Delta tweets insults at Ann Coulter. Still want to fly Delta?

American Thinker ^ | 07/17/2017 | Monica Showalter

[SeekAndFind]

Columnist Ann Coulter is a tall woman, and apparently, she spent some time selecting the right sort of seat for a person who needs more legroom on frequent flights, perhaps to avoid deep-vein thrombosis, or perhaps to fly more comfortably.  She spent the time and paid the extra money to get an aisle seat in an emergency row on a Delta flight, which would have done the job.

For some reason, as the flight was boarding, the airline decided to move her seat to the window in the same row and seat a group of other passengers, perhaps because they had requested to be seated together.  It might have been OK had the flight attendant pleaded for her cooperation; offered her a free something extra, maybe a drink; and apologized for the airline's poor planning or failed capacity to please all its customers.  Instead, the attendant decided to go bureaucratic and stony, telling Coulter "I don't know" when asked why the seat Coulter paid extra for was being moved to a less desirable area.  It was a perfect opportunity to coax a cooperative attitude, but instead, it lit the fuse on an angry, unsatisfied customer, which seems contrary to Delta's mission.  All they had to do was say why, apologize, and ask for cooperation.

Instead of seriously apologizing for its failure to live up to their contract, which left Coulter on a miserable flight – and that is what this was – Delta decided, incredibly, to hurl a storm of sarcastic customer-service-type canned mechanical apologies, mock the $30 she paid, and then add some invective at her on Twitter.  A few samples from the unhappy customer and the big airline's corporate office:

[ptsal]

Getting switched into the seats immediately in front of the restrooms is the worst.

Those seats do NOT recline.

[C210N]

Another reason to have a private pilot’s license (skip the abuse, delays, TSA molestation, etc.).

As a noted philosopher and Constitutionalist said, "You are Exactly correct."

[Myrddin]

Delta is the only service from Pocatello. I'm compelled to fly to Salt Lake City to have access to other carriers. I tend to avoid Southwest as they refuse to coordinate with any other airline. The consequence is having to leave the secured area and endure another TSA grope, then wait HOURS for the connection. It's no bargain.

[onona]

That's why I always fly United. The pre-flight live shows are awesome !

You'd swear the blood and teeth getting knocked out were real !!

[Myrddin]

Another reason to have a private pilot’s license (skip the abuse, delays, TSA molestation, etc.).

I have one. Not much help for corporate travel. My employer would never cover the costs or insurance risk. I really don't have the disposable income to cover non-revenue producing expenses.

[GOPJ]

Sounds like a bunch of haters are in charge at Delta.

Delta owes Ann a major apology...

[Vlad The Inhaler]

There was a time when the universal business principle was “The customer is always right”.

Businesses understood that a single round of bad publicity from a dissatisfied customer could negate an entire expensive PR campaign.

Now many don’t seem to care.

Store employees, who once had the courtesy to yield the right of way customers, will now run you over if you get in their way.

Airlines stomp you and drag you off the airplane.

Businesses double down on snark and attacks when criticized.

Others, like CNN, hunt down critics and use their size and power to intimidate and shut down constitutionally protected free speech.

[garyb]

“Northwest Airlines set the standard for arrogance.
Delta is not even close.”

Perhaps Delta learned everything they know about arrogance from NWA when they gobbled them up 7 years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines

[katana]

I had two recent trips to Florida. The first on my own with Spirit Airways, an "ultra low cost" carrier I'd never flown with before but decided to try because of available non-stops out of and back to my preferred local airport. Once I figured out their "pay something extra for everything extra" system the cost was about the same as on American, Delta, etc. But frankly the level of courtesy and comfort was excellent. I'd fly with them again.

Next flight was with three other family members on Delta. Rude and incompetent ground staff (curbside bag check - $25 a bag - failed to give my wife the document she needed to get through security and get a seat assignment at the gate), a boarding procedure that put 5% in group 1, another 5% in group 2, and the rest of the herd (including us) stretching out in the last group. Still would have had to pay an extra $30 to get a pre-assigned seat, which despite the condescending lecture from the Delta gate jockey (tempted to reply "listen b****, I've been flying worldwide for forty years and never been treated so badly by even the likes of Aeroflot and Syrian Arab Airways, but didn't want to get arrested by eager airport security) was never prompted to choose as an option when I booked the reservation.

This story about Coulter's treatment by them just confirmed once more that Delta is the s***pit of American carriers and will never be an option I'd ever choose again.

[ml/nj]

why subject yourself to flying any airline these day

If you live in NJ and want to visit your aging mother in South Florida every month, or you want to go on vacation to places like Norway, you have to fly on an airline unless you're way wealthier than I am.

ML/NJ

[Reno89519]

I called Delta Diamond line to complain this morning as I am a frequent flyer. The guy said they were getting lots of complaining calls and that I should follow-up in writing. You pay for Comfort Seats, you pick your seat, and wrong to have it changed without explanation. The onboard staff should be fired, same with the person posting tweets. AND THE CEO AS WELL. He is destroying a great airline. Can see the changes since he took over.

[Don Corleone]

Northwest Airlines set the standard for arrogance. Delta is not even close.

Didn't they merge?

[Dilbert56]

I fly Delta every week. They've been great, even when there have been delays. Perhaps I'm lucky in that PHL/ABE to ATL is staffed by normal people.

But if I understand correctly, Ann got moved to another seat in the same row (still extended leg room). I'm 6'3" and don't find the window seat any worse than the aisle. In fact, I usually select the window so people hitting the rest room won't disturb me. Plus, I can keep the shade down to sleep or watch a movie. Given that, I found Ann's tweets over the top. Granted, she still should have been told why she was moved but that hardy rates "worst airline" status. There are plenty of horror stories that hands down beat moving over a couple seats.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

The airlines have become just cattle cars with wings and treat passengers with contempt.

We retired to Spain last year and it looked like we were going to have to pay a fortune in air fare just to get there. It turned out that I had enough Sky miles on My AMEX Delta card to get 2 one-way tickets from Atlanta to Paris to Rome to Malaga for free. It took 2 days to get there but you couldn't beat the price. When we got to Atlanta the gate agent informed me I couldn't fly one way unless I had a return ticket. I almost had heart failure and tried over and over to explain that I wasn't coming back. The gate agent kept asking me "Are you going anywhere besides Spain?" I said no, and started to explain that we had bought a home but he said again, "Are you SURE you aren't going anywhere besides Spain?" The third or fourth time he said this I finally figured it out and said we were going to France after Spain and he let us go. Turns out they can't prove you don't have a return ticket if you are going to another country.

We were very early because it was an international flight so again, thanks to my Skymiles card, we got to sit in the first class lounge for $25 each, well worth it. Instead of schlepping around in the main terminal we sat in comfort and munched out on a complimentary buffet with drinks.

When we got to Paris it was still considered part of one flight so we went to the Air France First Class Lounge, again willing to pay another $25 each because we had a long layover. They said that they never heard of that program. I protested and they said they would check but when they couldn't get in touch with Delta they let us stay for free. Later I found out they were right, Delta only honored that program on their own lounges, not partners. I wasn't intentionally trying to scam them but it worked out well. We had a hotel in Rome because we were arriving late then flew to Malaga early the next morning.

So thanks to Delta we got helped with our one way tickets, first class lounge and free flights. I cancelled my card shortly after because I have no intention of ever flying with Delta again but when the chips were down they came through.

[PapaBear3625]

Whatever Anne’s issue were, putting the pic of the passenger who got her seat, onto her highly-followed twitter feed, was very much over the line.

Go mock Delta, fine, but your issue was not this woman’s fault.

[bgill]

If you really cared about your aging mother, you’d move her closer to you so you could check in on her daily.

[Cboldt]

I figure you know this, but for others, Northwest no longer exists. Delta bought them.

[kaila]

I agree with you on your point. The only reason why this lady deserved to be pictured on Coulter tweet is if she stood there, knowingly taking a seat over Ann’s protests. If I was given a seat, and found out it was a stolen seat, I would not force out the passenger. That could be the reason why Ann posted her picture, the woman was complicit in stealing the seat.

[Cboldt]

The seats in front of exit rows do not recline either.

[atc23]

Cattle cars with 70 year old flight attendants on just about every major American air carrier. Fly in the CONUS all your life and then book a first class flight overseas on Cathay Pacific or Air China- you’ll see the difference immediately