This report is a little particular in the sense that the whole experience with Delta this time was particularly frustrating and not nice …
We arrived at MCO around 11.30 for a 1.25pm departure to Atlanta.
Check-in was busy but as we were connecting in ATL onto VS104 in UC, we could use the Sky Priority desks.
All 3 pieces of luggage checked through to LHR.
While at check-in, I asked the very nice lady if we had access to the Sky Club lounge and she informed me that I should go there and ask.
Through passport control and security in about 10 minutes and we were onto the train to the gates.
There, we decided to try our luck at the Delta Sky Club and were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed without any question, contrarily to what I had been told by Delta Customer Services.
We were also informed that our flight had been delayed by 90 minutes and that we should keep checking the screens for further information.
We settled down with a nice glass of chardonnay and a few bits and bobs to eat.
After 20 minutes, I double checked and saw that further delays had been announced due to massive storms over Atlanta and it was becoming very clear that we wouldn’t make the connection there.
Once again, I went back to the desk and asked for advice.
The very nice lady (which was far away from the usual dragon) checked and agreed that the connection was impossible so she duly started to find an alternative solution for us.
As it was taking a long time, she told me to get back to my seat and that she would call me when she had found something.
After another 20 minutes, she called me but looked really embarrassed and this is where the nightmare started.
She had checked every single possibility to get us back to London on the day and the day after and she couldn’t find any business class seat (or any Premium Economy for that) at all.
The only option was a double downgrade to Delta’s main cabin via Atlanta, which we didn’t have the chance but to accept. She was really apologetic about it but nothing else she could do.
So we were booked on the DL28, leaving ATL at 19.17 on the same evening but by then it was already 14.50 and I was seriously starting to doubt we would make that one either.
We left the lounge and walked to gate 87 to find complete chaos and only one agent to deal with all requests.
Finally an empty plane arrived at the gate and we were told that this was a replacement plane as the original plane had been hit by lightning in ATL and was unserviceable.
The original plane was a A321 and the plane at the gate was a B738 that actually was still tech and needed a new part that luckily had been sourced and was on its way.
Another hour passed and then the pilot realised that cleaners and caterers hadn’t come round yet so it added some further delays.
Once the plane was ready to board (still with only one agent to deal with a full plane load), they realised that obviously the seat map had changed so every single boarding pass was wrong and had to be reprinted.
We finally left MCO 4 .5 hours late …
By then, we knew that we would miss the DL28 too …
The storms that had triggered that mess had moved from ATL but were actually on our path to there so it was a bumpy ride to say the least …
Finally arrived in ATL around 7.05 so definitely too late for the DL28 and at gate A20.
As we were connecting to an international flight, we had to catch the train to terminal F.
Once there, we joined the queue at the Service Center to see what could be done for us.
After 30 minutes in queue, we finally saw someone that rebooked us on DL30 leaving at 2139.
No empathy, no sympathy, no apologies were presented.
We were given our boarding passes and ended up in 40C and D, instead of the original 1A and 2A.
We were very unhappy about the whole thing but nothing could be done.
I will report on DL30 separately.
We arrived at MCO around 11.30 for a 1.25pm departure to Atlanta.
Check-in was busy but as we were connecting in ATL onto VS104 in UC, we could use the Sky Priority desks.
All 3 pieces of luggage checked through to LHR.
While at check-in, I asked the very nice lady if we had access to the Sky Club lounge and she informed me that I should go there and ask.
Through passport control and security in about 10 minutes and we were onto the train to the gates.
There, we decided to try our luck at the Delta Sky Club and were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed without any question, contrarily to what I had been told by Delta Customer Services.
We were also informed that our flight had been delayed by 90 minutes and that we should keep checking the screens for further information.
We settled down with a nice glass of chardonnay and a few bits and bobs to eat.
After 20 minutes, I double checked and saw that further delays had been announced due to massive storms over Atlanta and it was becoming very clear that we wouldn’t make the connection there.
Once again, I went back to the desk and asked for advice.
The very nice lady (which was far away from the usual dragon) checked and agreed that the connection was impossible so she duly started to find an alternative solution for us.
As it was taking a long time, she told me to get back to my seat and that she would call me when she had found something.
After another 20 minutes, she called me but looked really embarrassed and this is where the nightmare started.
She had checked every single possibility to get us back to London on the day and the day after and she couldn’t find any business class seat (or any Premium Economy for that) at all.
The only option was a double downgrade to Delta’s main cabin via Atlanta, which we didn’t have the chance but to accept. She was really apologetic about it but nothing else she could do.
So we were booked on the DL28, leaving ATL at 19.17 on the same evening but by then it was already 14.50 and I was seriously starting to doubt we would make that one either.
We left the lounge and walked to gate 87 to find complete chaos and only one agent to deal with all requests.
Finally an empty plane arrived at the gate and we were told that this was a replacement plane as the original plane had been hit by lightning in ATL and was unserviceable.
The original plane was a A321 and the plane at the gate was a B738 that actually was still tech and needed a new part that luckily had been sourced and was on its way.
Another hour passed and then the pilot realised that cleaners and caterers hadn’t come round yet so it added some further delays.
Once the plane was ready to board (still with only one agent to deal with a full plane load), they realised that obviously the seat map had changed so every single boarding pass was wrong and had to be reprinted.
We finally left MCO 4 .5 hours late …
By then, we knew that we would miss the DL28 too …
The storms that had triggered that mess had moved from ATL but were actually on our path to there so it was a bumpy ride to say the least …
Finally arrived in ATL around 7.05 so definitely too late for the DL28 and at gate A20.
As we were connecting to an international flight, we had to catch the train to terminal F.
Once there, we joined the queue at the Service Center to see what could be done for us.
After 30 minutes in queue, we finally saw someone that rebooked us on DL30 leaving at 2139.
No empathy, no sympathy, no apologies were presented.
We were given our boarding passes and ended up in 40C and D, instead of the original 1A and 2A.
We were very unhappy about the whole thing but nothing could be done.
I will report on DL30 separately.