Most people you talk to will say that Delta suck big time... They're late, they charge for alcoholic beverages, their inflight entertainment is so-so and their staff are rude...
My experience to date has hardly been smooth sailing but they aren't all bad...
on the plus side...
delta have cheap flights! Yes... I've done a couple of roundabout routes using delta (mostly DUB->PDX->SFO->DUB via ATL) and I've found the flights to be cheap considering the # of hops and the fact it includes transatlantic legs. I'm talking 500-700 euro for a 5 leg trip. I've seen return flights to the east coasy come in at a higher rate than that...
Their staff are generally pretty good. I've witnessed great team spirit and camaraderie by the flight attendants on Delta flights... On the flight from DUB->ATL this morning, the attendants looking after my section referred to each other as sister and went out of their way to make their customers welcome (they kept me extremely well supplied with peanuts!). At the gate in ATL (once i found the right one), the GA changed my seat no questions asked (10A FTW on a full flight)... He was friendly and was a great example of customer service.
They are part of the Sky Team alliance and since I'm a Flying Blue member, I get miles... Should be Gold by end of the year on my current trend of travel...
on the negative side...
Some of their staff are rude. A small minority in my opinion... They tend to be the front-line customer support folk who deal with the tired, annoyed flyers who have had flights delayed or cancelled.
Their aircraft tend to be old... The DUB-ATL route tends to have the really old 80s overhead projection systems or slightly newer large-screen LCD monitors with 2-3 movies on the flight. The flight I took this morning had technical issues for 4-5 rows towards the rear of the plane (overhead reading lights turned on and off randomly, nearest video screen wasn't working). The ATL-PDX leg I'm about to get on had to have a aircraft change as the original plane had a technical issue (EDIT: the technical issue appears to be that it won't get to ATL for another couple of hours!). Delta haven't been investing in their fleet and it's starting to show... It hasn't got to the point where safety is an issue, but if they continue on this course it could be...
They've cancelled a flight on me and re-routed me halfway across the USA. Was supposed to take a direct flight from SFO -> ATL but got re-routed via NYC. A 5-hour flight turned into a whole day of airports, planes and lost luggage. :(
Their investment in technology seems to mirror their investment in the fleet. The lack of in-flight on-demand entertainment is a pity. The fact their can't even get the displays in ATL to show the right gate number is a completely absurd though... Seriously... how can you expect passengers to show up at the right gate when 90+% of the screen is the airport are indicating the wrong gate (in the wrong terminal)?
Here's what flightstats.com happened on the gate change front...
Nov 09 5:00 PM
Airline (DL) Gate Adjustment
* Departure Gate Changed From B31 To E8
* Arrival Gate Changed From D7 To D3
Nov 09 5:46 PM
Airline (DL) Gate Adjustment
* Departure Gate Changed From E8 To E27
Despite this, Delta's automated flight checker device was still giving out the E08 gate at 18:01 EST.
Summary: Delta have really cheap fares (no wonder they're going bust!) so if you can live with a few delays, cancellations and outdated technology, save a few hundred bucks and use them...
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