Two Delta passengers, one with the lowest level of status (Silver), were heading off on their honeymoon. They were flying Detroit to San Juan back in February where they’d pick up a cruise the following day. But right after their flight took off, the bride realized she left her passport at home. That would mean no cruise, since it would head to international destinations and she wouldn’t be permitted to board. There was no way to get the passport in time, they thought.
One of the flight attendants got things sorted. He just needed the help of a few colleagues. There are plenty of Delta crew at the Detroit hub. One would pick up the passport from their family and fly it to the airline’s Atlanta hub, and hand it off to another flight attendant scheduled to work Atlanta to San Juan… and make the handoff to the honeymooners.
Occasionally Delta and their people do incredible things, like before the pandemic when they sent a plane to fly 79 students and their teachers when Frontier Airlines cancelled a flight. Or when Delta sent a plane to rescue students stranded by American Airlines in Oklahoma City.
SkyMiles are not worth much (they aren’t worthless, just worth less) but the airline operates better than peers (though still not quite as well as pre-pandemic) and their people seem to like their jobs better than all but possibly Southwest and Alaska.
The story doesn’t surprise me. Delta flight attendants are better off without a union and I hope, as a customer, that they continue to eschew one.
While this happened several months ago, Delta is just highlighting it now. American Airlines says their purpose is “caring for people on life’s journey” but somehow they never share similar feats. Is that because their people aren’t touching lives the same way, or because their team doesn’t prioritize storytelling?
That wasn’t the crew on my flight. Dropped my Delta Reserve card under my business class seat signing up for wifi for my comouter and needed help retrieving it and was told to wait until everyone deplaned AFTER my flight. Head flight attendant was rude and unhelpful. When they do a good job I let Delta know and when they don’t I also let them know.
Fun story! Yeah, I want to be in with the In-Crowd at Delta, where the staff have fun working with the guests and each other. I like it when the In-Crowd party starts as soon as I approach the check-in staffer, well before I arrive at my destination resort. I mean, Silver Status is like being welcomed into a desirable social clique. Well done.
I keep my expectations as low as possible so as not to be too upset or disappointed at a lack of service, which is pretty typical these days. I do appreciate the somewhat sunnier attitudes on Southwest when I fly, and perhaps I am just lucky but I have not really encountered any terrible flight attendants or staff on most of my flights, even with United.
A well deserved acknowledgement of the cabin crew’s helpfulness.
Certainly nice of the delta crew and the other FAs but giving complete and total strangers your passport with zero tracking whatsoever?
That’s brave of the bride.
What has the trade union got to do with this incident? Nothing
I can relate from a personal experience recently. I was on a DL flight and as we were disembarking the guy across the aisle from me grazed my head with his rollerboard and dislodged an earbud. Brand new Beats of course. I tried to stay out of the aisle looking for it and the FA and pilot spent about 10-15 minutes trying. to help me find it. We took seat cushions off, they were on their hands and knees with flashlights, etc. I was amazed at the effort they put in. I made sure to let DL know.
No passports are required for American citizens departing and coming back to the same port in the US and its territories (closed loop). Certified copies of a birth certificate also work.
I recently flew Westjet rt Palm Springs/Vancouver BC. Wonderful service from start to finish. Flight attendants were cheerful and actually helped people put up over seat bags.
Harry HV… unions have EVERYTHING to do with this incident. Delta is a non union shop for a very good reason. The majority of the employees will go the extra mile because it’s the right thing to do. There is very very little of the “…well, that’s not my job” attitude. Delta employees are treated well, paid a good wage for the job done, EVERYONE participates with profit sharing. Delta’s management will give guidelines/rules for the job. “Stay within the box, but if you have to go outside the box…do the right thing.” I can assure you that the company will acknowledge this crew’s outstanding service.
HA HA HA… THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN WHEN I TRAVELED WITH DELTA FOR MY HONEYMOON. WE LITERALLY HAD THE WORSE EXPERIENCE WITH THEM. WE LOST 3 DIAS OF OUR HONNEYMOON WHICH MEAN WE PAID FOR OUR HOTEL AND COULDN’T STAY THERE BECAUSE WE WERE STUCK IN ATLANTA BECAUSE DELTA PLANES ARE GARBAGE!!!!!!!!! NO ONLY THAT, WE DIDN’T GET OUT BAGS WHEN WE GOT TO OUR DESTINATION. So WE PAID HOTEL, WE LOST THREE DAYS, WE HAVE TO BUY EXTRA CLOTHES BECAUSE WE DIDN’T OUR BAGS, WE LOST THREE DAYS WE COULD OF BEEN JUST WORKING AND MAKING MONEY AND ALSO WE HAD TO DEAL WE THE WORSE CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE EVER.
Barbara,
I have a feeling you are a troll. Stop yelling and learn some grammar and spelling.
The whatabout-ism is obnoxious. Delta goes out of their way to help a passenger and all everyone on here can do is make it about themselves. Delta and its employees were under no obligation to do anything other than get the newlyweds to and from SJU. Instead, they undertook near heroic efforts to save a honeymoon and all people on here can do it bitch and point out what’s wrong with Delta.
Trolls and naysayers everywhere. Next someone will claim that this was part of some deep-state conspiracy undertaken by the Biden Administration to keep Trump from being reelected, or some socialist plot to look out for each other.
Had a similar experience about 10 years ago when a family member inadvertently gate checked the bag with the passport on a U.S.-ATL-YYZ journey. DL YYZ staff grabbed it out of YYZ and had an FA pass it on to him at ATL so he could board.
That was after ATL redcoats did a personal search of the connecting luggage.
@SMR: That doesn’t work at the non-US countries/territories your cruise docks at.
It’s an excellent article about people going above and beyond.
In my experience, I have had Delta people go above and beyond more often than those of other airlines. One time, I was connecting MCO-ATL-LEX, with a 9:00 am hearing in Lexington Federal Court the next day. (No, there was no alternative – the judge did not want to adjourn the hearing.) My incoming flight was delayed due to pilot error (another plane on the runway as we were on final), and the “go around” apparently broke my connection to the last flight of the night to LEX. I explained the situation to the Delta GA, who radioed for a “widget” – an automobile to pick me up at the bottom of the jetway stairs and drive me to my connecting gate. I made my flight and my hearing. I’ve been partial to Delta ever since.
This is not to say that, in my 65+ years of regular flying, I haven’t had bad experiences on Delta, or good experiences on other airlines. It’s just that I think Delta staff are more likely on any given day to provide a good experience on my flight.
“But right after their flight took off, the bride realized she left her passport at home.”
Great outcome, very cost effective but I wonder why her thought was to flag down and burden a FA? And found a miracle, a FA who actually cared. I would have been on the phone texting someone to get it to a FedEx / UPS store for overnight delivery. Costly but could be done. I guess it never hurts to ask.
1998, I “misplaced” my Delta DFW-LGA return at a Hudson News right near the gate in the era of paper tickets and no choice $1500+ coach round trips. The gate agent said “get out your credit card” if I wanted to board. It was found, brought to Delta, who stuck it in a paper box and checked it as luggage and told me when and where to pick it up.
Bad airline. Great moves by employees.
When my father got sick and had to be taken off the plane. Delta made sure my mother had what she needed and got into Am
bulance. They called her and told her there luggage was taken off and at airport waiting for them and offered to have it delivered to them.
When he was able to make the trip home. She just called and they put them on next flight. Excellent service!!