COMMENTARY: Delta Air Lines Has New Ways to Scam Its Flyers
By Rene A. Henry
Seattle, WA (Special to Huntingtonnews.net) -- If many airlines took the time and effort they devote to finding new ways to charge and inconvenience passengers and redirected it to making it less frustrating and more enjoyable for flyers, I would call that customer service.
However, Since Congress succumbed to airline lobbying in 1978 by deregulating the industry, things have only gotten worse for passengers. Customer service is an oxymoron at most airlines. In the last 10 years, with no oversight, airlines have found scores of new ways to scam its passengers – charging to check bags, charging extra for “preferred” seats with more leg room, charging for meals and snacks that once were free, charging extra to board first, and numerous hidden fees depending on how a ticket is purchased. According to the Consumer Travel Alliance, airlines spent $31 million last year lobbying Congress.
Flights continue to leave late and arrive late. Since Congress legislated that when airlines hold passengers captive on tarmacs for hours on end they can be fined, airlines cancel flights rather than risk facing penalties. Many airline CEOs respond with an Alfred E. Neuman philosophy of “What, me worry?” when shown statistics on increased air rage and out-of-control passengers.
Delta Air Lines is now taking an industry “leadership” position in finding new ways to stick it to their flyers. If you fly coach, you pay $25 to check your first bag and $35 for a second. There is no charge if you fly first class, but you may not want the ticket agent to tag your bag that says it is a priority, first class bag. Chances are it will be the first removed if the luggage compartment of a commuter plane has no room.
After arriving in Charleston, W. Va. earlier this year, five of us were at the Delta counter filing claims because our bags were not on the commuter plane from Atlanta. We all had flown first class to Atlanta. Instead of our bags being first on, they obviously were first off.
Southwest does not charge for even two checked bags and this is the theme of its television advertising. If a paid-for, checked bag is delayed, airlines are supposed to accept responsibility. Alaska, which charges only $15 and $25 for checked bags, compensates its flyers if a bag is not at baggage claim within 25 minutes after the plane arrives at the gate. Alaska gives passengers a $25 voucher for a future flight or 2,500 frequent flyer miles.
If you fly Delta and want your miles credited to a frequent flyer account of a partner airline you may be in for a surprise. On four recent flights I wanted the miles credited to my Alaska account, not to Delta SkyMiles. Once this had never been a problem, but Delta now wants to keep all of the miles. I asked the ticket agent to credit my miles to Alaska. He dismissed me telling me he didn’t know how and I would have to have it done at the gate. My mistake was trusting him. It turns out Delta agents in Seattle, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Atlanta would not honor my request.
I wrote SkyMiles and gave them the details. Rose P. Paul and Mandisa Reid, both coordinators of customer care for Delta, said once miles are credited to an account they cannot be transferred for any reason, even if they were wrongly credited because of a Delta mistake. After exchanging more than a dozen e-mails, I wrote Richard H. Anderson, Delta’s CEO and president with no luck. All three refused to accept responsibility and said there are no exceptions whatsoever. The passenger, who is the victim, is out of luck.
I then realized that Delta does not want to credit miles to its partner airlines and when there is no room for baggage, removes first class bags first. Several times I directed this to Paul, Reid and Anderson and not one denied that this is now Delta policy, confirming my assumptions to be fact.
According to Kate Hanni, founder of Flyers Rights, these are both big issues for passengers. “We get many complaints about the mileage programs and a variety of issues that come up for folks,” she says. “Once the miles are earned they cannot even ‘gift’ them without paying almost the same amount as purchasing a ticket just to redeem the miles and give them to someone.
“The interline agreements and code share agreements are rarely kept so that you are stuck with miles that frequently you cannot use,” Hanni adds. “And, miles expire after 18 months of non use. That alone is a deceptive, if not illegal practice.”
A suggestion for anyone flying Delta who wants miles credited to a partner airline, do not trust the ticket agent if the request is refused. Ask for a name and business card and then ask to see that agent’s supervisor and do the same. If there is no satisfaction, or there are other problems, then file a complaint with any of the following organizations:
www.airconsumer.ost.dot.gov -- the official site of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
www.FlyersRights.org – the largest non-profit consumer organization and represents more than 25,000 airline passengers. This website also lists Congressional committees with oversight and how to contact members of Congress.
www.consumertravelalliance.com – a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that gives consumers a voice across all of travel’s spectrum, including hotels and cruise lines.
www.consumeraffairs.com – an independent consumer news and resource center.
www.complaints.com – the entire content of a complaint is posted to the website and indexed by Google, Yahoo and other search engines.
“Airlines have no interest in satisfying customers,” says Flyers Rights’ Hanni. “They have callous disregard for us and treat us like cargo, not like human beings. A kiosk cannot help you with a flight problem and the lack of human beings employed by the airlines inside the airport creates a void when something goes wrong.
Hanni believes customer service is becoming non-existent. “It’s cheaper not to service passengers. The airlines will go to any lengths to maximize their profit margins and that includes eliminating any goods and services they can,” says Hanni. “They also have callous disregard for their own employees which further makes our experience as airline passengers a miserable one.”
I believe a handful of airlines are doing an exceptional customer service job. The way they treat their flyers sets them apart from others in the industry. Alaska is one airline where management listens and is responding. Two other airlines that are at the top of my list include Singapore and Cathay Pacific.
While many people get angry and upset, too many are apathetic when it comes to complaining. The only way to get Congress to do something positive is to let them know every time a passenger is abused. Write to your senators and representative and ask them to re-regulate the airlines. File complaints with your local Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Protection Division in your state, which generally is in the office of the Attorney General. I would add one more agency to my list - the Federal Trade Commission. In my opinion Delta’s use of “customer care” is misleading and false advertising.
Rene A. Henry lives in Seattle and has flown more than five million miles, but no longer enjoys flying commercially. His latest book, “Communicating In A Crisis,” details scores of crises in the airline, travel and tourism industry. Many of his widely published commentaries are posted on his website at www.renehenry.com. For David M. Kinchen's review of "Communicating In A Crisis" click: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/080930-kinchen-columnsbookreview.html. Henry is a native of Charleston, WV.