blatantly ignoring them and cutting in front. The Delta official just kept telling us to move as quickly as possible.
I figured this was going to be my only complaint for the trip and that it was probably brought on by all of us travelers being tired, and the Delta official just being stupid. How little did I know.
At the gate to the flight everything seemed fine, the gate didn't change and the sign said that we were on time to board at 6:40. We started boarding about 10 mins. early, so I figured we might actually get into Minneapolis ahead of schedule. The minuet the doors to the airplane closed the flight attendant came on line and informed us , "as those of you know who had access to the internet, we are going to be starting an hour late, but please sit in your seats with your seat belts fastened while we wait to take off" A couple of mins. later the pilot came on line to state that it might be over an hour wait until we take off due to construction at the Minneapolis airport. Here I would like to note that not only did they know that we were going to be delayed before we took off, but they had known about the construction for some time and stated that it will continue for at least another month.
As they came around to serve drinks, once we were in the air over an hour late, I asked them if I was going to be able to connect to my next flight, also being run by Delta. They responded that they didn't know and I wouldn't be able to find out until I got off the plane and asked the people at the desk. This is what I did. Right before we exited the plane, they announced that those of us who had missed our connecting flights could find new boarding passes at the gate, this was at 11: 30 am and my flight was due to leave at 11:35 am from the other side of the airport (about a 15 - 20 min walk).
As I got off the plane I went to find my ticket. When it wasn't there I asked the lady at the desk hoping that maybe my connecting flight had been delayed. She said no it wasn't but figured that I had more then enough time to catch my flight (boarding started at 10:55 am and according to my Dad who was watching everything happen on line, the plane closed it's doors early since they figured I wouldn't make it). I ran, I have asthma, and I made it to the gate at about 11:40 am sweaty and out of breath; the plane wasn't anywhere in sight. I asked the guy if I missed the plane and he looked at me like I was stupid and said "uh yeah". I asked him what I was suppose to do and he told me that they had already booked me on a new flight. I told him that they didn't have a ticket for me and he said that I should have had one, again not helpful but condescending. I asked him when my flight was scheduled, and he told me that my flight would be at 5:30, 5 and a half hours after I was suppose to land in Eau Claire, my final destination.
This to me is unacceptable, I had appointments at 2:30 that I was suppose to be at. I have been traveling with out a phone and knew that I needed to make a few calls. I asked if they had a phone I could use as I needed to call the people who were picking me up. He looked at me like I was crazy and asked if it was a local call. I told him of course it wasn't, I needed to call those who were picking me up and I was going to WI, so of course it wasn't a local call. After arguing and him calling around, he said that if I walked down to a whole different terminal I could find phones that I could use. He then presided to ask snidely if I still wanted the boarding pass. Of course I wanted the boarding pass, if I wasn't able to find some other way of getting back in time I needed that boarding pass, so he finally and begrudgingly printed me off a new ticket.
I went to the concourse that he told me to to try to find this black phone that I could use to call. there were many black phones, but none of them looked right so I got in line to talk to another delta employee. In this line, which was shorter then any of the others I had passed, there were about 10 other people who had all missed their planes because delta hadn't budgeted for the construction at this airport. They new what would happened, but didn't plan ahead for it. The guy at the counter was the only delta employee whom was helpful, in fact since he knew that Delta wouldn't help me, he lent me his personal cell phone. He told us that for those of us who wouldn't be able to get a connecting flights until the morning, Delta would not pay for a hotel (or give any kind of discount), Delta would also not give us any money for lunch, or any compensation (I have yet to find out if they will refund the $15.00 they charged me for having a checked bag). Having talked and shared stories while waiting in line, the average time that we were delayed was 10 hours, I was one of the lucky ones so to speak. One lady was now missing a day of work, and would be docked pay for it. Delta could care less.
Now as I'm waiting to board my flight back to Eau Claire, we have had to change gates 3 times, and now we've been told that we might be delayed for mechanical reasons.
I realize that these things happen, and that when flying you have to allow for these disruptions in your travel plans and go with the flow, but most of this was unnecessary. Since Delta knew that we were going to be delayed and that I would most likely miss my connecting flight, if they would have told me this in Denver, I would have made other arrangements. Specifically, it is a two hour drive between Minneapolis and Eau Claire. If I had known that I would miss my flight, or even that I would have been delayed, I would have made arrangements to be picked up in Minneapolis and would have made it back to Eau Claire by about 2:00, and probably even 1:00. This would have meant that I would have made my appointment instead of having to sit in an airport for 5 and a half hours. There are even busses which make this route straight from the airport which cost $32.00 and leave every couple of hours. Delta could have, and should have, given me the option of canceling my flight and pay for a buss ticket. I would have even been happier if they would have just kept all the money I gave them for the flight and put me on a buss, or even have me pay for a buss.
An Update; They have lost my lugage. not only did it miss it while having 5 and a half hours to make it to my flight, but there was already a loss claim for it dated August 10th. I wasn't even traveling, I hadn't even left Australia on the 10th of August. Yet some how there was a lost claim for my lugage, under my name and with the claim number that I had given to me today saying that my lugage was lost between Eau Claire and Denver on the 10th of August.
Another update, I finally got my bags, slightly bent out of shape, but not enough apparently for Delta to care about it... Oh and when I went to complain on their website, even though I filled in every box, they wouldn't take it and it kept coming back that I had missed a box. Nothing showing what I had missed, just not accepting my complaint.
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