News at Delta Airlines

The brilliant sun above the trees created beautiful icy sparkles on the lonely white road ahead of us. On this first part of the journey there was no traffic and it seemed more like a perfectly groomed ski slope than a road. I had my rental car window open just to be able to hear the silence as the snow in the trees held even the most minute sounds at bay. The drive to Portland, Maine was the start of our journey and flights home via New York’s LaGuardia to Ft. Myers on Delta Airlines. As for many of us living in Southwest Florida, Delta is our go-to airline. A fact that is simply due to their convenient schedules out of Ft. Myers.

CEO Ed Bastion and his team have had great plans (and some not-so-great plans) for the airline and its customers and began implementing many of them back in 2016 when he became CEO of the airline. One of the first big changes was the “all-suite” Delta One business class introduced in October of 2017. We have been fortunate enough to judge this on several international flights and opinions vary. Personally, I really like the concept although the door of my suite got stuck on two different occasions and that would be reason for concern in an emergency. My wife feels claustrophobic and leaves the door open. However, the comfort of the Delta One in whatever format is fabulous. Due to the Covid slow-down the airline was able to proceed ahead of schedule on changes for the better. Obviously, Ed has always been a people person, a fact he proved several years ago by actually mailing me a letter of apology for an issue that was poorly handled by Customer Service. The changes have made the airline not only very profitable, but also recognized as the best over-all domestic carrier over the last several years. Remember, Delta was the first and one of the only ones to leave middle seats open during Covid and has extended their Medallion Status for two years. Delta has promised to open more Sky Club locations and is trying to implement new restrictions to avoid overcrowding and upgrade food service. Overhead luggage bins are being rebuilt to make opening and closing easier and providing more space. The harsh lighting in lavatories has been redone to create a feeling of more space. Bastian also stated that his airline is working hard at providing the best possible service on board and re-introducing full-service dining at the highest possible level on flights of two hours or more. At present, the airline is introducing biometric check-in and boarding at their main hub in Atlanta and at their international gates in Detroit saving considerable time for passengers and resulting in a more stress-free experience. The goal is to eliminate the need to use boarding passes altogether. In 2016 Delta was the first airline to introduce free on board entertainment with a wide collection of movies, TV, and games, while competition went in the opposite direction removing TV screens from the back of seats. Last and certainly not least the airline introduced free Wi-Fi on practically all future domestic flights available over the next two years. All it takes is a, also free, SkyMiles membership.   

A bonus is that the IFE platform used will help save the environment with less total weight of the aircraft as an astounding one pound of wiring is saved at each seat. In 2016 the Delta Flight Product Department responsible for all the innovations had ten employees, but their creations have changed that with 231 personnel today working in a 111,000 square foot facility just outside Atlanta Airport. Another first in the airline industry.

So many firsts are appropriate for an airline that owns part of the first commercial airline in the world. Dutch KLM, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, began service between Amsterdam and London in 1919.  That is only just over one hundred years ago and their first jet service between Amsterdam and New York was in 1960 with the venerable and most impressive Jumbo 747 following in 1971 fifty years later! The “Queen of the Skies,” the nickname given to the first double-decker jet plane, is now no longer built as the last model was delivered to Atlas Air Cargo last week and German Lufthansa is the only major carrier still maintaining 19 planes for long haul passenger service. Delta flew their last 747 Jumbo from Seoul, South Korea to Dallas, Texas on December 19, 2017.  Writing this I can still remember working for a European company in New York affiliated with the now defunct Belgian Sabena Airlines and flying back and forth every few months to Brussels, Belgium. In those days first class passengers had seats downstairs in the front and circular stairs lead up to the half-moon bar and lounge for cocktails and often a chat with the captain or first officer. Reminiscing is wonderful and it also brought back the experiences with the mini-Jumbo. This was a converted DC-4 looking just like a small version of the 747 with a “bulb” in the front that opened to accommodate two cars, one above the other, flying between Ostend, Belgium, Southend on the Channel Coast in England and Calais on the north coast of France till 1976. Due to the weight of the cars in the front of the aircraft the back where the passenger seats were located would sway back and forth through the often bad weather low over the rough waters of the Channel. And the cabins were not pressurized adding to the discomfort.    

In those days, even regular travel was still an adventure!

After talking about so many positives Delta has embarked on, there are some negatives customers are not happy about. Delta airfares seem to have increased considerably both domestic and internationally. Sky Miles Reward tickets require such enormous amounts of miles, especially in international Delta One, that they have gotten out of reach for many loyal Delta customers. And reaching the different mileage tiers will require more miles and money for next year. Delta tried to validate it as a positive because different tiers will become “more exclusive.”

As a result of our work, both my wife and I have been very frequent fliers on Delta. Little did we know that a simple trip from Portland, Maine to Ft. Myers two weeks ago would give us ample opportunity to see for ourselves how positive some of the new Delta enhancements were.

When we had returned our rental car and arrived at the Delta check-in desk about one and a half hours before our first flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York, there was no one behind the counters. No staff arrived till just over an hour before departure. Following is what the airport website says:

“We recommend that you arrive one and a half to two hours before your scheduled departure, especially during the early morning (5:30 AM – 7:00 AM).”

When the staff arrived, we stood in the Priority Line, but were completely ignored till almost everyone in the regular line was checked in. At that time we were directed to that line as well, as there was still no staff at the Priority Desk. When we arrived at the gates my Delta App had gate one for boarding. However, we saw our flight information at gate seven. And yes, just before the flight was scheduled to depart an announcement of gate changes was made. Apparently, the aircraft had been parked at a non-Delta gate the night before. The flight crew had been sitting with us in the waiting area and were only asked to “go get their airplane to the correct gate” at the scheduled departure time. Local management decided that was easier than to move passengers to the other gate. Obviously, this created a further delay that was compounded by a much-needed de-icing requirement for the aircraft.

On board we were greeted by flight leader, Thomas Claunch, who proved to be one of the most attentive Delta hosts we have met. His service and announcements were perfect. Throughout the flight he kept checking on our connecting flight in LaGuardia. We already experienced that the new Terminal C looks spectacular, but this time we were told to “run” from Gate 63 to Gate 82. No small feat even at the best of times. Our flight left three minutes before we got there. After talking to Delta on the phone we were re-routed through Detroit (!) to Ft Myers with a three hour plus wait in LaGuardia and two hours in Detroit. It gave us a leisurely chance to retreat to the absolutely beautiful large wide-open new Delta Sky Club. Food choices were abundant from different areas and one counter even had a chef serving our choices. Quality was better than I have ever experienced in a Sky Club, bar personnel were friendly and a dedicated, perfectly dressed clean-up crew was making sure everything was kept looking pristine despite the high turnover. I did spend some time with Noel, a Delta representative, at the Sky Club information desk as he tried to find a better schedule for us. It was a pleasure dealing with him, as he could not have been friendlier and accommodating despite not being able to find a better schedule.

Our flight was delayed again. On board to Detroit, we were greeted by yet another very efficient flight leader. She informed us the plane had to be de-iced, but the crew would try to make up for time. The flight was expected to be somewhat bumpy and with a bright smile she suggested we order a drink before takeoff as she might not be able to do it later. Just like on our previous flight, she kept us informed about our connection to Ft Myers. It was not a long walk in Detroit this time and arriving at the gate we were told the flight had just been delayed. I believe we finally took off about an hour late.

We had received a first class upgrade through a frequent flyer certificate and to our surprise we were first served a cocktail with some time in between before enjoying the best dinner we have ever had on any Delta flight and all with impeccable service. We arrived in Ft. Myers at 10:40 PM instead of 2:15 PM. On the positive side we got to experience service and quality during this unexpected long day far surpassing our experience flying to and from Johannesburg, South Africa two months earlier both on the flights and in the Sky Club.

The positive from our little adventure is that this enabled me to confirm that Ed Bastian indeed has kept his promises, and I will remain a loyal customer on Delta!