Delta Airlines welcomes troops home with $200 surcharge (Updated)
A young staff sergeant made this video during his flight on Delta Airlines after they charged his unit $200 a piece to cover their fourth bag of luggage which was authorized on their travel orders upon their return from Afghanistan. The soldier in the video claims his fourth bag was his M4 carbine with a grenade launcher – something he really couldn’t leave behind if he didn’t have the $200 out-of-pocket to pay Delta for their arbitrary charge;
I’ll admit that i have a real hard-on for Delta Airlines anyway. They arbitrarily decided that they wouldn’t allow duty-free liquor on a flight from Panama one year which screwed up my supply of Panama’s Abuelo rum for an entire year. A stewardess on the same flight told me she had been allowed to bring liquor on the trip – so I’ve decided to boycott them. This just reinforces my boycott.
At their blog, Under The Wing, Delta writes;
In the case of today’s situation, we would like to publicly apologize to those service men and women for any miscommunication regarding our current policies as well as any inconvenience we may have caused. We are currently looking further into the situation, and will be reaching out to each of them personally to address their concerns and work to correct any issues they have faced.
Yeah, if they hadn’t made a stink, I doubt Delta would have done much of anything for these troops.
You can file a complaint or comment at this webform.
Thanks to ROS and Lou West for the video.
UPDATE: Jeff Schogol sends a link from Stars & Stripes describing Delta’s complete capitulation to the power of the internet;
By Wednesday afternoon, although Delta had been following the terms of its contract with the government, the airline decided to amend its policy. Soldiers traveling in coach will now be allowed to check four bags free instead of three, the airline said in a statement.
Now, what about that year I went without my Abuelo Rum, Delta?
Category: Shitbags, Support the troops
Hey, American jacked me for $200 coming home from the Gulf in ’03 just like that. Their attitude was screw-you,-you’ll get-reimbursed,-must-be-nice!
I stopped flying with Delta 6 years ago. I had been accumulating frequent flyer miles and took my then 6-year old daughter on a couple trips with me. Later that month when my statement came out, they refused to give me the miles for her tickets, even though I had paid for them. They informed me that each family member had to have their own frequent flyer account and could only accumulate their own miles under their own name regardless of who purchased the ticket.
That really pissed me off because a couple companies I know accumulate miles through Delta for a single company account, regardless of who the name on the ticket is because the company pays the bill.
Add to that the outrageous charges they wanted for every amenity and I said no thanks to Delta.
After 2007 I swore off any flying unless it’s an absolute emergency, with no other way to travel. I’ll take the bus or train instead.
I hear ya, Tim–if it’s in the same time zone and/or not over significant amounts of water, I’ll drive.
Last experience I had with Delta (Remeber DELTA = Doesn’t EVER Leave The Airport!) was when I first moved to NH and did a shuttle between Manchester and NYC for a weekend trip.
It was $150 round trip and an hour flight each way, which I figured was better than driving 5 hours each way and paying $40/night to park the car.
Flight down to JFK-Delta was 2 hours late, add on the hour ride into Manhattan. Oh well. Flight back–cancelled due to rain in NYC (actually in PA, but hey, close enough!) No other flights out of JFK to MHT that day. Needed to be at work tomorrow. Was told I could get a different flight from LaGuardia. Took cab (on my dime) and was told no, that ain’t the case, but they “gave me the good deal” and put me on a shuttle to Boston, where I had to rent a car (again, my dime) one-way to Manchester to pick up MY car. Total time: 9 hours, not including drive time from Boston to Manchester.
Delta’s reply when I asked them to reimburse me? Hey, you got back, didn’t ya? That’s the last time I flew with them.
Delta sucks so hard it’s amazing. My father in law and brother in law had to fly to attend my wedding. First Delta flight took off very very late and they missed their connection in Detroit. Refused to help them find another flight. Refused to put them in a hotel. Gave them $5 each for food.
My sister’s fiancee has more horror stories. I’d walk before I flew Delta.
Delta is defiantly not what it used to be. Still, government largess is what these heavily subsidized companies are all about. That SSG got screwed by his S-1, he should have had a government travel card on him to cover this sort of thing. This is more his command’s fault for not adequately equipping him for his rotation.
They don’t just issue government travel cards to anyone and everyone.
Thanks for the link. I’m in. My response to them:
“Recent story in the news is that you charged returning soldiers baggage fees to the tune of $200 per man – out of their pocket.
I understand you are “looking into this matter”. Rest assured my next flight will be with another airline until this matter is settled and EVERY soldier has been refunded their money.
My FF number is [edited out by Jonn]. I plan on flying on or about June 20. So hurry up.”
Sometimes just spitting isn’t nearly enough.
Delta has stepped up on this, not just working with the troops in question, but changing the entire baggage policy. Waiting to hear more, but some very good first steps. It also gives them what I think is now the most military-friendly baggage policy out there.
re $6
Yes they do. As a matter of fact they want everyone traveling on DoD or Guard orders outside the system is to have a travel card for just this sort of thing. GTC training is now an annual requirement.
Here’s the policy his unprepared S-1 should have been familiar with:
http://comptroller.defense.gov/fmr/09/09_03.pdf
As a Staff Sergeant he should have known better anyway.
Here’s my 2 cents on this. From the comments above probably won’t be too popular. I’m embarrassed as hell about the way those Soldiers handled this. Not very professional at all.
http://fromcowpasturestokosovo.blogspot.com/2011/06/delta-air-lines-didnt-do-anything-wrong.html?spref=fb
#5 and #11
This is exactly what I was thinking and I was asking myself if I was missing something here? Delta had a contract that was for three bags(the same I think for civilians) and they had four bags. No one in the Army or Pentagon had ever though of any kind of reimbursement in case of such a contigency? Stop right there. Is that error on Delta’s side or DOD’s?
Yes Delta, for sheer practical reasons should have waved this. Maybe they couldn’t because of policy or legality, we don’t know. They had tickets, in uniform, in a large mass of soldiers(33), its doubtful they weren’t who they claimed to be. It’s an issue that could always have been revisited at a later date with DOD or the Army.
I have a hard time seeing any airline leaving behind a body of soldiers because they couldn’t afford an extra baggage slot for occupational equipment, that could not be left. If for no other reason then their own image.