[QUOTE=Labrador Deceiver]
They’re all just about as bad. Research has pretty much shown that, under the business model run by most of the large airlines, the only way to remain competitive is to reduce fares. That’s the only thing the customers care about when it come time to book a ticket.
When asked which airlines sucks the hardest, most travelers will give the ones they use the most often as their answer.
[/QUOTE]
Like RTFirefly, that only is not consistent with my experience, it’s wildly at odds with it.
As a very frequent flier I get to fly them all, and Delta is the worst, by far, or any major airline I’ve flown. They’re measurable worse than any other airline; their flights are much later, the service vastly more inept, the planes shittier. The only positive thing I can say about them is that the people are reasonably friendly, even if there aren’t enough of them and they aren’t competent.
The airline I have to fly the most, Air Canada, is easily the best. The US airline I fly most, United, is much better than Delta or American and as good as most of the others.
Another vote for Delta being the worst of all. I will happily pay more to another airline (within reason) to avoid Delta. And if I do fly Delta, I assume my flight will be late and my bag will be lost…
[QUOTE=Elenfair]
Good GRIEF! What’s wrong with these morons.
I’ve flown with a service dog with NW, Air Canada and United on a regular basis since 1998. I’ve never had a problem with any of them – in fact, Air Canada/United always bend over BACKWARDS to help. I don’t need an escort from point A to point B, seeing as my dog is not a guide, but they provide one anyway. There’s always someone awaiting my arrival at check-in, someone to walk us through security all the way to the gate, someone to walk us through connections and terminal switches (which sometimes involve customs, and that can be a pain)… all the way through to baggage claim…!
[/QUOTE]
Hmmm… have you considered supplementing your income by being a drug mule?
[QUOTE=RickJay]
Like RTFirefly, that only is not consistent with my experience, it’s wildly at odds with it.
As a very frequent flier I get to fly them all, and Delta is the worst, by far, or any major airline I’ve flown. They’re measurable worse than any other airline; their flights are much later, the service vastly more inept, the planes shittier. The only positive thing I can say about them is that the people are reasonably friendly, even if there aren’t enough of them and they aren’t competent.
The airline I have to fly the most, Air Canada, is easily the best. The US airline I fly most, United, is much better than Delta or American and as good as most of the others.
[/QUOTE]
I’m absolutely shocked that it isn’t universally true for 100% of the flying public. Shocked.
Here’s a cite showing that the major airlines (sans SW, AirTran, etc.) are all about the same, with your noticeably better United scoring worse than Delta.
“Delta gets you there”? I had to look that one up before I could believe it was actually a real slogan. They used that slogan for three whole years? Way to reach for the stars, Delta. Wait, hang on, I think we can come up with a slogan that’s even better at expressing a complete and total lack of ambition:
“Delta: we perform our sole function in an adequate manner.”
“Delta isn’t bankrupt yet.”
“Delta pilots are trained to fly airplanes.”
“Delta. Wait, they’re still in business?”
“Delta gets you there”? I had to look that one up before I could believe it was actually a real slogan. They used that slogan for three whole years? Way to reach for the stars, Delta. Wait, hang on, I think we can come up with a slogan that’s even better at expressing a complete and total lack of ambition:
“Delta: we perform our sole function in an adequate manner.”
“Delta isn’t bankrupt yet.”
“Delta pilots are trained to fly airplanes.”
“Delta. Wait, they’re still in business?”
[/QUOTE]
You are misreading the slogan. It’s “Delta gets you there”. Imagine a big red arrow pointing at your butt.
Just a thought, but could it be the airport to blame, and not entirely the airline? I can’t help but compare this with the experience I had with my aunt. Heathrow was dreadful: a long wait for a wheelchair which came with an attendant who demanded a tip. Aberdeen was great: on the way out the wheelchair was there right on time and I was told to just return it to the office , and on the way back the parking warden came and delivered it to the shelter, and the staff were entirely happy for me to leave the wheelchair with them when we boarded.
I had to fly Delta a fair amount when I was a kid. Hey, when you have to go to South Carolina to see family your only real choice is to fly into Atlanta. (Atlanta is a whole Pit rant on its own.) Those experiences have made me want to never fly Delta or into Atlanta ever again.
[QUOTE=Quartz]
Just a thought, but could it be the airport to blame, and not entirely the airline? I can’t help but compare this with the experience I had with my aunt. Heathrow was dreadful: a long wait for a wheelchair which came with an attendant who demanded a tip. Aberdeen was great: on the way out the wheelchair was there right on time and I was told to just return it to the office , and on the way back the parking warden came and delivered it to the shelter, and the staff were entirely happy for me to leave the wheelchair with them when we boarded.
[/QUOTE]
IME, the service you get at Heathrow depends entirely on whose section of the airport you’re in. Every time I fly in (or out) on BA, everything at the airport is peachy; on every other airline, everything is shitty.
[QUOTE=Quartz]
Just a thought, but could it be the airport to blame, and not entirely the airline? I can’t help but compare this with the experience I had with my aunt. Heathrow was dreadful: a long wait for a wheelchair which came with an attendant who demanded a tip. Aberdeen was great: on the way out the wheelchair was there right on time and I was told to just return it to the office , and on the way back the parking warden came and delivered it to the shelter, and the staff were entirely happy for me to leave the wheelchair with them when we boarded.
[/QUOTE]
Perhaps, but you’d think that some employees would drop the “not my job” BS and help her at some point during the next 5 hours while she was trapped at the gate, unable to get around. Only one person did, finally bringing her water when she complained of dehydration after 11 pm, and finding someone who would wheel her to the bathroom. I work in a medical center’s clinic and I’m going out of my mind if it takes more than 10 minutes for Transport to arrive with a wheelchair for our patients who have limited mobility, to wheel them down the hall to their next “stop” in their clinic visit.