Well ... this explains a lot.

America's Worst Airlines

That is why I fly Southwest domestically and avoid the others as much as I can.

I fly Alaska a lot, but usually with only a carryon. I'm a fan. Good airline.

American is SHIT. Last time I used them they were 4 out of 4 late.

Perfect... Delta is #1 in something! And I fly out to Jo'burg tomorrow morning. I wish I wouldn't have read this... and remained blissfully ignorant!

Alaska has never lost any of my bags. It was a problem I read after they outsourced their baggage handling in Seattle but I thought they got that resolved.

That's a real shame,too, because Delta used to be one of the best.

When I moved to Atlanta almost 25 years ago, I settled in an area that is heavily populated with airline employees, especially pilots, and even more especially, Delta pilots.

I also worked with some Dept of Army civilians who were spouses of Delta employees.

In those days, you'd better not say anything negative about Delta--it was a true family operation, and the employees were fiercely proud of their company.

I knew senior mechanics who had been with Delta for 20+ years and still had to work the night shift because their didn't have enough seniority--people never left Delta.

Then came the layoffs, pension reductions, and wage cuts. Management changed and so did Delta.

I watched all that change, over a period of not so many years--Delta families turned from proud to resentful, and Delta became "just another place to work," and not a very good place, at that.

It's pretty depressing to watch an icon like Delta self-destruct.

Bankruptcy forces change. They obviously could not survive the old way.

All air travel has gotten worse. it isn't just Delta.

Face it------traveling just ain't what it used to be !!

I fly to N. Dakota every year to chase pheasants. Everyone complained about Northwest but I never had any problems with them. Since Delta took over things have gotten worse. This year my flights both ways were delayed. Luggage didn't arrive until the next flight on the way out and I had to wait over an hour for the luggage to show up on the return flight.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodmnctry:
Face it------traveling just ain't what it used to be !!

That's for sure, really makes you envious of those with private jets. The plane leaves when they want, they don't have to arrive hours ahead of time, no TSA stripping them down, and they can carry their guns/baggage right up and on to the plane. Now if I just had an extra $50 million laying around ...

A lot depends if you are elite on an airline, are a member of their airport club, etc.

Southwest doesn't have 1st class, has no club, etc. No thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
A lot depends if you are elite on an airline, are a member of their airport club, etc.

First class and being a member of their "club" doesn't always guarantee better service. I've been in first class a couple of times and had poor service. I can even think of one example where one person in my party (a "Red Carpet" memeber for this airline) got moved back to coach since the "air-marshal" needed to sit in first class. We were pissed about that, but even more pissed the flight attendant spent the entire flight chatting with the air-marshal and ignored the rest of first class. Unacceptable for first class, IMO!

quote:

Face it------traveling just ain't what it used to be !!

Pretty much sums it up.


(Okay, done venting.)

I can tell you almost exactly when Delta started goin down hill. Whoever the head hauncho was in the 80's, his son-in-law took over after he retired and that guy is the one who started outsourcing, down sizing and doing everything that lead up to the big bankruptcy problems. My dad put 35 hard years in with Delta, and when that all started going south he lost a LOT of his retirement wages, insurance and other benefits. That's also about the time employees flying started getting treated like mud as well. Its a shame, I spent most of my life loving to fly on Delta, now I don't know if id even want to step on one of their planes domestically I stick to Frontier and Southwest whenever possible. Internationally Lufthansa has treated me well. That's who I will be choosing to fly to get to Namibia in the next year or two (also helps having a direct flight the Germany everday from here lol)

If I ever wound up with pots and pots of $$$$$$$$$$, I wouldn't have a 40,000 square foot house, or a Bugatti Veyron, but I sure as hell would have my own jet, trans-Atlantic capable. And, I would make seats available for SCI auctions. "Sommmmmmmmmewhere, Over the Rainbow....."

Very sad to say, but American and European airlines have only themselves to blame for their decline.

They started treating their paying passengers as cargo, and the end result was passengers leaving them in droves.

I travel quite a bit through Europe, and it is amazing how the European airlines have this "could not careless" attitude towards their Business Class passengers.

Here are a fwe of the problems I have encountered myself on major European airlines.

1. Seat allocation is not enforced. We had 4 seats on Business Class on SAS. The seats were next to each other as per boarding passes.

We found our seats were occupied, and when I questioned the air hostess, she gave mne a blank look!

I had to personally ask each passenger to move from our seats. One man insisted that it was his seat. I kept telling him it wasn't, and he better show me his boarding pass.

Finally he relented, and got his boarding pass, found out where he was seated, and went there.

2. Business Class seats are exactly the same as Economy Class seats. Only thing is the middle seat of the three is left unoccupied.

3. Some flights they would not allow you to carry your carry bags on the plane. You have to put them in a trolley, where they are loaded in the hold, and collected at your destination.

One time I had an argument with Lufthansa, as we had a small child with us, with food for her in teh bags, and my computer bag, which I was not willing to leave in the hold.

They only relented after we had refused to board the flight without our hand baggage.

All First Class and Business Class lounges in Europe require you to pay for Internet connections!!?

Can you believe this?

Even in Male, in the Maldives, FREE Internet is available throughout the air port.

Travelling with airlines from our part of the world, especially in First and Business Class, one gets all sorts of services no European airlines ever dreams of.

Emirates, Itihad and Qatar Airways I have had excellent service from.

I understand Singapore Airlines is very good service wise too.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Saeed:
Emirates, Itihad and Qatar Airways I have had excellent service from.

QUOTE]

I had a VERY nice ride with them last month ! +++++

We were going to book with Emirates business for our 2011 Ele hunt, but there were many problems trying to manage the flight from SFO to JNB on their website. They really should make their process easier. We had ff miles, so we booked Delta business elite. We'll see how it goes.

Have flown almost all airlines and routing over the years, SFO - JNB annually. South African was the choice 15 years ago but they went to hell with their business service and I quit them around 2001. Virgin Atlantic was good but had a 12 hour layover at Heathrow and that's too long, even using the business lounge. Don't want to fly via europe because of security issues. That doesn't leave many options.

Worst Airlines: British and South African Airways. (not to mention some of the small domestic African airlines)

Best Airlines: Singapore Airlines and Emirates. Both, I believe are in a class of their own.

quote:

All First Class and Business Class lounges in Europe require you to pay for Internet connections!!?

Can you believe this?

Saeed, the Air France and KLM lounges don't charge for internet in the lounges, and that would include Delta Airlines passengers as well since it's the same Sky Team group.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Bankruptcy forces change. They obviously could not survive the old way.

All air travel has gotten worse. it isn't just Delta.

Ditto's Larry

I went to France back in September for my youngest daughter's wedding and we flew Open Skies Airline from Newark to Paris. OS belongs to British Air and is a business class only airline. Boeing 757s refitted with bus seats and beds....4 airplanes....2 trips a day to Orly and 2 return flights. Cost- $3,190.00 round trip for two. Excellent service! I think they may be expanding their routes in the near future.

I travel all over Europe and Africa for travel. When I overhear airline employees referring to passengers as "self loading freight", you know things are just wrong!

I am so thankful that I retired in '98 and have missed most of the crap. I only fly when necessary.

I used to travel to the UK, Europe and Africa on BA, sometimes three or four times a month. I always got an upgrade to business and often first. In those days, BA was right up there with anyone for quality of service. First class was simply the best available. JAL and Singapore were there, too.

Damned shame what has happened to management's attitude toward the traveling public. That negative attitude, coupled with the TSA outrages in the States, keeps me off airlines unless it is absolutely mandatory to travel.

I fear air travel is only going to get worse, much worse.

Consider the new TSA security checks. If you refuse the x-ray scan so as to avoid adding to your lifetime rad count, you are submitted to a double pat-down search by under-educated, under-trained, couldn't find a real job, police wannabe but couldn't pass the test, TSA boobs.

IF YOU TOUCH MY JUNK I'M GONNA HAVE YOU ARRESTED!

Good idea, but you can make the arrest yourself. It's called a citizens' arrest and you then turn the arrestee over to a real cop who, at a minimum, will have to write a report (cops love paperwork, not).

Did the TSA boob get a smile on his/her face while conducting the pat-down search? If so, then there may be reasonable cause to believe he/she was enjoying the touching, witch would make it a crime.

A civilian arrest need only rise to "reasonable cause to believe a crime was committed", not to the higher "probable cause" required of a sworn police officer.

So let's review:
Fewer flights means fewer seats.
Service reductions - want food, bring it yourself, pillow & blanket, pay for them.
Pay for your luggage.
Price increases.
TSA stupidity on the rise.

Enjoy your flight.