- Report: #477857
Complaint Review: Delta Airlines - Atlanta Georgia
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Delta Airlines
1030 Delta Blvd. Atlanta, 30320 Georgia, U.S.A.
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Delta Airlines Delta refuses homebound flight to 14-year old before extorting another $100 Atlanta Georgia
After spending a few weeks with family and friends in SLC, my 14-year old nephew was set to return home to San Diego on July 15th, but Delta refused to allow him on the plane because he was "too young to fly unaccompanied". They demanded another $100.00, on the spot, to return him home.
Delta had already accepted our $259 for the roundtrip flight, and had allowed him on the plane for the outbound flight to SLC, but only now were demanding the extra $100.
My nephew was with his father at the SLC airport, and neither of them had a credit card, or $100 between them. They kept trying to appeal to the logic of the customer service people at the Delta counter, including a Marcello V. and a Larue Swart (who tried to cover her ID badge), who were literally screaming at my nephew, and calling him dumb, and stupid!
Shortly after that exchange, my nephew called me to let me know what was happening. I called Delta customer service in SLC and spoke to two people, a customer service agent, and her supervisor, who both stood firmly behind their policy, and told me that they would also need to see my nephew's birth certificate, as well as the $100, to let him on his return flight!
This was going from bad to worse. And, how was I to know they would let my nephew on the plane even if I did cough up another $100? They had already reneged on the original $259 contract for the RT ticket, and they were now changing their conditions again with the birth certificate requirement! I was ready to take a 1400 mile drive to pick up the kid, and I wasn't looking forward to it.
Luckily, my sister (my nephew's mother) was a little more calm, as she hadn't been dealing with overly officious Delta employees. She went to her local airport, got Delta's assurance that the extra $100 would "do the trick "to get my nephew on another return flight (he had already missed his original flight), and we got him home around midnight.
If this is Delta's policy, regarding minors, why were we able to fly my nephew to SLC, and have him flown home, several months ago on an earlier flight on Delta without a problem?
Why did Delta allow us to purchase the tickets, and allow him on the out bound flight, and then refuse him the return flight home? If we had factored in the extra $100, we would never have settled on Delta, but would have continued shopping for other fares.
All Delta personnel we spoke to said that an error was made in allowing him on the outbound flight, and in allowing the purchase of the tickets. With the acknowledgement of those mistakes, would it not make sense to simply allow the kid to return home with his paid RT ticket?
Bad policy is never an excuse for poor customer service. These Delta agents, and their supervisors, should have been more flexible with policy, instead of acting so smug and officious.
And, is it ever justifiable to scream at a kid, and call him dumb and stupid?
Robert
Vista, California
U.S.A.
Delta had already accepted our $259 for the roundtrip flight, and had allowed him on the plane for the outbound flight to SLC, but only now were demanding the extra $100.
My nephew was with his father at the SLC airport, and neither of them had a credit card, or $100 between them. They kept trying to appeal to the logic of the customer service people at the Delta counter, including a Marcello V. and a Larue Swart (who tried to cover her ID badge), who were literally screaming at my nephew, and calling him dumb, and stupid!
Shortly after that exchange, my nephew called me to let me know what was happening. I called Delta customer service in SLC and spoke to two people, a customer service agent, and her supervisor, who both stood firmly behind their policy, and told me that they would also need to see my nephew's birth certificate, as well as the $100, to let him on his return flight!
This was going from bad to worse. And, how was I to know they would let my nephew on the plane even if I did cough up another $100? They had already reneged on the original $259 contract for the RT ticket, and they were now changing their conditions again with the birth certificate requirement! I was ready to take a 1400 mile drive to pick up the kid, and I wasn't looking forward to it.
Luckily, my sister (my nephew's mother) was a little more calm, as she hadn't been dealing with overly officious Delta employees. She went to her local airport, got Delta's assurance that the extra $100 would "do the trick "to get my nephew on another return flight (he had already missed his original flight), and we got him home around midnight.
If this is Delta's policy, regarding minors, why were we able to fly my nephew to SLC, and have him flown home, several months ago on an earlier flight on Delta without a problem?
Why did Delta allow us to purchase the tickets, and allow him on the out bound flight, and then refuse him the return flight home? If we had factored in the extra $100, we would never have settled on Delta, but would have continued shopping for other fares.
All Delta personnel we spoke to said that an error was made in allowing him on the outbound flight, and in allowing the purchase of the tickets. With the acknowledgement of those mistakes, would it not make sense to simply allow the kid to return home with his paid RT ticket?
Bad policy is never an excuse for poor customer service. These Delta agents, and their supervisors, should have been more flexible with policy, instead of acting so smug and officious.
And, is it ever justifiable to scream at a kid, and call him dumb and stupid?
Robert
Vista, California
U.S.A.
7 Updates & Rebuttals
Anonymous
Lawrenceville,Georgia,
U.S.A.
I Agree
#2
Thu, August 13, 2009
I understand your frustration, particularly regarding the incredible rudeness off Delta employees. As is clear from the "entitlement brat" comment posted in the rebuttal section, many of the employees simply have no idea what customer service means. Their sarcasm is unbelieveable. If an employee finds it appropriate to yell at a 14 year old, or anyone for that matter, that employee needs to be fired.
And it is also certainly understandable that you wouldn't know of the age restriction whether it is on the website or not. If you didn't SEE the age limitations, then it would explain why you were so confused when, on his return trip, they suddenly wouldn't let him on. I don't fly often and I had no clue there was a restriction because I flew when I was 14 and no one accompanied me - no problem.
The point is, Delta employees are RUDE. My sister and her husband booked flights to England last week. They live in Florida but the flight from Florida has to stop in Atlanta, GA. Her husband was flying out of Florida, but she was going to drive to ATL on a different day so she could drop the kids off at the grandparents house in ATL and catch the flight from there. Her husband told her to just book both flights out of Jacksonville, check in, and just pick up the flight in Atlanta.
Because she checked in, she thought she was covered. She got to the ATL airport to catch her flight only to find that her entire flight was cancelled because she didn't catch the Jacksonville leg. What makes it worse is that no one had repurchased the seat so it was still available. They wouldn't let her on even though the ticket was paid for already.
Then when she tried to ask them to just reinstate it, they charged her a $200+ "inconvenience fee" and told her that she was essentially going to have to buy a new ticket at the current rate $2,400. (She had just paid $800 for that same flight). When she asked why they were charging her an "inconvenience fee" if they were also charging her for a "new" ticket, and they told her it was because that is just the way they do it. (No idea how to be logical or fair, I guess).
When she tried to point out that the seat was empty and she had just paid them $800 so all it would take is for them to just push a button on the computer and let her on the plane, the supervisor said he wouldn't do it and if she had a problem with it, she could just sue Delta.
No where on the website did it say if you miss one leg of your flight, your entire subsequent flights will also be cancelled. They had to stop in ATL anyway. No one had purchased the seat. It was sitting empty, and she had already paid $800 for it! They just couldn't THINK for themselves enough to see that ALL they had to do was perform one computer click and let her on. It was an understandable mistake, it was simple to remedy, and it would have cost them nothing.
She wound up having to use her husband's frequent flyer miles (7,500 of them or near about) AND pay the $200 "inconvenience fee." Her family will not fly Delta again and her husband spends most of his life in an airplane. My family will never fly Delta. And hopefully, after I tell them this story and yours, none of my friends will fly them either.
Hugh Jass
Franklin,New Hampshire,
U.S.A.
Another entitlement brat
#3Consumer Suggestion
Mon, August 10, 2009
You know airlines have "unaccompanied minor" rules. All of them. The rules, despite what you think, DO apply to you. Delta-1, You-0
Sgtjoebear
Dothan,Alabama,
U.S.A.
atlanta
#4Consumer Comment
Mon, August 10, 2009
this is one of the worse teminals in the USA esp for customer service. Everyone should take another airline if possible Delta is terrible! sorry for your problems and i am not disagreeing that this is thier policy because i have no clue. But please explain to me if this policy is for the safety of the child/minor how does n extra 100 USD make the child safe ? LMAO
Sgtjoebear
Dothan,Alabama,
U.S.A.
atlanta
#5Consumer Comment
Mon, August 10, 2009
this is one of the worse teminals in the USA esp for customer service. Everyone should take another airline if possible Delta is terrible! sorry for your problems and i am not disagreeing that this is thier policy because i have no clue. But please explain to me if this policy is for the safety of the child/minor how does n extra 100 USD make the child safe ? LMAO
Sgtjoebear
Dothan,Alabama,
U.S.A.
atlanta
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, August 10, 2009
this is one of the worse teminals in the USA esp for customer service. Everyone should take another airline if possible Delta is terrible! sorry for your problems and i am not disagreeing that this is thier policy because i have no clue. But please explain to me if this policy is for the safety of the child/minor how does n extra 100 USD make the child safe ? LMAO
Nancy
Steilacoom,Washington,
U.S.A.
Did you
#7Consumer Suggestion
Mon, August 10, 2009
When you bought the ticket, did you tell them it was for a 14 year old? It DOES state on their web sight about the $100.00. I think the reason they let him fly thei first half is becasue someone was NOT doing their job. On the return trip, yuo got someone who DID do their job.
Robert
Irvine,California,
U.S.A.
They were right eventually..
#8Consumer Comment
Sun, August 09, 2009
"If this is Delta's policy, regarding minors, why were we able to fly my nephew to SLC, and have him flown home, several months ago on an earlier flight on Delta without a problem?" The reason is that they messed up. This is a liability issue and they can not be flexible. Because just think if something happened. They could be held responsible because they did not follow their policy. That is you could go after them and say that they should not have been flexible because it is a policy that is supposed to guarantee the safety of the minor. To be honest with you, if you are saying you had no issues before or from San Diego or in the past. Then this is something that everyone from the Gate Agents to the Flight Crew could be in trouble for, even if nothing went wrong. Directly from the Delta Site.. ------------------------------ General Guidelines Unaccompanied service is required for all children 514 years old when not traveling in the same compartment with an adult at least 18 years old or the child's parent/legal guardian. Children ages 814 years can fly on nonstop or connecting flights, but may not connect to other airlines, with the exception of Delta Connection carriers (excluding AA Eagle), Northwest Airlines, KLM, and Air France. An unaccompanied child can not be booked on the last connecting flight of the evening. This is to prevent the need for an overnight stay in a hotel. Contact Reservation Sales before you book here at delta.com if you have questions about connecting flights. Effective November 1, 2008, unaccompanied minors will not be permitted on red eye flights greater than 2 hours in duration departing 9pm-5am. Exceptions: Flights departing from Alaska or Hawaii Unaccompanied minors connecting to/from and international flight http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/services_for_children/children_traveling_alone/index.jsp
