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By Douglas | July 17, 2010, 8:25 am | Location: |Direct Views: 47 Posted from Fiumicino, Lazio, Italy.
Aboard AirFrance (A321) from CDG to Rome, with an ontime departure, landing in 1 hour and 45 minutes. The room keys timed out at 12:00, with us returning at 12:02. Papa seemed a bit bothered by the timing out of the key, then remembered that Marsha was in their room still.
The Opera Metro station was as busy as the previous days, only no “Information” help, which was needed today. The Metro pass that was fixed yesterday no longer worked today. In frustration of the long line for the one Metro employee to make sales, I was able to fit through the luggage area of the entrance into the station. After 5 sets of stairs, one elevator ride, and one escalator ride, we arrived at the Metro Line, for a quick trip to the next stop to connect to the RER B to the airport.
Our luck slightly improved when we boarded out train to the airport and realized it was an express with only 5 stops instead of the normal 11. A trip on a metro would not be complete without some type of street performer. Today was no difference, after the deaf person passing out the pens for a donation of 2,00, a family affair began their performance. This trio including a child of no more then 5 years old playing the tambourine, a portable sound system, and an accordion player. After 3 French Songs, they departed to the next car. Our entertainment about the RER B ended as quickly as it began.
CDG was as busy as always, with long queues to maneuver through the airport. We arrived at the check in of Terminal 2F, to find a SkyTeam Elite checkin line, with no one in the queue. Bags checked, boarding pass in hand, and directions to the lounge in less then 3 minutes. Way to go Air France!! Security at CDG was a bit more strict, in a different way. Shoes are allowed, but belts are not allowed, and iPads are laptops (or treated as such). After 2 failed attempts through security, I was given clearance to move forward. One interesting thing I did notice was that when my wallet was put through the machine, it was placed in between two trays to not allow the employees easy access to it as it passed through. While my inability to travel was apparent, we cleared the security queue in five minutes.
The AirFrance Business Lounge is now the Carb Lounge, full of potato chips, cookies, wine, crackers, yogurt, soda, alcohol, and Happy Snacks. The peach Schweppes was refreshing and when added to white wine, it made for a great spritzer. One hour in the lounge, off to gate F29 to board for the flight, on time push back, and enroute now.
Farewell Paris, it was an inspiring adventure in the city of lights, it feels as though Barcelona was a whim, and a long time ago. Hopefully we will be able to locate somewhere with wifi in Rome, without a high price tag.
We have changed altitudes looking for smooth air, no such luck yet!
By Douglas | June 29, 2010, 10:45 am | Location: Atlanta, GA |Direct Views: 59  United Airlines refreshed the mileageplus landing page for its members of its frequent flyer program. The colors are vivid, and it’s very easy to navigate. Great to see how they highlight the promotions, upgrades, and current activity toward EQS / EQM thresholds. The page is very fluid, great job United! A mouseover the icon next to key words gives clear definitions of the context UA is referring to. I will still miss the iconic Tulip when it departs…
By Douglas | June 28, 2010, 5:21 pm | Location: Atlanta, GA |Direct Views: 79  Arranging my upcoming trips, I hopped on Delta.com to download the files to my calendar. I would typically download it twice, and then adjust one of them to be for the outbound and inbound. While on Delta.com today, I see the link to a summary of itineraries and when adding to outlook, I can choose which leg. United.bomb had this functionality but they later removed it, not sure if it is back, since I don’t fly them.
Thanks Delta for enhancing Delta.com for the better, makes it easier to manage outlook.
By Douglas | June 27, 2010, 9:05 am | Location: Atlanta, GA |Direct Views: 63 It has been a while since I have updated on Delta and SkyPriority, work has been a bit hectic. On May 26, 2010, Delta communicated that the boarding process for SkyPriority will be augmented based on customer feedback. The change in the boarding process is very positive and takes into account the many challenges I experienced on my trip to Manila. While the Silver Medallion seem beyond angry, recognition for those with 50k or more a year on your airline should occur, and those in First/Business Elite should be priority (though Non-Revs that have confirmed seating are viewed as full fare passengers). Thanks for listening Delta to the customers on this “enhancement”.
Starting June 1st, we will revert back to advance boarding for BusinessElite®, First and Business Class customers. The modified boarding order will be:
- Pre-boarding for customers requiring assistance
- NEW — Boarding of BusinessElite, First and Business Class customers*
- Zone 1 boarding for Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion® members and SkyTeam® Elite Plus customers
- Zone 2 boarding for Silver Medallion members and SkyTeam Elite customers
- Zones 3 and 4 boarding for all other customers
And remember, customers in BusinessElite, First and Business Class, Zone 1 and Zone 2 can board anytime after their zone is called using the Sky Priority boarding lane.
By Douglas | May 8, 2010, 9:52 am | Location: 37,000 feet above the US |Direct Views: 127 Posted from Elmhurst, Illinois, United States.
 in update to my previous thread regarding Delta and Sky Priority, the program has not improved but they won me back. Previous post: Update: Experience Delta Sky Priority – Atlanta to Manila (A Marketing Bust…)
I sent an email to feedback at Delta and received the standard canned response. A bit disappointed, I sent my note on to another contact at Delta Airlines. While I did not here back for a while, a response came on behalf of Richard Anderson, CEO. While you may say ” that’s a person just responding from a customer service group” , the response was exceptional! They addressed my concern and closed with a personal note about my change in job functions. Kudos to Delta Airlines !
Now it gets better! After a frustrating night at Aria in Vegas, TSA with mobile boarding pass readers with dead batteries, I was confident that my trip home from work on this Saturday would be mediocre at best.
the plane boarded on time with a 07:45 departure , 753 service to Atlanta. While the Sky Priority process remains too large when boarding, the flight crew turned my day around.
Sitting in 3D, I overheard the crew mention my seat number in passing. Linda, flight leader today stopped by to introduce herself and express her apologies for my previous Delta experience. she offered any assistance on today’s flight, kudos to Linda and the other F/a in first this morning. The passenger next to me commented on the conversation, and has 5 million miles with Delta. A few minutes later, before departure, Linda passed through the first cabin introducing herself, offering assistance if needed and thank each one of us by name for our business.
The pilots are currently mentioning landmarks as we fly over, in a friendly, non obnoxious way.
Thank you Delta Airlines, Linda and the crew today for exceeding my expectations and winning over the small doubt I may have had about Delta’s goal to be best in class. I look forward to my next flight on Delta.
Writing this on GoGo with the iPad is a breeze. Only one small challenge with word press and blogging in visual mode ( does not work). Early arrival into Atlanta and beautiful day to fly. Delta 1703.
By Douglas | May 7, 2010, 2:32 pm | Location: Las Vegas, NV |Direct Views: 121 Posted from Paradise, Nevada, United States.
Some humor is in this story, since it did not turn out bad, but relates to a sad topic of mental illness. Can you imagine passengers seeing a flight attendant being called satan (that may be priceless). Stanely Sheffield suffers from bi polar disorder, while on a flight he called out to a flight attendant as satan, sprayed others with water from the cart and tried to open the cockpit door. The article – “Ex-wife of Stanely Sheffield: ‘He needs help’” It took eight people to subdue Mr. Sheffield. On a previous flight out west – he was not allowed to reboard after a layover -
But there were other indications Stanley might have had trouble aboard a
plane. On his flight from Tampa out west, he was not allowed to
re-board the plane during a layover in Denver. Police were called to
the United terminal because of an incident between Sheffield and some
employees. Police did not make an arrest, instead helping Sheffield
find a Southwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles.
As a frequent traveler and having someone close to me suffer from mental illness, I can understand many sides. Ultimately, in the air, regardless of mental state, a person can still do harm to a large amount of people. Imagine if he attempted to open doors of the plane or a variety of more extreme tasks. Flying may not be best suited for his future travelers if this is is a reoccurring theme.
By Douglas | May 5, 2010, 6:08 am | Location: Atlanta, GA |Direct Views: 175  In June, 2009 due to the downturn in the economy, CLEAR ceased operations. I was in the midst of a trip when flying back home, I noticed the lane I would normally pass through was closed. MSNBC reports that CLEAR is working to make a comeback this fall in an article online (Article: Airport Security speedup program to relaunch ) . Benefits:
- The greatest benefit I found to CLEAR was not the the quickness (Atlanta is pretty quick) but the guarantee to get you through the security in 5 minutes or less. This allowed me to arrive at the airport knowing that regardless of the day of week, I could plan on making my flight.
- The employees were extremely helpful and courteous.
- The response to feedback /user experience submitted online about was top notch.
- The CLEAR card could be used as ID through airport security, versus needing to pull out the drivers license. Though pulling out the license is easy, I am always paranoid I will leave it behind in a bin, or a pocket.
Alclear said in a statement Tuesday that the subscription terms of nearly 160,000 previous members will be honored. Enrollment for new members will start this summer. It did not say how many airports will have the new version of the service.
Having a membership with a subscription that was not honored, I look forward to it being reinstated, I enjoyed the benefit for approximately 6 months. I have my card still, which I was told, would be worthless. I was sad to see the service end and depart Atlanta Airport. With 40-60k people passing through Atlanta, this would be welcomed back, Orlando could definitely use it again!
Flyclear.com highlights details about the service being revived and more to come.
CLEAR is back and under new ownership. We are transforming the CLEAR service, and with it your travel experience. For those of you who are not familiar with CLEAR please click here to learn more about us.
For our existing members, we appreciate your patience and loyalty. It is important for you to know that we will honor your remaining membership terms. The new CLEAR is a customer centric company – we want to rebuild it with you and for you.
The CLEAR story:
We bought CLEAR because we loved it and members loved it. As frequent travelers ourselves (for business and with our families), we think CLEAR is a must have service.
CLEAR will transform the airport experience and take the angst out of travel through expedited service at the security checkpoint. We pledge expedience, predictability and service to our customers. At the same time we are bringing added security for you, our Government and our airport partners.
In June 2009, due to the economic downturn and too much debt, old CLEAR closed without notice. Nearly 200,000 members were stranded. Recently, we bought CLEAR out of bankruptcy and we are thrilled with the opportunity to rebuild it. We are deeply sorry about the way it ended and appreciate your patience. As the new owners, we will honor prior management’s obligation to you, the customer, by reinstating your remaining membership term.
Like our CLEAR card, our style is to be transparent. We are focused on rebuilding CLEAR with you and for you. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments by clicking here.
We are excited to exceed your expectations.
By Douglas | May 4, 2010, 5:47 pm | Location: Atlanta, GA |Direct Views: 136 A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a website called Widgetheads.net. It was a website dedicated to Delta, including news, fleet information, among many other components. What impressed me the most about the site was the fleet information, down to the tail and livery of the plane. Sadly, it recently ceased with a note on the site.
Dear Fellow Widgetheads,
I regret to inform you that Widgetheads.net has shut its doors for good. This decision was made due to circumstances that are out of my control. However, the decision has absolutely nothing to do with any legal issues regarding Delta Air Lines. Please do not contact me offering assistance in any way, including financial or informational. There is no way to bring Widgetheads.net back online. I want to thank everyone who has visited the site over the past years, and especially those that contributed. As I’ve said many times before, this site would have not gotten as far as it did if it wasn’t for you. Its status was more than I could have ever imagined. So again, thank you for your support. I am very aware of the impact that this has on the aviation community. Please trust that I would not have done this if there was any possible way to stop it. Don’t let the actions of this website stop you from following the greatest airline on the planet. I trust that all of you widgetheads never lose the Delta Spirit. May the Widget live on forever!
Sincerly,
Justin
A lot of effort went into creating and maintaining the site, we may not know why it really went away since offers of financial support or informational is not warranted.
By Douglas | May 3, 2010, 3:11 pm | Location: Atlanta, GA |Direct Views: 72 Thanks to USA Today for a quick article about the new paint scheme of the new “United”. In complete disappointment I feel for what was hastily thrown out there. The United logo and the styling that the airline has been founded on seems to be lost by the tail change. The current UA scheme has the blue phased in, from bottom to top, along with the blue and white tail.
The proposal seems like the CO color scheme, with the word “United” on the side. Will be sad to see the current scheme fade out, since it is still being phased in. As a die hard fan of United, I might be a bit more attached, but lack luster. Will Rhapsody in Blue stay around?
A quick jump over to United.com, one can see the merger information posted, along with a 777 in the new scheme. The colors are blah, it resembles what the movie “Airplane” described well, a big Tylenol. With Glenn Tilton leading the current United, I must admit, not surprised. The new slogal, “Let’s Fly Together”, is that just for the merger, or is that replacing “It’s time to Fly”?!?!? UGH-LY job….
“Your network just got better…. your planes are going to get UGH-lier”
Conversations:
Flyertalk.com thread about the topic!
Wall Street Journal - “UAL’s talks with USAir were ultimately successful, UAL went home with CAL.”
By Douglas | April 26, 2010, 2:18 pm | Location: Atlanta, GA |Direct Views: 556  In a recent work trip to Manila, I was able to experience the new “Sky Priority’ as discussed in previous posts. Here is my experience with Delta’s new “enhanced benefits” for a trip on 4/19 to MNL (ATL-NRT-MNL) back on 4/24 (MNL-NOG-DTW-ATL). I wrote about the announcements in previous posts – http://astriker.com/blog/threads/sky-priority/
Faster Check-in: Access dedicated check-in areas at the airport to help you move through the process faster.
I arrived at ATL at noon for a 13:55 departure to Narita, with excitement to experience the new Sky Priority since the rumors from Deltalina’s twitter back in April. Having checked in online, I was unsure where to go for web drop off. I hunted down a DL person in front of Sky Priority area (by the stand alone kiosks) and asked where I go. They verified I was in Business Elite and a Platinum, and directed me to the kiosk. Having already checked in, I arrived at the kiosk, went through the check-in process again, and was unsure where to drop off my bag. While checking in, another DL agent stopped me and asked why i was checking in at the Sky Priority area. i explained that the other DL employee checked, and I am flying BE and am Platinum. he asked for my boarding pass and ID. In confusion, the other agent came over and explained she already checked me. Not feeling quite like a priority to Delta at this point. After checking in and told to go to web drop off at Sky Priority, in a puzzled attempt, I look to determine where to deliver my bags. None of the LCD screens note bag check-in or drop off, and not wanting to cutoff others in the line, I returned back looking for an employee asking where to go. I was again advised to go to the web drop off, which none of the screens showed. I was told to wait in line behind another person.
This is my favorite part of my check in experience of my bags, the agent said nothing to me, until I asked “how are you today” while she scanned my information. Her response was ” I cannot wait to go home“. I thanked her for her job, and departed, with that being the only statement she made to me. Business Elite/Plat with Delta, going overseas, and excellent example of customer service…. Best in Class!
Accelerated Security: Walk through expedited security lines at select airports so you can get on your way as soon as possible.
In select airports, which includes Atlanta, and for our passengers departing out of the South Gates, this is the same line that was for 1st, Medallion, but has a new sign that says Sky Priority. No worries on anyone checking, the frequent traveler line had the normal family with kids, and the Sky Priority line had people with no status in economy. Luckily ATL is usually quick to get through, minus the TSA’s resentment for mobile boarding passes. Same product, new branded name…. Best in Class .
Highest Boarding Priority: Board in Zone 1, so you can enter first to secure the best overhead bins or take your seat at your leisure—the choice is yours.
Out of all of the new “enhancements” this one had me most concerned. In a 744, going overseas, the number of Elite Plus will be a great amount. The line was incredibly long, with the Diamond Medallion that flies monthly in Business Elite at $7k a ticket, boarding with the Gold Medallion that received it as a gift from another person, or through a mixture of credit card promos and some flying. Yes they have gold, but which customer truly is higher revenue and worth more to Delta? The gate agent had us line up single file, which one could see the incredible length of the line, boarding Business Elite along with the rest deteriorated the previous product, under the new branded name… Best in Class .
Expedited Baggage Service: Have your bags delivered first to the carousel so you can head home or to your next meeting with no delay.
The keyword with Expedited Baggage Service to the carousel, they don’t mention which carousel. i arrived at DTW, the flight 0630 was listed on the carousel where I waited and many bags came off with the priority tags. Only after 20 minutes of waiting, and asking a few DL employees, I noticed my bag was on the carousel to the left, that had no flight info denoted. It just arrived on top the belt. I would like to think this was a one off, but not quite, I arrived at Atlanta, and yet again, I waited at a carousel with my flight info, bag arrived somewhere else… Best in Class
Exclusive Reservations Line: Access an elite team of personal representatives, available 24/7 when you call the number on the back of your Medallion credentials.1
The exclusive reservation line seems to only apply to revenue tickets, if you are calling regarding mileage award tickets, you will get a person most likely with no understanding of the policy. While delayed in DTW, I called the phone number to cancel out an award ticket ot CDG due to a change of plans. I asked them to reissue the miles, and advised that I have not used 1 of my 2 redeposits this year. I was told the fee remains $50 and how did I want to pay for it. I explained that with my status, that I was given 2 free. She advised that I was incorrect and would need to check with her supervisor. She asked to place me on hold for “4 to 5 minutes”. When she returned, I was told that I was correct and that they would redeposit them. As a 1K with United Airlines, I must say, the 1K line was AMAZING, it was one number to call for everything you could ever need assistance. The best part is that they would connect you to other departments (example Mileage Plus) and wait on the line with you until they were sure things were okay. Often, I found it to be a lifesaver, and they did award tickets through their 1K/GS line. My phone experience with Delta and the Exclusive Reservation line is an example of … Best in Class .
Living in Atlanta, International options are few and far between compared to ORD where fares were much lower. I give Delta kudos to their pilots for great tours of the cockpits while on my flights and for the most part, friendly in flight crew.
Delta has a long way to go to meet their commitment of being … Best in Class .The addition of Diamond, in lieu of raising Platinum to similar levels of competitors, online Award Calendar that does not work for low awards, and now Sky Priority, the distance for them to improve is even further. Not often I give United enough credit, great job on the Red Carpet Lane for 1st/Business/GS/1K.
Hopefully with enough feedback from frequent fliers Delta will further enhance their program taking into account the goal for competitive benchmarking on the above items.
Another article highlighting similar – Delta New Sky Priority is Much Ado about Little
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