Delta Crew Attitude

[Doors to Automatic]

I was visiting a former American client of mine in London today. We met in the lobby of the Harrington Hotel at about 1300 and as we were leaving a Delta crew arrived. Two of them came in before we got to the door but the rest came in as we held the door open for them for about a minute.

Two pilots and eight cabin crew passed through in that minute and not one of them had the basic manners to say thank you. I shouldn't be surprised as that is pretty much in line with the service I have generally received on Trans Atlantic flights with US carriers over the years.

Just thought I would share that, especially with any VS or BA crew on the forum who are generaly at the opposite end of the service scale.

[shon7]

It is indeed shameful and having experienced the same thing (more than a few times) including the service from their KLM counterparts in Amsterdam (who are equally rude and arrogant - indeed a perfect alliance), I now vote with my feet and don't fly them at all.

Do the same. Vote with your feet. If the US legacy carriers don't get their act together soon they will soon go the way of the car companies.

[grounded27]

I for one would like to apologies for all rude American aircrew. Delta used to be one of my favorite to fly "company" on, they were the most likely to upgrade me when they saw I was repositioning.

As I understand with the NWA merger much Delta MGT is now NWA, NWA was an ugly demise, the bitterness during their hard times was evident (union busting, hardcore tactics). TSA mandates that allow a FA to call for an airmarshall if you complain about the brand of peanuts or other services provided. A standard of empowerment combined with a feeling of company impotence is certainly at hand. (exaggeration and sarcasm should be respected in this post, to an extent)

[airsmiles]

Well it just goes to show how experiences can vary. I've flown Delta 17 times in the last year (USA, Atlantic) and none of the crew were rude, off-hand or dismissive. Okay they weren't particularly friendly either.

Best experiences were BA and KLM !

[Ozzy]

I totally refuse to fly transAtlantic on an US airline - they have no clue of what service is - they should fly to serve but they don't.

[A Pandy]

Last two times flying home to the UK have been on AA and Delta. Both shocking service and crew attitudes.
Best experiences on BA and Air France.

[wowzz]

I'll chip in my experiences - US carriers [AA UA Delta]: poor service, poor cc, overall poor flight. BA: When good, very good, when poor - hopeless, but still better than US carriers.

[radeng]

In my experience, all US carriers have gone down over the last 20 years. But without doubt, the worst US carrier for me has been US Air - or Useless Air. I rate them the same as Ryanair.

[NWA SLF]

Maybe it is in the perception of the person flying. Maybe it is just chance of the draw. I have had very nice treatment from most airlines on which I have flown, and been treated like pond scum on other flights on the same airline. The only one that stood out as being treated so bad I refused to fly again if my company travel agency booked me on them was British Airways. Paris to the UK - short flight, get a little PO'd and brush it off, but Heathrow to Osaka and have to live with FA's who treat you like crap there and back - it was easy to say I will just fly to Amsterdam and make my Japan trips on KLM instead.

[teddybear44]

Flew Delta just once (Internally) in the US. Not in a hurry to repeat.

[Jarvy]

My last 2 flights back to the UK have been with Delta and BA, both in economy and having been an advocate for BA in the past I found the Delta crew better in just about every way.
Maybe the crew came from New York which has just been voted the rudest city in the US!

[radeng]

I had 42 flights on BA last year. The only one where the CC weren't excellent, they were good.

[Hotel Tango]

US carriers were never the best but at one time they were OK. About 10 years ago they started to go downhill fast and I stopped flying with them. Only flew with them once since and that was only because of a flight cancellation and a reroute with Delta. This was in Business and in all fairness the crew were OK. I particularly liked the large pillow and the duvet. The aircraft was old and tired, as was the IFE. The experience wasn't bad but it wasn't good enough either to make me consider booking with them in the future.

[radeng]

In the early 90s, American Airlines was better than BA on trans atlantic routes. Not now. But the way the employee conditions and pay have been jerked around, it's hardly surprising. Regrettably, those at the top never seem to stop getting big pay awards and bonuses.

BA appears to want to go to Ryanair service at traditional BA prices, which seems to be one thing that really upsets the staff. Surprising as some here may find it, there are a lot of BA staff who take a pride in doing their job and looking after customers, only to be frustrated by management.

[wowzz]

ragend - I know this doesn't really contribute to the debate, but I totally agree with you. A few years ago I had a flight to Canada which necessitated a return to Shannon [med emergency] and a diversion to Montreal [fog in Toronto] and the cc were fantastic thoroughout, helped by the flight-deck, who informed everyone what was happening and why. We finally arrived in Toronto 24 hours late [after a stay in a hotel provided by BA] and because of the constant flow of information and the cc who had to adapt due to the constantly changing situation, none of the pax had any cause to complain.

[Will Hung]

I'd have let go of the door after the first 4 pigs !

Courtesy costs nothing.

[grounded27]

US carriers were never the best but at one time they were OK


Really? They set the standard!! Now they are setting a all new set of standards...

Appearance, conduct, quality meals and service on every flight it was.

We are now treated like animals in a ZOO, they feed us peanuts and if you act up at the least you will be tazered by the zoo keeper. Granted I do not condone dissonantly conduct.. To an extent.

[radeng]

About 5 years ago, I flew America West from Phoenix to Minneapolis. CC comes round with the trolley.

'Ja wanna drink?'
'If you please, may I have a Club Soda?'
'Waddya mean if you please? Are you tryin' to piss me off?'

Later that same trip, I'm waiting for the AW flight from San Diego to Phoenix that connected into the BA flight to London. (Before US Air took AW). It's late, so 'Come to the desk for your re-routing' (proounced 'rerowting') So I stood in the line in front of the desk and when I get there, she asks
'What's your final destination tonight sir?'
'London Heathrow' says I.
Her immediate response was 'Oh sh*t!' Just out loud, just like that.

When we got to Phoenix at 1900, we were of course at the opposite end of the airport to the gate BA goes from. Anyone who knows Phoenix Sky Harbor airport knows how far it is. There were two of us for the connection and they had sent an electric buggy for us. But the batteries were low and at a place where there was an incline, we had to get off and push!

Get to the BA Boarding Area: they said, 'Glad you've arrived. They are getting your bags over, we've held the departure for you'. - it was 1920 and departure time was 1915.

And then.......'Mr Radeng, you've been upgraded'.

We pushed back at 1930 and yes, the bag did make it.

I doubt any US airline would have bothered.

[Hotel Tango]

Really? They set the standard!!

Yes you're right, but when I wrote that I wasn't actually going that far back in my mind. My first experiences with US carriers (over the Atlantic) began in the early eighties. At that time I considered them more than adequate but nothing to get too excited about.

Arguably the standards were set by Pan Am a long time ago - and began to deteriorate rapidly after their demise.

[Hartington]

I have memories of Pan Am from the 70s both Transatlantic and down the Caribbean chain from Miami to Trinidad. Even then I would have chosen BOAC over Pan Am (or TWA) any day.

[Rick777]

Ten years ago was when most US airlines were using bankruptcy to cut pay, decrease staffing and just generally make life miserable for staff while giving management huge bonuses. I was always amazed that passengers were treated as well as they were given the attitude of most cabin staff. I was not cabin staff-I was a pilot and my pay went down about 80% while my work hours went up about 20% and my retirement was eliminated. Cabin staff were not quite that bad, but still got hit hard. New hires were eligible for government assistance they made so little.

[fincastle84]

I blame their parents & school teachers!!:ouch:

[Mr Mac]

Will be trying Delta product in 2 weeks time in US on internal flights. It will be intresting to see how they have changed as its been a few years since I have had to go to the land of the brave, and reading the post on US carriers does not fill me with confidance about the in flight service, but we will see,I think I may have been spoilt by EK/SQ over the last decade !.

[peterbuckstolemymeds]

... you get what you give.

As more and more of us fly more and more,for less and less money, the "glory days" of passenger flight have imo gone. Not just for passengers, but also for the CC. These people are generally not well paid and, in my perception, often not treated especially respectfully. We're asking too much to be treated like royalty. This ain't the 1930s.

In my experience, if you make just a little extra effort, with a smile and a voiced how's-your-day-going and maybe a little empathy/appreciation for the cabin crew member looking after you at that moment, unexpectedly nice things DO happen, and more frequently than you might imagine.

Please don't misunderstand me; I don't get to fly biz instead of econ because I'm kind, but my face IS being remembered during multiple services, I share a smile, maybe a little cheerful banter, my choice of drink might be remembered (like it probably was in the 30s!) and I'll often not pay for one of two of them. It's (I hope) refreshing for everyone, and it doesn't cost a thing. Plus, you get to deplane feeling better than those whose expectations were too high and consequently not met.

Of course, there are exceptions. That's another post, tho.

PB

[CherokeeDriver]

Lessons I've learned.
1. Never fly an American carrier unless essential
2. BA are the best for transatlantic crossings
3. If flying east from the UK pick an eastern based carrier

[Mr Mac]

Well I can say I have been well and truly Deltered !. What happened to US customer service where did it go ?. This was my first trip back to USA for 8 years and I thought standerds had gone down then from when I was there every other week (so it seemed)from 1987 - 91, and I will not even mention how much higher they were when I was an exchange student in the mid 70,s. It was not just the staff, but everything like the planes were in some cases very old and tired (crew said some of their DC 9 were 30yr old) which is not what you want to here when bouncing around the edge of a super cell :sad:!.
There just appears to be a malaise in the US at the moment that they manufacture / provide a service to a budjet which the bar is not set high enough on. The experiance was quite intresting although for my company totaly unrewarding as quality issues which we have had from previouse US suppliers were still evident:ugh:. I do not know which way they go from here as the service which the US was justly proud of seems to have left them and they now have lowered there expectations (same could be said for some UK companies and Govt). They remain good hosts ( I was mostly in mid west from Gulf to Canadian border) but they are going to have either improve their game or put up the trade barriers as the product is not what it was. On the plus side of this, its back to EK/SQ for me and the routes out East. :ok:

[shon7]

The US airlines will go the way the car makers GM, Ford and Chrysler did. The domestic markets should be opened up to foreign carriers. US consumers deserve better.

[radeng]

>US consumers deserve better. <

But do they? Is it not a case of 'As ye sow, so shall ye reap'. Pushing for lowest possible fares has had the effect you would expect - lowest amount of service.

I'm surprised maintenance has kept going so well and hasn't been too obviously cost and corner cut.

[shon7]

This whole "service is terrible because all the consumers care about is low fares" argument is flawed. If the pay and conditions are so terrible crews should leave for higher paying jobs - which they dont because such nonsense would not be tolerated in most regular workplaces.

Airline service is terrible simply because of archaic work rules, spineless managers who are not willing to hold people accountable and airline crews who think that the world has done them wrong and in turn treat the passengers as their worst enemy.

[crewmeal]

Airline service is terrible simply because of archaic work rules, spineless managers who are not willing to hold people accountable and airline crews who think that the world has done them wrong and in turn treat the passengers as their worst enemy.

Couldn't agree more. Having travelled extensively throughout the States, I found much of airline service there is based on sarcasm and flippancy. I also feel that many of the Eastern European crews who work for the likes of FR do not know how to smile, yet alone talk to people, or even speak basic English. This in turn will give a completely negative view on service.

[WHBM]

Couldn't agree more. Having travelled extensively throughout the States, I found much of airline service there is based on sarcasm and flippancy.
Not Delta, but United ground crew, a day or so ago.

LAX Meltdown; Scary Situation, unbelievable agents... - FlyerTalk Forums (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-mileageplus-consolidated/1326516-lax-meltdown-scary-situation-unbelievable-agents.html)

[Tableview]

Couldn't agree more. Having travelled extensively throughout the States, I found much of airline service there is based on sarcasm and flippancy

Agreed. Travelling on a Continental flight once the man next to me asked for a Gin and Tonic and as the attendant turned away to get it, he added : "Without ice please." As she had her back turned and didn't acknowledge, he repeated : "Without ice please..." in a perfectly pleasant manner. She swung round with her hands on her hips and almost spat at him : "I am not a dumb god-damn blonde." Without missing a beat, he said : "You do a darned good imitiation of one then!"

I found US domestic service varied from atrocious to excellent, but there seemed to be very little pattern to it.

[DeepDene]

Well, after 35 years of business travel and 94 countries later, in my experience ....

- American carriers (all) - impersonal, cold and unfriendly no matter how much you try, best avoided,

- new & expanding Middle East carriers -usually good, but often lack of experienced cabin crew shows through, you kind of have to grin and bear it if it goes wrong because they're too nice to make a fuss,

- Lufthansa and Swiss, personally, my favourites - consistency and efficiency are the key,

BA - Jekyll and Hyde; when they're good they're outstanding, when they're bad they just don't give a damn. Overall though, average. Can't forget tent city in the T4 car park a few years back, although that wasn't the crews' fault

Qantas - sometimes make you feel like you've got a nasty disease - I never got over being served by CC wearing plastic gloves during a time of heightened HIV publicity a few years back.

Best recent experience - Jet Airways to Mumbai - almost perfect !

Many others, but those are the outstanding ones.

[Jarvy]

Last 3 trips back to the UK from NYC have been with 3 different airlines all in cattle class. I'll rate them with United the best of the 3. Attentive staff and came round with water or OJ every 45 minutes very plesant trip. Next comes Delta and lastly BA. As a long time user of BA I now find the staff rude and unattentive when in the cabin and not hiding some where. In fact on our last 2 trips we have felt the need to write to BA about the cabin crew.