I have seen the thread on Delta's new policy. I have seen hunt reports indicating that Delta is not forwarding bags to SAA.

We have checked with 2 travel agents. Both say Delta will transfer bags. I have personally asked Delta people twice. One said they would transfer. The other said they would not.

Does anyone really know?

Larry sounds like typical airline BS. ALl depends on who you get at the counter and how much they want to do for you on a given day.

Thanks Tim.

Sorry guy, I posted this in the wrong area. I phones....

They would not for me on my Feb trip. Will see what they do for me next month.

They did forward mine (including guns)late march.

Good stuff happens,when you sit up front.

Ok what does this mean for us peasants sitting in the back?
I am on Delta from Denver to ATL to JNB in 23 day s and I do not want to get there and not have my rifle?

Someone please clue me in here.

never expect your luggage to arrive when you fly delta.

I have flown 3.5 million miles in Delta. Baggage problems for me have been exceedingly rare. Perhaps on e out of 200 flights.

quote:

Originally posted by bobgrow:
Good stuff happens,when you sit up front.

This did not help me in Feb.

Delta's official policy which began this year was that they will not forward bags on non-partner airlines if the tickets are not "linked." Linked means that they were not purchased independently. If you or your travel agent book the entire flight for one price through Delta then you are good to go. If you buy a separate ticket on a non-partner airline like South African (which tends to save money) then you are hoping for a counter agent that is both in a good mood and not aware of the policy. This change has been a pain in the butt and I have had to change my business flying practices primarily to parts of eastern Europe. As a multi-year Diamond Medallion on Delta the response I received was "tough" when I complained. You have to love the airlines.

Don

DonW:

I think you have it right.

I called the diamond medallion number last night and spoke with a supervisor. What you said is exactly what they told me.

Larry,
As you and I both know even the Diamond line gets it wrong sometime, although not in this case as this has impacted me enough that I have spent more than a little time researching it. Plus, it doesn't hurt that my wife is the deputy director of our airport so I get to speak directly to the Delta station manager. Bottom line for me is I weigh the ticket costs together versus separate when using a non-Delta partner. If the cost savings is high enough then I allow sufficient time to claim and recheck my bag when I complete the Delta leg in case they refuse to check them through. Sometimes it is worth it to save a couple grand for an hour or two in hassle.

Regards,

Don

quote:

Originally posted by DonW28:
Delta's official policy which began this year was that they will not forward bags on non-partner airlines if the tickets are not "linked." Linked means that they were not purchased independently. If you or your travel agent book the entire flight for one price through Delta then you are good to go. If you buy a separate ticket on a non-partner airline like South African (which tends to save money) then you are hoping for a counter agent that is both in a good mood and not aware of the policy. This change has been a pain in the butt and I have had to change my business flying practices primarily to parts of eastern Europe. As a multi-year Diamond Medallion on Delta the response I received was "tough" when I complained. You have to love the airlines.

Don

I made an earlier comment about accommodations possible if you are flying first class. The check in agents have substantial discretion depending on their seniority. Flying first and smiling will get special treatment if you have a problem and you are lucky enough to get a more seasoned agent...the baggage check in system can be overidden, I've had it done.
BUT traveling with one's special rifles,it becomes too risky to bet on an agent's demeanor that day, regardless of ticket class.

In October 2012 Delta did put out a policy they were not going to through-check to another airline unless it was on the same ticket. On January 3rd they rescinded the policy per their email blast below.

As many of you have posted you will get a different answer each and every time you call and speak to an agent, however, check-in agents are the ones who determine if they will or will not through-check baggage to another airline. I have had a few cases this year where Delta would not through-check due to separate tickets and most of these were folk flying through Frankfurt and connecting to Air Namibia. On the Johannesburg run it seems Delta agents want to through-check baggage as far as they can, even for those folk who have an overnight in Johannesburg and continuing their journey the next morning to Zimbabwe or Namibia.

Here is the Email Extra bulletin Delta posted in January - I have not seen any reversal to this.

Delta Postpones Implementation of Clarified Baggage Check Policy
(January 3, 2013) -- On October 25, 2012, Delta published an E-Mail Extra clarifying the baggage check process for customers traveling on separate tickets. The communication stated that for travel on or after January 15, 2013, Delta policy would be to check a passenger’s baggage between the origin and destination points that are indicated on a single or conjuncted ticket exclusively. (Click hereto view the announcement.)

As we continue to work closely with our highly valued travel partners, Delta has since determined that it will postpone implementation of the clarified policy in order to further assess implications, to better understand any applicable regulatory requirements, and to provide travel partners with additional time to evaluate potential adjustments to ticketing practices associated with such a policy.

Delta truly appreciates you - our valued customer - and your patience as we work to deliver the best travel experience across our entire global network.

Thanks Steve.

Damn-Diamond line gets it wrong again. It will only take 6 more months for this to get flushed out completely and I can stop spending the night in Munich. Hope my letters of complaint helped get this fixed.

And to think I just bought a ticket two days ago to overnight in Munich on the way to Romania for this very reason. Oh well. Shows none of us know as much as we think when the airlines are involved.

Regards,

Don