Delta’s ‘Premium’ Promise Falls Apart: First Class Passenger Told ‘You’re Entitled To A Seat, Not A Tray Table’

A long-time reader shared their experience flying Delta this past weekend from Dallas to Detroit. They’re a Diamond Medallion member, and they were flying on a paid first class ticket. When they boarded the narrowbody jet, they discovered that their seat had no tray table. It was missing, “so I can’t eat, drink or do work with my computer.”

In his opinion, he should have been given another seat in the cabin. There was one passenger upgraded at the gate. That shouldn’t have happened. The tray table was taped off, so Delta was aware of the issue prior to boarding. And he thought – and asked a flight attendant – maybe this could be addressed?

Flight attendants agreed with me but the gate agent wouldn’t call maintenance or hold the flight for it to be fixed. I asked for a red jacket. He refused to downgrade the one passenger who got a complimentary upgrade and put me in that seat.

Delta ‘red coats’ are elite customer service agents distinguished by their red jackets. They are trained to handle complex passenger issues, including rebooking flights, issuing compensation, and providing assistance to passengers with disabilities.

And, the passenger shared, the red coat made clear that Delta policy “is that [a passenger is] entitled to a seat, not a tray table and not anything else.”

So what should have happened?

  • Delta should have dealt with this prior to boarding
  • They could have taken the seat out of service (and reassigned the affected passenger to the remaining open seat)
  • Or they could have offered the tray-less seat as an upgrade under less than ideal conditions, letting the customer being upgraded know about its condition and being given a choice as to whether to accept it or not.

But Delta isn’t going to just offload the passenger that received the first class upgrade. Once seated, there are Devid Dao rules about that. However, airlines do have involuntary downgrade procedures because it’s possible an agent makes a mistake and upgrades someone in error or passengers board and find that a seat is in a condition where the airline isn’t permitted to have someone fly in it.

The real issue here is that airlines advertise a specific product, but in their fine print only promise transportation. They sell customers something better than standard coach. Delta in particular sells themselves as ‘premium’.

However, when the airline fails to deliver they say they owe you nothing because they transported you. For instance, first class promises a meal (on flights over a certain length). American Airlines has said they don’t actually have to provide it. When a customer complained that their flight didn’t get the promised meal in first class, American said “Our ticket price reflects the cost of transportation. Any meals and snacks served on our flights are considered complimentary conveniences.”

It’s like the eBay seller that promises something they aren’t allowed to sell, but claims they’re really only selling “a white envelope” and the contents of that envelope are just a free gift.

People often blame deregulation for problems with airlines, but that misunderstands the issue. Many problems actually stem from the Airline Deregulation Act itself, but it’s not lack of rules in the industry. Airlines are one of the most heavily regulated industries in the country.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has interpreted the Airline Deregulation Act’s pre-emption of state-level regulation of schedules and pricing to also mean that most common law tort claims against airlines are pre-empted as well.

While myriad federal rules for airlines have largely grown over the past 46 years, regulation via tort is lacking. Customers have a much harder time suing an airline. Airlines are no longer subject to common law duties of good faith and fair dealing.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I travel internationally quite often. Domestic service in the US and abroad is like riding a bus.
    I travel on many airlines based in many countries. The service even in economy is very good. The food is excellent, as is the service.
    This person had a case, but I don’t understand the drama as it was what a two or three hour flight? Try 15 hours between Manila- Chicago without a tray. But a couple of hours and it’s worthy of an article online? That is a drama queen.

  2. I had a similar thing happen a few months ago on United, but they handled it well, in the manner of the best practice outlined by Gary above.

    I had been upgraded, but prior to boarding, the gate agent apologetically asked if I could switch to a seat with an inop tray table because the other person had a paid first class ticket. It was also a bulkhead seat, which I don’t like, but I thought it was a fair request. The gate agent proactively said he’d take care of me, and I ended up with with 7,500 miles and a $150 travel credit, which was more than fair for the inconvenience. (I don’t know if he was more generous because I’m a 1K million miler). I was even still able to eat the meal, just with the tray on my lap.

  3. As a former Delta fanatic I can only say that while this story is sad it just illustrates that Delta couldn’t care less about passengers, even the ones who choose to spend lots of money with Delta.

  4. I retired from 1 of the big 3. Obviously not from Delta. Spent 30 of those years in management. We always knew if there was a maintenance issue even before the flight arrived. Even if this did occur, on the ground, the upgraded person should have taken the seat with the broken tray table. But prior to that, we would alert the upgraded person so they had a choice whether to stay in their original seat or not. The full faire 1st person would never have noticed the difference.

  5. Solution is so simple. Don’t fly Delta. See how that works? That’s what I do now.

    I was with Delta’s LARGEST customer back when that meant something. Flew the living crap out them, reached the highest highs, we made Delta a bazillion dollars in revenue. It all went into the toilet when Richard Anderson left. You get what you give.

    Oh by the way: Ed, maybe when your security system fails you can return the call from the CEO of your security vendor who can actually help you, as he did your competitors, instead of being a complete Azzwipe.

  6. Hey, it’s me, back in row 29, middle seat E.
    I’ll swap with ya, and usey laptop AS the tray table for that hot meal and free wine.
    You’re welcome.

  7. Ahhh, Recall the days before 9/11… when, even on Air Canada, if the flight was over three hours in length, we were offered a hot beef or hot chicke meal. Nice dessert to follow. Your choice. Free n/a beverages. Yes, this was in Economy.
    Indeed, their food was actually beginning to get good, in my opinion…
    But alas, those days have long fled.
    Not only were 2+ remarkable buildings destroyed that day, and thousands of precious lives taken, our sense of security completely vanished. Naturally….
    With that, went an aviation industry that had been a joy to be a part of. Flying was fun, and memorable. You felt special. The system seemed to work reasonably well.
    Now, taking a flight, is sad at best, and sometimes offensive. It seems, we’ve lost our compass.

  8. @William
    Qatar Air lost my luggage for 5 days on a flight to Asia, dragged their feet on the paperwork for 3 weeks, and then denied the reimbursement because the window expired.

    So let’s not pretend they’re so much better in customer service.

  9. Customer service really started to change about 10 years ago. Delta was my first choice for air travel. When traveling to LA in 2017 from Columbus (Ohio), they had a direct flight CMH to Lax. Flew First Class, round trip, for $700. Today, no direct flight, stop over in Atlanta, about 8-10 hour travel day, all for the reasonable price of $1500.
    It’s all about profit and the concern for the customer is missing.
    Hopefully, a good reset is coming to wake companies up about putting customers first, and making a reasonable effort to correct stuff that goes wrong. Finally, it’s been my practice to follow a calm, polite, and respectful (CPR) demeanor when dealing with these large companies’ representatives. Didn’t book the flight with Delta, they are pricing themselves out of the market.

  10. I understand why the OP couldn’t get the other seat that was occupied by the upgrade. I also understand not taking the seat out of service. But the OP should have received compensation on the spot. That’s the minimum expected from any airline.

  11. Airlines are 99.999% get over organizations who severely over charge and mostly lie to customers. If these new engines are so efficient, why over charge? Luggage fees ate pure profit and should not be charged separately. That’s just 2 of many facts.

  12. I have stopped flying all American carriers and air canada whenever possible. There is no longer any decent meals or service. I fly asian carriers whenever possible yhey actually are still trying

  13. Worst and third class airlines. Had made sure that my friends and relatives stay away from this airline. And they did.

  14. Seems like an issue of a spoiled brat. Flying is a privilege and should be treated as such. So you did not have a tray. Try walking and maybe someone will give you a tray!

  15. I find this odd. We had a similar situation where the screens in the headrests didn’t work. We were flying first class on delta and two passengers had been upgraded. They downgraded those two and gave us the seats…no questions asked. That is what they should have done for that customer. They could have offered the broken try to the upgraded guy.

  16. I recently flew United in first class and the seat tray table was having issues. It was very difficult to remove and then it wouldn’t fully retract into its pocket. The flight attendant was ver apologetic and took my name and frequent flier details and within one hour I received an email with a $100 flight certificate. Unexpected but appreciated and handled professionally.

  17. On our UA flight from SFO to LIH last week, my wife and I paid for & sat in 1st class. When she sat down, she noticed that her tray table was also taped off by maintenance & deemed unusable.

    I didn’t ask for permission, I just pulled the tape off and in less than a few minutes had it working again. While looking at the design, I noted that passengers will be facing this problem more regularly in the future because it’s a really poor design.

  18. Let’s cut to the chase.
    – flights are generally not delayed for the purpose of meeting a single passenger’s non safety-related inconvenience. The downline associated costs from misconnections and possible operational impacts makes such a decision unreasonable.
    – asking that another passenger you deem to be less worthy be downgraded in order to meet your wants is selfish and childish and potentially humiliates the other passenger. Shame on you.
    – Flight Attendants on ANY airline would have been happy to accomodate you in any way they could within the scope of what is possible. However, fa’s do not have the ability to require an upgraded passenger to move to a less desirable seat in order that a higher level mileage plan member is satisfied. Seating, upgrades, downgrades, compensation are outside the job scope of the flight attendant, the pilots, the mechanics, the CEO, and the President of the United States.
    – expecting a small compensation is reasonable for the inconvenience and it is unfortunate that one was not offered. However, it was merely an inconvenience to not have a tray table. I think most people experience some level of inconvenience on any given day of their lives without feeling that someone, somewhere should recognize their pain and suffering with monetary or equivalent compensation.
    – Buy a private jet.

  19. I was a raw deal, and I hope they compensated you on the back end. I read the comments section and I am always shocked by to dog eat dog response. I feel like a good number of the commenters are saying “The airlines are never wrong. Serves you right for flying economy. If that’s all you can afford, that’s on you, you should be rich like me or don’t fly.”

  20. I was on a return flight from China to Florida years ago with my twins that were 15 at the time. We had a connection in Boston. I have allergies to dogs and after I boarded the agent came and kick me and my kids off the flight. There wasn’t anything I could do. The the gentleman in front of me offered to give me some of his allergy medicine so I would be just fine and the agent told him no he can’t do that. I didn’t want to create a seen so I did as I was asked. We spent the night in the airport waiting for the next flight. She was just being a total bitch. I never flew Delta again.

  21. US airlines by and large are such shtshw and offer suboar service compared to intl counterparts, particularly Asian airlines

  22. US airlines are mostly crap and it is often better to fly with a foreign carrier if available on the route, regardless of what grandiose title and “club membership” the local airline will give you for supposed “loyalty.”

    Since the guy had paid for a first class ticket, it would have been reasonable to give him a bottle of champagne as compensation.

    No, airlines do not care about passengers. What a strange idea!

    However when I missed a Latam connection in Bogota in June due to a rainstorm in Orlando, I got free taxis, hotels, and meals. Fortunately I was not on Delta.

  23. I recently paid to upgrade to first class and got a seat with no screen and no table. I asked for the upgrade cost to be refunded and was refused.

  24. I can’t even believe this is a story. I’m pretty sure there would have been a lot of pissed off people for a plane to be held up over a broken tray table. PLEASE, get over yourself.

  25. Booked a first class flight for a trip to LA from Boston on Delta, so I could use the lie flat seats and get some shut eye.

    Select my seat ahead of time only to have it moved at the gate to the last row of first class. Get on the plane and that row wouldn’t recline due to the bulkhead. Delta was less than accommodating.

  26. If I am ever upgraded from coach to a better class seat that is wider, has more pitch and has better cushioning, I will not care if the tray is broken and taped up nor will I care if the IFE isn’t working because I am not entitled to much in coach. I wonder if a work around could have been made by finding a volunteer in coach to swap. The road warrior would be cramped but at least would have a working tray. If I was the one being able to switch, I would end up with a more comfortable seat with more room in all directions.

  27. I find the comments calling out the passenger for complaining, ridiculous. It was a first class paid ticket. That is a serious out of pocket expense. The only reason to make the choice to pay that much money is for comfort and convenience. Not having a tray is inconvenient. Period. If he was ok with being uncomfortable he could of purchased coach for a lot less. Delta are idiots. If they arent going to take care of their first class passengers, you can only imagine what they are doing to economy passengers.

  28. Elton Parks comment above hit the nail on the head really. I don’t understand this whole Delta is “premium” I’ve personally not seen it as any better than the others and when it comes to loyalty programs I’m surprised there’s anyone bothering, SkyMiles are worthless compared to other Skyteam currency such as Flying blue, and upgrades are almost non existent these days anyway so you may as well pay a couple of hundred a year for a lounge pass and if you want to sit up front pay the extra, though for what rather than a larger seat in the case of most US carriers. I got an upgrade on AA for a 2h flight to Canada and all they offer is an “enhanced” snack (aka chips, cookies). I flew a 1hr flight in J on AF from CDG to the UK and got a 3 course meal on a tray – salad starter, smoked salmon, cheesecake desert and a cheese plate… Good quality food and on a 1 hour flight! Service and food are all pretty bad on US big 3 Vs Asian carriers, the ME3 and some Euro carriers (sadly some others have gone down the pan).

  29. Something is fishy. Delta would never prioritize an upgrade over a fully pain first class passenger.,l.. Diamond , no less. Someone is looking for eyeballs, here … Aloha, Mike

  30. I know I can survive without a folding lap table for any length flight. Take the seat out of service or offer someone who wanted to fly and didn’t need the lap table. Take it or leave it. Let the cry babies wait for another flight.

  31. I used to fly r/t from New Orleans, LA to Buffalo, NY once a year. The last 2 years I bothered, (including the car rental I needed in Buffalo,) it cost me 6x as much as driving, and didn’t get me there any faster.
    Now I drive. Not only do I save a lot of money, but I’m not a cow in a herd, I can listen to whatever I want as loud as I want, I can stop to eat, etc., whenever I want, I don’t pay extra to bring bags, and I get to see the beautiful country between here and there.
    I used to LOVE to fly, but the joys of it are long gone now. Screw the airlines.

  32. Right from the start things got on the wrong foot. Obviously the off going 1st class FA should have told the CA the tray was missing. The CA or FO should have gone up and told the gate agent of the issue and the seat number. If there no call for maintenance which is the captains call. The up grade should have not been given the up grade. Until all 1st class are seated. Then the upgrade could have a choice to sit there or not. Because it’s not a safety issue the seat still can be used. That’s how the Delta Chain is supposed to work. I’m a retired Delta Connection FA. If it was my plane I’d make sure the chain was followed. Stories like this make me sad. Sorry this happened.

  33. Maybe I’m lucky, but I’ve flown Delta around the world multiple times and haven’t had any problems.

  34. It’s no excuse for Delta, but the man couldn’t work on his computer? They’re called laptops for a reason, sir.

  35. So the passenger finds that a non-essential part of their first class flight is out of order. And they’re upset that the airline didn’t delay the plane or kick out an upgrade passenger in order to resolve the issue?

    This reeks of entitlement. Stuff breaks. It happens. Sorry your one flight didn’t let you put your MacBook Pro on a tray so you could fall asleep to Love Is Blind.

    And then for the author to tie in this temper tantrum with problems with airplane industry deregulation is nuts.

    There are serious issues with how little power customers have when it comes to air travel. This story is not one of them.

  36. US Air carriers are going to remain bad because the people who set the policies, such as Delta’s “Fast Eddie” Bastian, don’t feel the consequences of their decisions. The gate agents and flight crew do, and they don’t have many options except to issue fake apologies. If Delta decision makers spent a month in airports and on airliners, their policies might be considerate of their passengers.

  37. Why not simply ask another passenger to switch seats ? Someone that doesn’t “need” a tray maybe ? Really petty complaint. I fly first and the tray isn’t really that big. In the front row, there are no trays so I use my lap for my laptop.

  38. Wow some of the comments on here are pretty pathetic.
    Seat-back trays in FC not working should be enough of an issue that fixing it should be something of a priority.
    DL books in enough extra time for taxi and take-off that adding a few minutes into a turnaround shouldn’t be an issue–esp. since there was already a sticker on it so they knew about the problem.

  39. You are in an aluminum tube at 30,000 feet traveling 500 mph. And you’re complaining about a tray (or lack thereof)? My god…first world problems…

  40. I’ve never posted here before, but I am annoyed enough with Delta that I feel compelled. I took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe last year, I was post-divorce, it was my first time travelling alone, and I decided to treat myself, first class all the way. I read about Delta’s One offering on their web site, loved it, and paid full freight for my first class ticket. What I got was a third world level offering. The seat was old and filthy. The linens felt like old plastic and were grey. The outlet in my seat didn’t work. For an eight hour flight. It was brutal. Never again, Delta. At any fare.

  41. …WWGD? What Would Greyhound Do….? Probably get better transportation service on Greyhound. That’s the real transportation competitor benchmark.

  42. Wow first world problems much? The guy didn’t have a TRAY so he wanted to kick someone out of first class and take their’s? What a sociopathic, selfish, garbage person.

  43. I wish passengers, especially US domestic travelers, would stop complaining about service interruptions on the flight. The airline takes you safely to your destination. Why do you feel empowered to be treated like a king onboard? Aircraft are complex machines and problems pop up all the time. Pull up your big boy pants and assist the safety and relative comfort of yourself and the passengers and crew onboard and stop complaining and acting like you’re on a private jet. And don’t tell me that you paid to be pampered. You paid for a seat onboard to deliver you safely to wherever.

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