Delta Air Lines

with a group of 86 flying DL16 and 17 SYD-LAX return Sept/Oct 2013. this is the second large group experience on this route with Delta the last being four years ago. As in the last I have nothing but praise for Delta. Check- ins with lots of excess/oversized luggage were most efficient and very quick indeed. The ground staff at both terminals were polite well trained and accommodating. The self check-in computers in LAX were very intuitive and easy to use. Both flights were on time. Inflight service was excellent. Flying the return route in the back of economy I noted how little wait there was for meals after the service had started. Again the service was not only quick but accommodating and compared very well to Singapore; my personal benchmark. The food was fine for economy class airline fare. The entertainment options were comprehensive. Perhaps the airline could upgrade its earphones a little. Seating was comfortable. The Comfort Economy which I used on the outward bound trip was well and truly worth the money. Most importantly Delta has its own terminal at LAX; meaning you avoid the general admissions hall. This is an excellent reason in itself to choose the airline on the SYD-LAX route.

I regularly travel between South Africa and the USA always on South African Airways (SAA). I have just travelled on Delta from South Africa to Atlanta. Both the ground staff and cabin staff were appalling. Gives rudeness a whole new meaning. Do Delta train staff to be so rude or is this a criterion for selection to Delta staff. We were offered no headphones. After 45 mins of attempting to get the cabin crew attention we were finally given a broken set of earphones. We again had great difficulty in getting their attention in getting another set. There was no choice of wines. Just a glass of box wine. We asked for a large bottle of water as my colleague and I drink a great deal en route. We were told that this is not allowed! We were assured that cabin crew would pace the plane with offers of drinks all night. Not only was this absolutely not the case but again it was virtually possible to get their attention at any stage of the night. The supper was moderate. The "breakfast" was probably the worst meal I have had on a flight ever. It was accompanied by a literally frozen salad so one had to chomp the ice off. SAA offers seats in the emergency exit at no charge. Delta uses this as another opportunity to rip off customers. Delta staff do yourselves a favour and travel on SAA to find out how to offer a high lass service.

29th Sep from Shanghai to Tokyo on DL296 and from Tokyo to Shanghai by DL295 on 5th Oct. I took the flight to and fro from Shanghai to Tokyo. it was a nice experience. The safety presentation that they provide is really unique. Food Quality was also excellent. Staff was very polite inside the airline but Staff at Tokyo Airport Check-In counters were rude and unfriendly and I hope Delta can do something about it as it spoils the image of the airline. The flights were on time and my kids really enjoyed the in-flight entertainment.

My wife and I recently traveled for business out of 4 flights 2 of the departing flights were late the second causing us to miss our connecting flight that left early. The flight was scheduled for 12.05 and we were standing at the gate at 12.03 the plane was already gone after we rushed off the plane and across Atlanta airport because this being a Delta hub they can't have planes in the same concourse. We go to the counter and are told they moved us to a different flight without telling us because we weren't going to make our original flight. So they are delaying us 2 hours because they couldn't leave on time for a 8.25 first flight. I politely asked if we could wait in the Delta sky club and was rudely told that it costs 50.00 to use the sky club. I will make sure I will not fly Delta again.

October 6 from LAX to ATL-Flight started out fine nothing really to complain about. The stewards were average somewhat snooty. Had a good selection of entertainment. Regular snacks on the plain (peanuts pretzels cookies). The end of the flight was extremely rough due to rain but the captain gave some reassurance. Then we landed with only minutes until our next connecting flight to MGM. This is where our trip took a nasty turn. We arrived at the gate with 20 minutes to spare (our flight was to take off at 8.55) but our flight was delayed 5 minutes so we had some breathing room. Then our flight got delayed another 20 minutes then another hour then at 11.45 (sitting in the terminal for over two hours) they cancelled it. We got a rental car that we could have had two hours ago and been home by now.

6 sectors with Delta in last 3 month. Winnipeg-Minneapolis-Amsterdam on July 10th Amsterdam-Minneapolis-Winnipeg on August 19th then Winnipeg-MSP-LaGuardia on August 27th. All flights except one on time great service provided by cabin crew. On long haul flights hot towels were offered which is very nice touch. Great food and beverages. Bags delivered promptly on arrival. Delta prices and customer service is definitely competitive. Will fly with them again!

Man to SFO via Atlanta. New York to Manchester via Atlanta. Both Manchester flights on A330 very comfortable seating is 2x4x2 with each seat having its own inflight entertainment. Other sectors on A319/b737. Service on all the flights was excellent very friendly staff. A lot better than American. Reserved seats together on all flights when booking saved a lot of problems at check in. Transfer in Atlanta was quick and efficient well within 90 minutes suggested. Flights were a good deal.

AUS to JFK JFK to NCE flight DL 1972 and DL 0082. Return NCE to AMS to ATL to AUS. DL 9497 and DL0239 with ATL to AUS DL 0686. I prefer Delta when flying American carriers and they're my no. 2 choice for all airlines Air France being my no. 1. In a trip this month to France flying into Nice I would have few complaints. An issue I've not encountered before rather two issues are the problem of the midplane lavatories next to the exit row seats and Deltas food service. I'll leave it to the reader to figure the issues with the lavatories and in fairness it should be an issue for all airlines flying the 767. Food however is a real issue. I have never had worse airline food than these two trips. When a convenience store Hot Pocket rates over Delta's offerings there is a real problem.

LHR-JFK-LAX-LHR (via Detroit). I purchased the tickets for almost £300 cheaper then the British Airways / Virgin Atlantic equivalent - and it was money well saved! To JFK had great pitch in 767 economy great food drink and snacks and the on demand touch screen entertainment meant the flight went really quick. All the internal flights were on 757s and they were as equally as good and all had touch screen on demand entertainment which I wasn't expecting. It's right to say that American airlines have a bad reputation but my perception has changed and when I come back to the USA next year I will fly delta. The product is on par if not better then the other airlines and would recommend them.

I have been a gold member for at least one year. I usually fly every 4 to 6 weeks from DCA to Lagos Nigeria. The food service is extremely poor. Breakfast is disappointing I have now learnt to eat before flying. The airline assumes everyone can eat the cheesy bread served in the AM the rice has practically no taste and the bathrooms are in such a bad state before we land. I have only been upgraded twice on the economy flights. I ask each time and the response is the same 'you may or may not be upgraded and you will be told at the gate'. I flew Air France on the trip before last and even got upgraded on that flight to economy comfort. Delta really does need to appreciate their gold members. I fly delta because of convenience but I'm beginning to think it may not be worth it. Bad food with no absolutely no fringe benefits is quite frustrating especially when other airlines offer much more. To fly long distance every 4 to 6 weeks with no benefits are not worth it.