Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel
We welcome reader feedback on issues related to travel generally and frequent flyer programs in particular. Please use this link to submit comments.
Delta - 'Doing a Pretty Good Job'
"I'm primarily a Delta flier and I've had plenty of cause to complain in the past, but I feel quite bad for them lately regarding all the complaints about the difficulty in using miles.
"I hopped online last night and got two first class tickets for a trip to California in October for 45,000 miles each in about 5 minutes flat. It was super easy and there was a lot of selection for routing and scheduling. And they're multi-city flights (flying into San Francisco and out of L.A.). I thought that was a pretty good deal. Also, I received an email they were giving me 10,000 MQM miles for a 'customer appreciation' bonus and sure enough, I went online and checked my Skymiles balance and there were the 10,000 MQM's on my statement.
"So I really have to give them credit for doing a pretty good job by my reckoning this week. Thanks Delta!!!" [Julie N.]
Starwood Redemption Experience
"Just had the best experience ever booking two different hotels (Sheraton and Four Points) in two different California locations with Starwood points.
"The amount of points required compared to others I have tried are by far the best. The agent handling the call was absolutely fantastic." [Bo]
Continental to Mexico
"I recently flew on business from Houston to Villahermosa, Mexico via a Continental flight (they offer only one flight daily to Villahermosa) and the plane was a very small and uncomfortable Embraer Executive Jet. The flight was oversold and in my opinion Continental has no business using such a small plane on an international route especially when it's only one flight per day. And my company paid as much on this flight as I would have paid to fly roundtrip to Europe. I returned via Mexico City and it was on the same plane.
"Surely Continental must have larger and fuel efficient jets that they can fly on these routes especially to Houston which is a big market from Mexico.
"Are they flying such small jets due to greed to make more money or because simply that they are hurting so much they have no choice? I personally believe it's the first.
"And lastly, why do U.S.-based airlines insist on putting flight attendants on major international routes e.g. Europe [NW Airlines] and Mexico and Colombia [Continental] who don't speak a foreign language? This is a very poor advertisement for these airlines and it's another example of cultural imperialism.
"By contrast I have flown on British Airways and Lufthansa and Air France and they go out of their way to show that they have flight attendants who speak multiple languages including English of course.
"Perhaps if our U.S.-based carriers showed a little more cultural savvy, they would get an increase in foreign travellers or put them in a better position to compete with the foreign carriers." [Ernesto M.]
Sweepstakes Restricted to U.S. Residents (Continued from Last Week)
"I totally agree with Don W. of Calgary in Canada.
"The same applies to U.S. people in trying to get a price break or enter a contest in Canada. Delta Hotels just had a special price for their hotels but you had to enter on a website and if you did not have a Canadian address you could not enter.
"My favorite was the Toronto Blue Jays always have some type of contest or ticket deal. If you live in the Yukon you could enter but if you live 90 minutes away they refused to let you enter. I think there are a lot more people at the ball games from Buffalo than from the Yukon. Maybe companies on both sides of the border can amend their policies to help both countries." [Tom R. - Buffalo, NY]
Stolen Jewelry
"My wife and I were booked on Delta from Chicago O'Hare to Fort Lauderdale connecting through Atlanta. When we tried to board the Delta Connection plane we were told we had to surrender our carry-on bags at the door to the aircraft since the overhead space was too small for them. We were assured that we would get them back on arrival in Atlanta.
"It was raining in Chicago and a very wet baggage handler took our bags from us. When we got to Atlanta we discovered that the inside of the bag containing the jewelry was wet and the folder with the jewelry was also wet. About $5,000 in jewelry was missing. We gave them copies of the claim checks so that they could track down the baggage handlers for that flight.
"Delta's response is that are not liable for lost or stolen items from either checked bags or carry-ons. They sent me a voucher for $100 to be used on a future ticket. Needless to say I returned it and will never fly Delta again." [George C.]
Until next week...
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