Triangle Trip

There are so many reasons why Delta may be one of the worst US airlines.  Here are some of the most convincing:

1. ATL
2. Northworst Airlines merger (2 wrongs make a bigger wrong)
3. Everyone has status (Just look at a flight and you will qualify)

But at the top of the list is poor customer service administered by agents who are not empowered to make any decisions.  When was the last time you had to call Delta’s customer service line?  Quite likely it was the last time you flew on Delta.  Do you remember waiting somewhere in the ballpark of 40 minutes to talk a person?  You’re not alone.

I re-learned a few nuggets of wisdom recently.  My vacation was canceled by Delta’s automated ticketing service the day of the flight, and was followed by a $250 penalty fee and a requirement that I reuse the remainder of the fare solely towards the same destination.  Naturally, I wanted everything back and wouldn’t settle for less.

First of all, even if you don’t have status, don’t call the generic phone line.  That’s just silly.  Use their catchy 1-800 number (1-800-323-2323) for members, at a minimum and start saying “representative” like a robot.  In my experience, wait times will come down from nearly an hour to 10 minutes.

Second of all, don’t try getting what you want by being pitiful.  Everyone who call’s their call center is a sad story.  It doesn’t matter if you broke your leg and can’t go skiing now; they’re a business and they relish in the fact that they took your money without adding your weight to tare.  Delta screws thousands upon thousands of people each day and they know it – focus on that when you call.  In a cool and professional manner, convince them that they wronged you, even if you have to add a little editorial spin.

Third, if you’re trying to get something you probably don’t deserve, climb the ladder.  Ask to talk to a manger, and then their manager.  This isn’t Bank of America’s call center, their managers are standing right there and there are no policies about scheduling a callback.  If the manager is busy, tell them you’ll wait.  The rep will likely thank you, they dont have to take more calls and can sit in silence for 5 minutes.  If you ever end up talking to someone without a computer in front of them, you just hit oil.  It will take them enormous effort to corroborate every facet of your story, you can just wear them down; there will be no better opportunity.  And if they still can’t do what you’re asking for, either you’re a terrible negotiator or you’re asking for the impossible.

TermD out.

I finally took a Delta flight from JFK to LAX since Delta’s announcement of all LAX flights departing out of Terminal 4 as opposed to the normal Terminal 2 and 3 gates. I found my experience a bit confusing for the following reasons:

1.  Poor Pre-Flight Communications – Prior to my flight to LAX, Delta did not notify that my JFK to LAX flight was departing from Terminal 4. If I was a first time Delta flyer (or anyone without a Delta Medallion profile), I would not have received the original Delta email telling me that all LAX flights were leaving from JFK’s Terminal 4 (or for some, read my previous post on Triangle Trip). Furthermore, I could have easily forgotten or never read the email.

2.  Delta’s website lack information – On Delta.com’s flight status page, only the gate information was provided (Gate 22). Gate 22 resides in Terminal 4 was no where to be found. Delta is wrong to assume its passengers know where Gate 22 is at JFK. Regardless if I was a frequent flyer or a novice, there is no way I would have known to go to Terminal 4 for Gate B22. There is actually a Gate 22 at Terminal 2 where most of Delta departure gates are located. As a matter of fact, I don’t recall Delta displaying Terminal information for any its JFK flights which was somewhat OK since Terminal 2 and 3 are linked. Regardless, the website does not provide adequate information to its travelers.

3.  Lack of signage outside the airport (JFK) – On my way to JFK Airport, the JFK Expressway does not have any signs stating Delta has departing flights from Terminal 4. The lack of signage led to my limo driver asking me several times if he was supposed to drop me off at Terminal 4 instead of Terminal 2 or 3. Delta should work with the Port of Authority of NY & NJ to address this issue ASAP.

4.  Poor signage inside the airport (JFK) – Once I arrived into Terminal 4, I do not see Delta checkin agents/kiosks or any signs that tells me where Delta’s located. I can clearly locate ticketing/checkin counters of other airlines such as TAM, Virgin America, etc. Again, Delta needs to work with JFK airport management to address this issue.

Due to the lack of pre-flight communication, inadequate information on the website and signage at JFK, I could have missed my JFK to LAX flight because I would have ended up at Terminal 2 or 3. Taking the AirTrain from Terminal 2/3 to 4 could take 20 minutes as the connection between Terminal 2 and 3 and the AirTrain station can be quite challenging, especially those passengers with bags.

Following up to my previous post regarding depreciation of airline mile, I am sure you have seen tons of posts about which is the best credit card to earn airline miles or hotel points or getting cash back. Since 2006, airlines have adjusted blackout dates, limited the number of seats available for redemption and increased the number of miles required for a free ticket. Furthermore, most airlines are charging customers for ticket redemption. For example, I had to pay $150 plus 60,000 miles to redeem a ticket on Delta with less than a week advance booking. If you use the old method of one penny (USD 0.01 per mile), my ticket cost me $750 ($150 + $600). In addition, I had to pay for taxes and fuel surcharge. Despite the fact that my ticket was a last minute purchase and would have been around the same price, I don’t think airline miles are as valuable compared to hotel point.

Hotels unlike airlines have relaxed their redemption policies. Many hotels have adjusted their redemption requirements for 2009. Starwood never had blackout dates which makes them one of the best hotel programs. Marriott recently jumped on the same bandwagon by eliminating blackout dates. Since January 2009, hotels have been on a promotion spree and issuing bonus points to loyal customers. Starwood and Hyatt properties have multiple generous bonus offers that goes on to mid-April. Hotels also have generous cancellation policies. Here are the promotions:  Hyatt and Starwood. Most hotels allow you to book a room and cancel on the same day before 6PM without any penalties. Airlines however charges you a fee to redeposit miles.

If you are a frequent travel to international destinations like myself, hotel points will come in very handy. Most American hotels in international destinations are clean compared to local hotel chains – i.e., Thistle in the UK can be great if it’s new or a hole in the wall if it’s in an old building. American hotels are also consistent with service and generally cost more. Redeeming hotel points at international destinations gives you the best bang for the buck. You can always find a cheap fare to London (i.e., American and United has $200 round trip fares almost every week) but you will rarely find a hotel deal at a Marriott or Hyatt in central London.

In summary, we recommend banking hotel points which is going up in value vs. banking airline miles that is facing inflation pressure. The more airline miles you have with an airline, the more money you will end up spending on them.