I said I would never do it. But then I did it anyway. And now I’ve done it again.
I just can’t seem to shake off my bad habit of flying Delta Air Lines. I keep coming back, but it has nothing to do with customer satisfaction (because we all know there’s next to none of that).
Why, why, WHY do I do this to myself?
For one simple reason… when I’m in a bind, Delta is always the cheapest.
Last fall, I needed to be at a dear friend’s wedding. I had no flexibility in my dates or airports. Delta was the only airline that offered a ticket I could afford.
This fall, the boys’ Grandpa suddenly left us and went to live in heaven. We needed to fly back to the US to say goodbye, and take care of business. We hoped it would be possible for all five of us to go. Again, I had no flexibility in dates or airports. And, once more Delta was the only airline with four seats at a price we could afford two days before departure.
Darn, you Delta! Are you trying to win me back?
If so, it (almost) worked…
Trip Report: FRA – BNA (and back)
When researching my options for flights from Frankfurt to Nashville, Delta consistently came up with the cheapest fare and the best schedule for our needs. However, when flying with three kids I have learned that cheaper sometimes is not necessarily better.
Notably, being confined in a metal tube over the Atlantic for 9 hours is absolutely the pits if there’s nothing for the wee ones to do. Not wanting to find myself in such a predicament again, I consulted SeatGuru and made absolutely positively sure that we would have AVOD devices for each seat on both Delta international flights. I simply could not handle being stuck in 1983 jumbo jet hell again especially considering the stressful circumstances surrounding our trip and the fact that we would now be flying with THREE boys.
After booking tickets, I called Delta to let them know I’d be traveling with an infant. This time I was prepared for the archaic practice of having a PAPER international ticket for Big Foot issued at the airport in Frankfurt. So old skool you are, Delta.
Since we were flying with three children under the age of five, the Delta gate agents graciously granted us the row of bulkhead seats on both international flights. This meant we could use the bassinet for Big Foot (and this time I didn’t break any rules). Having a little bed he could nap in from time to time proved invaluable. I could free up my hands to cut chicken, peel pasta off the floor, or sneak away for sixty seconds to the lav (by myself!).
Doc Sci was able to sit one row behind me in the aisle. We took turns, alternating naps and movie time with meal and child minding duties. The movie selection on the AVOD was impressive both for kids and adults. The food tasted a gazillion times better than our last trip down the aisle with Delta.
The flight attendants on these trips seemed overly nice and surprisingly helpful. Not quite on the caliber of Asiana Airlines, but getting up there nonetheless. Perhaps executives have actually been listening to customer complaints and doing something about them?! Nah, it can’t be.
Or could it? I actually let myself think, well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe Delta isn’t so bad after all.
But then they lost our car seats. And I lost all warm fuzzies I might have had.
When arriving in the US on an international flight, passengers must collect their checked luggage. After wheeling it through customs, bags must be re-checked. If you’ve never done it, it’s quite simple. Roll your suitcases (and, in our case, car seats) up to the nice baggage handlers, smile, say thank you, and watch as they put the items on the conveyer belt. That’s all there is to it.
When we dropped off our car seats in Atlanta, little did we know we’d be kissing them goodbye for a while. Said car seats did not go to Nashville with the rest of our belongings. They stayed put in Atlanta for three days.
After traveling at least 20 hours with three boys, the last thing I want to do is deal with the Delta lost luggage guy. I want to go eat at Chipotle. But I couldn’t. You can’t go anywhere in a car with kids – without car seats.
Unfortunately, this Delta agent just happened to be a single guy with no kids. I could care less about the marital status of the man on the other side of the desk. But if he has no children, that means he has no experience with car seats. Or car seat laws. Or car seat styles. Or car seat weight limits.
What started out as a nice offer to loan us some Delta car seats turned into a nightmarish battle of trying to convince him first that my two and four year old were not going to fit in infant carriers. Next, I had to try and explain how I had meticulously researched rental cars and prepaid for the exact one that would fit our three car seats, not any ol’ loaners.
Anyone with Cheerios plastered to the car upholstery knows that car seats have varying widths. We own a Sunshine Kids Radian which boasts the ability to fit three across the back seat of a regular car due to the skinny bum width. We also own a slimline booster. Both of these were somewhere in the Atlanta airport instead of carrying our kids to a delicious burrito dinner.
Round and round I went with this guy trying to explain to him that the Graco car seats he was offering were not going to cut it. For starters, T-Rex was over the weight limit for the one available. But even more than that, those two Graco seats with their cup holders, arm rests, and sun roofs just plain old weren’t going to fit in the car. And seeing as Delta wasn’t going to pay for a bigger rental car, we were at an impasse.
After getting a supervisor involved who also did not have any experience with kids, we took the car seats to the actual rental car and demonstrated that no, we were not trying to make a quick buck off Delta. These seats do not fit!
In the end, we had to pay to add a smaller seat to our rental car agreement. The Delta supervisor would then reimburse us for the extra cost of renting the seat. When we left the Nashville airport several days later, we’d be issued a check equal to that amount. Oh yes, and you better believe they were going to throw a travel voucher in there, too. That was the least they could do for THREE hours of utter nonsense.
On the third day of our five day trip, we received our car seats. Delta delivered the long lost seats to our hotel, picked up the loaners, and took responsibility for returning them.
When we checked in for our flights home, we requested to talk to a supervisor about our situation and receive reimbursement. By the way, Delta calls their supervisors “red coats,” so use the lingo if you need access to someone higher up.
This time, I got a super nice guy (albeit again a dude who lacked experience with kids) who had heard about our story. Apparently, mamas with kids who insist their children ride in car seats that are suitable for their age, weight, and the vehicle in which they’re riding are BIG NEWS.
Before issuing the check to cover the cost of the rental car seat (which, by the way, I would not have had any way to deposit), Mr. Nice Red Coat asked me if I would like to have four, $100 vouchers instead of one, $100 voucher and a check for $40. Well, duh – of course I would like more money for travel… although of course it means having to fly Delta again.
But now that the car seat fiasco was behind us, we could focus on getting home to Germany. Fortunately, it was much like the trip to the US. Again, we had the bulkhead row. Again, the kids went nuts pushing the buttons on the AVOD devices. Again, the food was better. Again, Big Foot napped here and there in the bassinet. Again, I thought the flight attendants were more helpful than I remembered. Again, I wondered if Delta was really that bad.
Will I break up with Delta for good, or will I keep coming back for more?
Only time – and travel – will tell.
It’s nearly February which means I’m up to my eyeballs planning our family’s spring travel. Are you doing the same? Now is the time to search for deals for travel through April/May. Depending on the carrier, summer fares may or may not be on sale yet.
Thrifty Travel Mama 