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.
@ Gary — The tray table is now unbundled. Please swipe to release.
Did you really think they were going to hold the flight and fix the tray table? Dude, you’re not that important.
One underappreciated thing about holding airlines accountable is the situation in the US when the carrier is a foreign carrier. If they are one of the overseas carriers with no US agent for service there is apparently no economic way to sue them, even in the cases where you can.
One example is Iberia. They downgraded me to coach from business and first of all refused any adjustment in the fare. I found that unbelievable, and after going through the “usual channels” got a derisory points refund. A DoT complaint got a tiny adjustment in that. Suing them would have required filing in Madrid or London. I was quoted $6,500 by a commerical servicer.
The passenger can hold their pre-departure and in-flight beverages in their hand.
Problem solved.
Lower expectations, then you won’t be as disappointed. No one is coming to save you. The law is not going to help. Your best bet is to roll with the punches, turn the other cheek, de-escalate, document any issues, then request ‘goodwill’ via customer service later, probably 5,000 SkyPesos for your troubles. That’s where we’re at in late-2024. Moving forward, things are not looking good for ‘consumer protection’ either. Safe travels everyone. Do svidaniya, comrades!
I agree with Eileen the long time “reader” must be FNT Delta Diamond. That person is obsessed with and despises everything Delta does, probably because he feels like a Hub captive having to transit through DTW
His mistake is the belief that Delta International is a “premium” airline company. It is not — they can hardly provide the basics.
I traveled a few years ago First Class to South America and was served as a FC meal a bowl of noodles with Hunt’s catsup squirted on top, and the FC steward sealed himself behind the curtain in the galley for the entire flight — I could hear his thumbs frantically pressing buttons on his telephone. I had to ring him every goddamned hour for a refill of my coca-cola, and boy did I get the stink eye from that stinker.
Just sit in Economy like Timothy Chalamet — then when you are expecting basic transportation without any “conveniences” you’ll never be disappointed.
“Premium” missing seat tray…
This is exactly why airlines are (mostly) exempt from tort laws. Despite that you think it is somehow wrong. Any business in fact that is simply providing a service, rather than a product, and does so as to a contract or agreement, should be free of $2 contingency lawyers attacking them for any tiny thing so long as the service got them from point A to Point B and was delivered. If airlines were somehow subjected to tort laws as a regular course they would cease to exist. Every little thing would become fair game for contingency lawyers to go after, like your tray table not working. Sorry, Gary, as much as I know you would love to see tort laws become a thing for airline passengers, it would destroy the industry. Oh, I assume give you, as an attorney, great riches in the process.
Can’t work on your computer? Why not? It’s called a a laptop, ta traytop.
Can’t work on your computer? Why not? It’s called a laptop, not a traytop.
Detroit to Dallas, not sure that would even qualify for a meal. If it’s a snack basket service this person could either deal with it (I don’t use the tray table for snacks) or take a seat in the back where he/she would get a tray table. Airplanes aren’t perfect and at some point a decision needs to be made as to what should delay a flight, above no fly items, and what shouldn’t. Even I’d still take the seat if a meal was served.
Yes, so I pay for FC so drinks and food if you say, i expect. If you let me off the plane to get food, that is different. A tray table isn’t important unless I am eating
Got to read that premium fine print.
Whether the longtime reader deserved another accommodation or not – I think a good rule is never to ask for another passenger to be downgraded once that passenger is sat in his/her seat. If you are trying to get other passengers downgraded, you are behaving like a spoiled brat
I don’t think it is unreasonable that Delta should have taken this seat out of service and not upgraded the one passenger. The passenger impacted by the broken seat should have been re-booked into the one empty seat.
@George N Romey: Yes, it’s a meal flight.
@Eileen: Yes, it was me.
I had the *exact* same experience on a 1.5 hour United flight. They comped me a $200 travel credit. I was happy.
Delta is now on my no-fly list.
There was a story in 2023 (not sure if I read it here or another blog) about a customer who booked flight and specifically chose the flight due to the lie-flat seat. Plane was swapped and he received a premium seat that wasn’t lie-flat.
He complaint and airline’s response was “your ticket promised you transport and service from A to B in a (name of product) seat. You received what we promised.”
I booked the first class ticket for $3,100 bucks one way. Had to cancel. Delta kept the money and put an expiration date on it.
I sent a letter to Ed Bastian I told him that if he was working the customer service counter at Walmart and a customer brought back a $3,000 item and he had to tell the customer that they were not going to get their money back and their credit would expire he would most likely get the snot beat out of him. I also told him Delta’s new slogan should be “your Skymiles don’t expire but your money does.”
A few days later I had a credit of 3,100 on my AmEx account.
I am the voice of dissent, I guess. No matter how “important” or “entitled” you perceive a passenger to be, he is on a PAID ticket and pays the salary of those flight attendants and red coats who can’t be bothered to address his issue. Now, we KNOW that they aren’t going to fix the issue, but a paid passenger should be reaccommodated into the operable seat before the upgrade. So many of these comments are willing to let corporations get away with less than adequate service and product. If he wanted to be uncomfortable and unproductive, he would have flown Frontier.
Makes you wonder how some people make it through the day?
“Shit happens!”
There are people dealing with real problems,…like losing everything they have from recent weather events.
So your tray table is broken, and can’t be fixed in time inorder to protect the on-time departure of a flight.
“Get off your high horse!”
Sorry,…I have no tears for you.
Good grief! Stop bitching about this First World problem. What takes the cake, is that you’d expect them to delay the flight to fix it, or downgrade someone. Get a life!
Die hard Delta flyer here… I had this exact same thing happen to me last year when I had a paid first class ticket from Miami Florida to Seattle Washington and the tray table was non-existent… And true to form, Delta employees both at the gate and on the aircraft refused to validate the seriousness of the issue which meant that I couldn’t work on my laptop on the flight and had to eat my dinner on my lap… But I reached out to customer service when I got home and they made sure that I was well compensated for the inconvenience… And to me that’s the Delta difference, in situations like this they often don’t get it right, but on the back end, on more than one occasion they have always come through and made it right. No other US carrier gets it right 90% to 95% of the time and then compensates in the 5% to 10% of the time they don’t get it right.
It’s not the advertised product. This wouldn’t happen on China Airlines, Singapore Airlines, or Vietnam Airlines. Why do US airlines suck so much compared to pretty much everywhere else?
@Aaron: Correct.
How many of the people who made the snarky comments fly? Have ever paid for Comfort+, First class or better?
Yes, everybody on the flight has paid one way or another for transportation from point A to point B.
One has to pay more for certain comforts and I believe it’s a reasonable to expect those comforts to be in place.
Just in the last month, I have flown first class, Delta, comfort, and basic coach. Flying is not fun to begin with, but having to hold your drink for hours on end and you’re empty glass until they come and pick it up.?
If all it was about was transportation from point A to point B all of the seats sizes, legroom, etc… would be exactly the same.
Yeah, No, not the case.
In the end, I hope you did somehow get compensated.
I keep telling people that Delta is evil from top to bottom, with FAs who trained in the peisons of a military dictatorship. No one believes me and insults me for insulting the “premium” Delta. But the evidence just keeps piling up. Keep deluding yourselves.
I wonder how Singapore Airlines would have reacted to a similar situation. Probably a lot better.
Attitude is so important. Delta FAs and other personnel who deal with customers can soothe or irritate the souls of disappointed or disgruntled passengers. I’m reminded of the famous remark in “Cool Hand Luke”: “What We’ve Got Here is Failure to Communicate”.
I’ve no solution because I can’t get FAs and others to treat others as they’d like to be treated. I doubt even their unions can do that. Pity.
CT and Luis… I remember when I was a young man just discharged from the military, I struggled mightily for some time. There were times when my dinner was plain grits for my starch and my vegetable was little packets of jelly. But I worked hard and eventually I got to the point where now I have a decent amount of scratch and can pay for some of the nicer things in life as I wish. I do recognize that those nicer things are of a ‘first-world’ nature but doggonit, when I pay extra for those nicer things, I expect them to meet certain standards and if they do not then I am going to complain and I really don’t give a flip what some self-righteous pissant cares.
I realize stuff like this happens, but I expect generous compensation when it does. I usually get it if I am polite and persistent.
@Kilo Sierra My sentiments exactly. These corporations are getting away with bad behavior because the consumers are allowing it. The corporations want us to blame everybody but them, for their poor products/bad behavior. They want us to fight each other instead of going after them. While reading these comments it appears the corporations are getting what they want.
This is why international carriers are far superior to our legacy airlines here in the US. Fly Qatar some time and you will never fly American air carriers again. I know this was a domestic flight but it’s still a fail.
Sure he seems entitled, but most of Delta’s FC is in very poor condition. I’ve complained before about broken seat belts and gotten a shrug from the FA.
They charge a premium — often a hefty premium — to avoid the awful accommodations found in the rear of the plane. You agree to pay the premium and book your ticket (and pay upfront). You then plan around it, with meetings, hotels, transportation, connections, etc. Absent some act of god, such as weather, you should have every reason to believe they will deliver what they have promised. Sadly, if they fail to deliver, there are almost no consequences.
They have no incentive to deliver on their promise. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it as all of the airlines do it; some more often than others, but none of them feel any obligation to fulfill what they have promised. Weather is one thing. But this was a solvable problem in which they failed several times through the process. And based on the fact it’s a Diamond, it’s even more obnoxious as they are do this to a customer who is supposed only of their “top elite” customers who is spending on average thousands of dollars per month with them.
In this case there are not good choices. Either sit up front a sacrifice the ability to work and eat a meal, or sit in the tiny, crappy seats in the back with horrible service, or face a delay so they can sorta deliver what they promised.
Air travel is more than a luxury, and deserve more concrete protections. I’d bet you’d see these problems disappear if the airlines had to face financial consequences.
This industry is ripe for more regulation and specific financial penalties for not delivering what is promised.
Once upon a time, that seat would have been blocked off. Times have changed, I guess.
Based upon some of the comments posted here, it’s a real shame than so many Americans have become inured to service that by international standards is clearly inferior, uninspired and frankly unacceptable.
Yeah sure, I hear plenty of American travelers rave about their “premium class” flights on AA, DL, or UA, but as one who’s flown over 6 million miles on well over one hundred different airlines – with about one million of those miles flown in International First Class, I’d say Americans on the whole don’t have a clue what quality International standard First or Business Class service actually is, and unfortunately they seem resigned to settle for less. And the airlines are well aware of this state of resignation. At the end of the flight, they’ve still pocketed the revenue while more often then not, the typical American passenger will “man up” to these “first world problems”, resignedly shrug if off and shuffle off to their next airborne misadventure.
The issue described above on Delta is a typical red flag that I see often on on domestic “First Class” flights aboard the big three.
One airline I have seen consistently take inoperable seats – including F seats – out of service is Alaska. AS isn’t perfect, but on the whole they’re much better than the big three.
When it comes to intercontinental premium class travel, I simply will no longer fly aboard US airlines. Not even on award travel. It’s just not worth the potential disappointment as exemplified by the service and attitudes described in the article above – by both the airline employees and some of the respondents to this article.
BTW, for you patriots out there – I’m an American born and raised – one who had the good fortune to have been born in the 1950s, when passenger expectations and service standards were much higher. Back then, US flag carriers Pan American and TWA were standard bearers for quality service worldwide. These days, amongst international travelers who know better, US airlines are more often than not relegated to the option of last resort.
Alas, it would seem that those who choose to pay for “First Class” service with commensurate expectations on US domestic carriers are on a fool’s errand.
Last year I had a Delta flight and booked my preferred window seat ($) and found no window but a wall when I boarded, what a bummer. I researched after that this model plane all has that feature around row 33. I really enjoy the view and was annoyed and now try to not have the same issue. I did not say anything to anyone.
I have also been on numerous flights with malfunctioning screens and outlets. Attendants don’t seem to care. I don’t even mention it now.
A passenger reported that a Delta Air Lines red coat senior representative clarified the company’s policy regarding a broken first-class tray table by saying, “A passenger is entitled to a seat, not a tray table, and not anything else.” This statement by corporate management reinforces Delta Air Lines’ position as a global leader among premium airlines.
Furthermore, passengers using a lavatory while flying on Delta Air Lines should be informed by management before boarding that they are only entitled to a toilet seat—not toilet paper or any additional amenities, such as water—when using the aircraft restroom.
Laughing that everyone here is focused on the tray table issue itself and not the fact that Gary tried to wrap this into a reason why Tort laws should be allowed full stop for airlines. As if a malfunctioning tray table is somehow a law suit worthy violation of a product promised. He wants this why? Because he is an attorney. He can then embark on a new career as thought leader for contingency lawyers milking airlines for settlements because the tray table was inoperable.
@Elton Parks. I totally agree with your on point comments. The typical American will put up with is crap and will not confront an employee. That guy probably paid full f/c fare besides being a faithful customer of Delta. And this is the way a RED JACKET treats him? Deplorable! The airline industry mirrors the direction of this country.
Drama queens all around.
“Hold the flight to fix my tray”…..really?
@Elton Parks. I too totally agree with your on point comments. Most of my flying these days is international, and mostly to Asia. I would not even consider DL, AA, or UA. Even if they had the same hard product, the soft product would come nowhere close to Cathay, Singapore Aire, EVA, etc.
If they would just leave people who paid for Y in Y, those of us paying for F would have a less-crowded cabin and a solution for this case.
Delta has gone in the shitter.
I would agree that if one pays for a service and one doesn’t get that service, some kind if refund is due. This doesn’t have to be about lawsuits or delaying the flight to fix a tray table. It SHOULD be about regulating airlines to the extent of disallowing clauses in contracts of carriage that can be used to deny reasonable refunds in these situations. As an example, if you paid extra for first class and didn’t get what you paid for, you should get an automatic refund of the difference between the original fare and the upgrade. If you paid in miles, you should get your miles back No one should have to file suit, even if it were allowed, to get an appropriate refund.
Yes, I am aware that this is not likely to happen in the current political environment but it SHOULD happen, preferably by an act of Congress.
My wife and I had a r/t Prem fly from YVR on Singapore Air about a month before departure we were told that our return flt would be to SEA,compensation offered 3000 pts,We had to find our own way to Vancouver
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Reminds me of Fly-Lo’s lifejackets on Come Fly With Me
https://youtu.be/RMfD_fi0Lzw?t=113&si=S68CUlaZLDvsR3iJ
@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.
The 1990s was the last reasonably good era of domestic airline travel.
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.
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.
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.
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
Worst and third class airlines. Had made sure that my friends and relatives stay away from this airline. And they did.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stop being a big baby, OP. things break and minor mistakes happen all the time. Move on. Grow up.
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.”
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.
US airlines by and large are such shtshw and offer suboar service compared to intl counterparts, particularly Asian airlines
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.
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.
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.
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.
Children are literary dying in wars and now this !!!! The Horrors !!!!!
I’m still trying to find the manila to Chicago flight
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.
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.
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).
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
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.
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.
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.
Maybe I’m lucky, but I’ve flown Delta around the world multiple times and haven’t had any problems.
It’s no excuse for Delta, but the man couldn’t work on his computer? They’re called laptops for a reason, sir.
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.
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.
What did this woman REALLY want?
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.
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.
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…
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.
…WWGD? What Would Greyhound Do….? Probably get better transportation service on Greyhound. That’s the real transportation competitor benchmark.
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.
Sounds like a lot of the commenters here work for Delta.
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.
Why should the airlines have to obey the same Laws as the Public , our police don’t have to obey the same laws as the public.. Face it , Gov employees and big corps like meta , airlines, google, at&t , ect are not governed by the same laws as the private sector.. End Affirmative Action Hiring ASAP. It will take 50+ years to repair the damage of that experiment.
We haven’t lost our compass. Unregulated orporations with no competition have stuck ot in our back.
The airlines really don’t care about the comfort if their passengers. Years ago, I purchased a business class seat on an international overnight flight on United. My seat didn’t recline and they knew about it beforehand. My only option was to fly the next day and miss the business meeting that I was leading. I complained (nicely) to United when I returned. They responded that they were sorry the flight didn’t meet our mutual expectations. I was gold premier. They didn’t offer any discount on future flights or any perk whatsoever. So, I took $100,000 of future business and booked it on other airlines.
I’m sure this passenger was compensated. This is as minor a problem as the TV not working. Don’t cost 150 people a delay bc one person upgraded to first class has to put their drink on the side vs. in front. You’re literally flying across the world for an absurdly cheap price. Hold a cup.
Delta flew from Sydney New York recently. Absolutely the worst airline that I have ever experienced. No menu’s, crap in-flight entertainment. Terrible service. Dirty, worn interiors. Never ever again. Complete crap.
I use to love to fly when they had real airplanes not cattle cars. But millions of people accept it so they get bigger cattle cars to shove more cattle into with less respect. You accepted being treated like that. Find a different way.
This is petty by the complainer…I’ve flown all my life. I can deal without a tray table for two hours on that short flight.
Maybe the tray wasn’t available…maybe keeping the schedule is more important and not being hours late…maybe whatever. Maybe raising a huge fuss and being a dick turned the gate agents off to further helping. Take a 200 voucher, smile and hold the drink on the armrest portion that holds drinks.
I thought Delta was better than that. Forget complaining about the stupid tray table… the real problem here was the Red Coat. The passenger should have raised holy heck complaining about this guy.
But he can always send copies of that $10K in tickets to the CEO of Delta and tell him what he can do with them
And that’s what’s called
“The Delta Difference”
I agree the passenger with the complimentary upgrade should have gotten the seat with no tray table. They could have told that passenger they were assigned the wrong 1st class seat and the pompous diamond member would have been satisfied instead of airing this publicly. Delta is still the most accommodating airline I’ve had the pleasure of flying with and if they really that disgruntled fly another airline. We won’t miss you.
I’m sorry this happened. I wish life was always fair. But that is not the issue in this case. I didn’t hear about time or money involved. I betting that the staff and crew were trying for a on time departure. And the customer was looking for any seat with a tray table. If someone was willing to move. If asked by a flight attendant. I’m sure it would have happened. All party’s involved would have been just fine. I see the inop sticker posted. No tray table available in this seat. Hopefully Delta will continue safe quality service to millions of customers. To the customer. I hope your future flights are issue free. And safe travels on any airlines you choose.
What a bunch of spoiled ass people. So your damn tray table wasn’t there, big deal. Pretty selfish to want the plane to be delayed causing everyone else on board and future flights to fall behind over a damn trey table
As I read an article regarding the broken or missing tray tables in the first-class cabin of Delta Air Lines, a popup ad appeared soliciting donations for desks for students in Malawi. In Malawi, over half of all classrooms need desks and chairs. Thank you, Delta Air Lines, for providing first-class passengers with a glimpse into the Malawi experience, allowing premium travelers to work and dine without the convenience of a tray table and no assistance from Delta Air Lines red coat supervisory personnel. Delta policy “is that [a passenger is] entitled to a seat, not a tray table and not anything else.”
Below is the information from the popup ad.
Empowering Education in Malawi: The K.I.N.D. (Kids in Need of Desks) Fund
Education is transformative, yet many children in Malawi face daily barriers that make learning a challenge. The K.I.N.D. (Kids in Need of Desks) Fund, a long-standing partnership between UNICEF USA and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, addresses these obstacles by equipping classrooms with desks and offering scholarships to Malawian girls. Since its launch in 2010, the program has delivered over 385,000 desks to primary students, reaching more than 1.5 million learners. It has also supported nearly 28,650 schoolgirls with scholarships to complete their secondary education. Join us, and you can help students in Malawi learn, thrive and pursue their dreams.
Desks Transform the Learning Environment
In Malawi, over half of all students’ classrooms have no desks or chairs. Children learn sitting on the floor, struggling to concentrate, write legibly and participate, which is especially tough for girls, who often skip school during their periods rather than sit on the classroom floor. K.I.N.D. desks, which come with attached seating, make all the difference. Schools report increased attendance, higher retention among girls and improved participation. Donate today to support even more eager learners.
$113 can provide a school desk for 2 to 3 students
$452 can provide school desks for 8 to 12 students
$3,390 can provide desks for an entire classroom of students
$33,900 can provide 300 desks for an entire school
Doesn’t surprise me in the least. To see the way Delta deals with their passengers overall, especially in their corporate home of Atlanta, it is increasingly apparent that they’ve totally lost the “family” image they’ve tried so hard to project.
I’m torn between a valid claim not so dissimilar to many other passengers in not so similar categories.
Yes it’s a valid complaint but the “how could this happen to me, don’t they know who I am” tone is a bit off putting.
What a first world problem!
Yeah, it is inconvenient, but forcing someone else out of their seat? The seat works, a tray table is a luxury. Flying first class is a luxury.
As a mechanic, it would have delayed the flight by an hour or more to fix it, so the protocol is, deffer it and fly on.
This dude wasn’t the only person on the plane and sounds remember that.
Just another reason I will not cross ontona Delta Plane their flight attendants are bad enough.
I had been buying business class on American Airlines and found the perks to be inconsistent and unpredictable. Last week I booked Frontier “upfront plus” for a third of American’s price and got every perk except the spotty drink and food service.
I am surprised by this I once flew on delta from last Vegas Nevada to Miami FL with my husband and we were first class passengers that although our seats were purchased together, we were sat apart because their was an issue that is what the stewardess told us that one of our chairs was malfunctioning and that their were no other chairs together in first class so we had a choice of missing our, and flying out the next morning but she could not guarantee that there would be two chairs together in that flight because she was only the stewardess on this flight not the airport reservations specialist and the she could not delay the flight because she had other passengers to assist imagine my shock and dismay I looked at my husband for guidance and he said let’s just go with whatever this young lady has for us well she sat my husband in the middle of the plain in in a middle seat seat in coach and I got sat in the back of the plain coach across from one of those bathrooms horrible absolutely horrible and when I called the next day and complained to delta I was told we’ll your flight went well and you arrived safely what more could you possibly want and then she hung up on me I decided that day I would never fly Delta again and I have not and never will!
This same issue happened to me on Delta First Class. The flight attendants did not care. My husband swapped seats with me so I could have his tray and he had his meal etc on his lap. This was a special trip for us as I was pregnant with my first and travelling to tell my parents. Instead of being a positive experience, it was stressful and completely not worth the extra cost. The only benefit is I had extra room to deal with my nausea. The flight attendants didn’t even clear the garbage away timely, preferring to leave it on the table/my husband’s lap and chat instead. It was vile encounter indeed.
That’s Delta. I flied in domestic premium class in Delta, the overhead bin indicates it’s for premium class passengers but the flight attendant put in a oversized luggage and damaged my camera. He told me that you can check your camera now during the boarding, and I couldn’t find out the DSLR lenses has lost focus and light detection. After complaint to Delta, they told me that they can’t control what passengers did. (As a matter of fact, Delta’s flight attendant broke my DSLR lenses…) I never fly Delta and I think it is one of my best decision ever since I later didn’t encounter this kind of issue ever in about 40 flights in 2 years.
I contacted Delta about seats in Delta one class. The seats were marked not available and I wanted to know why. The agent I messaged with told me there was no stowage for those seats. I told him did not need and asked the cost. He told me there was no cost and upgraded our seats. When arriving at the airport we were told that was an error and even though I had a print out of the conversation they would not honor it and asked that we pay 10K for the seats. We refused a d asked for original seats in comfort+ but we were told they were now full and if we wanted to go home from Australia we would have to fly in main. We did because we were also told there were no seats until 3 days and any expense was our problem. Oh I should .mention the Delta one seats we showed to be in were sold to.others.
Just flew from Ontario CA back to Atlanta. Sat in row 26. C, the move screen pops up from between the seat, the swivel
Is broker and they use masking tape to hold together. Low budget, most airline use duck tape!!!
So this is how you fix these losers. If, your smart customers. U stop flying on these unfair airlines. You are their paycheck. Without your buisness. They don’t stay in buisness. They will have to change. Or, they go out of buisness. But enough have to stand up for what’s right. For change to happen. Most r lazy nowadays to see or make change happen. Too many losers in the world nowadays. If more were like me. The world would be a better place. Lawless authority wouldn’t exist.
if, I was in charge.
Unfair & crooked companies.
Wouldn’t, exist either.
But if you rather complain then fix the problems. I can’t help you.
Some things u can’t fix alone.
This, is one of them.
Tell president Trump to fix garbage companies like this too. Make unfair buisness practices be illegal.
I was diamond status for delta these last nine years. However , I rarely was bumped up the first class the last 3 years, which was a key perk. Since service has been declining as well as Delta’s loyalty to me, I now shop for cheapest first class. That has saved me over $6k this year alone and enjoyed different flights. I also cancel my delta card and use my bank card for club access.
I’ve experienced broken seats, lavs not working, and frozen meals. Concerned about the rest of flight program
Typical entitled American.
I totally agree with Jodie.
Governor JB Pritzker’s Grandfather demolishes an entire turkey for Thanksgiving, mid-flight. 11/21/1949-New York, NY: The remains of what once was a succulent pre-Thanksgiving turkey rests against the well-stuffed frame of Charlie Black of New York, who had himself a feast on an airliner. Now he’s looking forward to a Thanksgiving dinner.
In the picture, the dinner tray appears to be resting directly on his lap.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-remains-of-what-once-was-a-succulent-pre-thanksgiving-news-photo/514870386
The remains of what once was a succulent pre-Thanksgiving turkey rests against the well-stuffed frame of Charlie Black of New York, who had himself a feast on an airliner. Now he’s looking forward to a Thanksgiving dinner. November 21, 1949. Photograph by Bettmann/Corbis.
As a frequent flier, sure this could have been handled differently, but some people just need to get over it. Ask for a pillow to prop up your laptop, it’s a narrow body flight so most likely short. Just the way this was written makes me assume that the complaintent is probably not an easy person to work with. I can’t imagine dwelling on this enough to even contemplate an article
@bill ganas – what does Affirmative Action have to do with anything? Its amazing how you take an airline/travel issue and turn it into an attack on something totally unrelated? Get a grip.
@Gary Leff: Your article headline, “Delta’s ‘Premium’ Promise Falls Apart: First Class Passenger Told “You’re Entitled to a Seat, Not a Tray Table,” is absolutely accurate. In instances of mechanical failure, Delta Air Lines may offer complimentary ground transportation to the destination airport when a flight is significantly delayed, canceled, or misconnected, provided Delta is responsible for the situation. For those unfortunate passengers, I would expect the headline to read, “Delta’s ‘Premium’ Promise Falls Apart: First Class Passenger Told “You’re Entitled to a Seat (on a bus), Not a Seat in an Aircraft.”
Are you such a cry baby that you can’t handle not having a tray table from Dallas to Detroit? And then how much time do you spend complaining about it? Get a life man.