Is Delta Really All It's Cracked Up To Be?

On my recent flight to Miami, my family and I chose to travel with Delta Air Lines. Delta is typically regarded as a luxurious airline and is a self-professed “leader in domestic and international travel,” offering flights to over 300 destinations located in 60 countries. I began to question this reputation after my experience landing in Miami and sitting on the runway for two hours.

Initially, the flight attendants announced that we would be waiting out a thunderstorm before taxiing to the gate, as it was dangerous for employees to be out signaling to the planes with lightning in the sky. This was annoying, but it was a delay I could understand. However, when the pouring rain came to a halt, I started to wonder why we still remained on the runway, unmoving. The mood of the passengers around me lightened as the sun emerged, but the pilot’s voice crackling over the intercom system was enough to darken their spirits. Instead of the news that we would soon be departing the plane, as the rain was gone, it was explained to us hurriedly that flight attendants would be passing out more snacks, as we were not permitted to exit just yet.

At this point, the detainment was becoming an inconvenience, and many passengers disputed whether they would make their connecting flights. While the flight attendants made their way through the cabin, I looked out the window and saw that it was beginning to rain again. As the water droplets came down faster and thudded onto the wings of the plane, there was a collective groan from the passengers. After missing the window of opportunity that came with sunny skies, we stayed stuck on the plane in the rain for another hour. One woman had a panic attack and was brought to the front of the plane. She did not return to her seat. Everything suddenly seemed very secretive and mysterious until the intercom system came to life and a relieved flight attendant told us that we would be heading towards our gate. As we finally got off the plane, I heard murmurs from other passengers about how they would choose a different airline on their next trip.

According to the many reviews of Delta online, these passengers are not alone. On airlineequality.com, One woman said that her “experience with Delta was terrible” and another explained that she was “incredibly disappointed” that Delta delayed her flight and then arranged for her to travel on another flight that had already departed. In other reviews, former Delta passengers complained about sitting on the runway for hours before take off, poor treatment from flight attendants and staff, and being separated from their families after specifically booking seats together.

All of this information makes me speculate about Delta’s pristine reputation. Has the quality of their services declined? In my opinion, the company should consider making their process more efficient and training their staff in good practices of customer service. Until then, I’ll be flying Southwest.

By Rose Sanders