My Wonderful Trip To South Africa That Didn't Happen Thanks To The TSA And Delta Airlines

Delta is the worst airline that I have ever flown and I will never fly them again. The combination of unhelpful Delta staff and belligerent TSA agents has pretty much guaranteed that the trip I was forced to take with them (due to business constraints) will be my last. I'll walk to my destination before I'll get on a Delta plane again.

In response to your question about why First Class and Business Class people get special treatment, I think you know the answer - the price of the ticket. People pay two or even sometimes three times the cost of a coach seat for the amenities that it provides, not the least of which is speedy check-in and security checkpoint passes. It's why the first class passengers get meals on domestic flights and coach passengers just get a bag of pretzels. I've flown both business and coach class both domestically and internationally, and I have to say that with the inflated cost of the biz tickets, I'd better get more than a wider seat. It's just the way of the world and the economy, here...if I pay (considerably) more, I expect to get more. The same thing goes for cars, stereos, televisions, etc., etc., etc. "Quality" (in this case, quality of service) increases as cost increases.

This doesn't make it right, as even coach prices are incredibly and outrageously expensive (especially considering the treatment at the hands of the airlines and TSA), but you are basically faced with two choices: either pony up the dough and buy some privilege or pay as little as possible and become one of the herd for the duration. It totally blows, but that's pretty much the size of it.

A very similar thing happened to me at San Diego International. The Delta clerk told my wife and I that they will give us permission to skip the security line because of a 90 minute back up at the Delta counter but a security officer who sounds exACTly like Jackie hollered at us and sent us to the back even though there were empty machines and bored looking agents waiting for 1st class customers in the 1st class security lines (which I have never seen before - ever). Another security officer told us (almost under his breath as if he'd get in trouble for helping people) that we could go to another security area with no line about 200 yards away - we did, there was no one there, and we made our flight with a few minutes to spare.

"TSA does not support “class” lines for screening."

Oh yeah? Well, the TSA may well not, but every bloody airport I've been in recently has the stupid things. The hoi-polloi get treated like cattle, but the upper crust (and those with good corporate expense accounts) breeze right through. Even when the line for the cheap seats is a mile long.

It's stupid, and should be done away with. I have no doubt that each airline does it of their own accord, but they shouldn't be allowed.

There's always a John on threads like this, isn't there? I'm not sure where his apparent sad little need to be on the side of authority comes from. He certainly doesn't travel much (and I'm willing to bet that Wayne's got pretty decent experience traveling and estimating what a reasonable amount of cushion time needs to be built into air travel).

That's messed up man....

I do kind of agree with the previous commenter about arriving early; That really is your responsibility as a passenger.

But even so, the TSA is pretty damn ridiculous, and the extra "security" is a joke. What's even more ridiculous is their inability to fix the mistake. At least the customer service person did -- but then again, they're trained to do that.

Dang, it sounds like some bad employees put you through some hell, for sure. You're totally justified to feel righteous about being falsely accused of threatening anyone's life.

That said, I've got to agree with John...it seems you missed your flight because you didn't arrive early enough to catch it. One obvious sign was that the woman in front of you in the security line was waiting for a flight that departed an hour later than yours. It's not Delta's fault for not expediting latecomers through security.

I live in San Diego and have flown out via Delta several times, and at least once they have helped get me and other passengers checked in quicker, though they didn't let us skip the security line. Once, due to unique circumstances beyond my control, I actually arrived at the airport only 20 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart, with the all-too-common 30 minute wait security line. This happened to be the only time I've ever been let through the first-class security line, but I also got (randomly?) flagged for a security screening, which took another 10 minutes. I didn't get to the gate until 5 minutes after my flight was supposed to have left, but I still somehow made it.

/shrug, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Really sucks to hear about all the 9/11-esque paranoia and citizen-bashing, though.

You need to submit this to the regulator. If this is happening regularly, they need to hear about it. Your individual response may not make a difference, but many will.

Also contact your federal representatives. This is an election year and they need to haul the CEO of Delta into Congress to explain why they load luggage on their planes while the owner is being held by TSA as a security risk.

GAT Security is a general airline ground servicing company, and their website is www.gatags.com. They started life as an FBO. From their website, they do: Ground Handling, Cargo Management, Janitorial,Cabin Grooming, GSE Maintenance, Facilities Maintenance, Skycap / Porter Services, Customer Care, Document Verification, Wheelchair and Special Services. Sounds like they do whatever is asked. The "document verification" bit sounds like what you ran into. And the "supervisor" from GAT that you talked to was probably a cargo handler or some such thing.

It seems that security would be better handled by sworn officers who are accountable to the public, rather than private employees who don't answer to anybody. Then again, our gov't seems to like that sort of thing in Iraq (e.g., Blackwater), so it's not surprising that they do it here, too.

I am to the point where I would do anything to avoid flying. It's like you have to go to a third world country where your rights no longer exist. Something really needs to be done.

Back in July, due to mechanical issues and weather, my husband, 1 year old and I were stuck at the airport in Atlanta for 28 hours. What a nightmare! Delta's absolute lack of empathy is very remarkable to me. I feel your pain.

You missed the first flight because you did not arrive early enough to the airport. The airlines can not be held responsible for the speed of the security line. That was the root cause of all of your trouble. That said, you really don't have much recourse from Delta. They have penalties and you accept that at time of booking. It also sounds like they really did try to help you out. The trouble with the TSA seems to stem from your refusal to accept standard operating procedures. Why should you get to go to the front of the line? If you want to use the special line, pay the special fare. The TSA employees sounded rude but I would be too if I spent most of my day explaining to self-centered travelers that a failure to plan on your behalf does not constitute a crisis on mine. The only thing that alarmed me at all was the refusal of the police (initially) to give you names and badge numbers. If it is that important a trip allow time to get through security.

TSA does not support "class" lines for screening. This has to come from Delta. I think you should make your complaint to the Federal Security Director (FSD) at San Diego Airport who is responsible for TSA screening at the airport. The FSD is Mike Aguilar and he can be reached at 619 321-1325 or mike.aguilar@dhs.gov. His mailing address is: San Diego International, P.O. Box 82776,San Diego,CA 92138-2776. Peter

You should share this story with The Consumerist.

Jesse.

[...] Link [...]

Being a San Diego native, I know the terminal 2 twisty long line well. Something must have been holding up the process because I often start out on the skybridge thinking this will take forever and yet 15 minutes later am at the x-ray machines.

Good luck on getting what you want - I know they don't make it easy.

Wayne: Your ordeal is the result of the (lack of) customer service in each sector you encountered: TSA, police, Delta, etc. These days I am used to this in most areas of CS and unfortunately it surprises me when I get GOOD service as opposed to being mad at getting poor service. Sigh.

I do agree a bit with John who stated it was your fault initially for not getting there early enough. 2 hours is minimum now, you make it sound like you only got there 1 hour ahead of time. Sorry, but its true, and it sucks, but its part of the loveliness of flying.

HOWEVER, it is also true (in my experience) that some airport security areas will make announcements for flights that are leaving and will allow these passengers to move to the front of the security check line.

Neither scenario defends the treatment you got from anyone during this ordeal.

Delta is wonderful - I had perhaps 120,000 SkyMiles points with them which they just deleted without even letting me know. A far cry from the misery you experienced, but pretty awful service.

I was also on a flight to Barcelona with them in early 2002, waiting to use the washroom near the service area, when the attendent came back and commented to her friend about the "little terrorist in row 23" - what an idiot. And the sad part is that the attendents on those long haul flights are the most experienced of the lot, due to the assignment process.

Sad.

Sorry to hear about your misery.

Did you try the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP)program, at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/customer/redress/index.shtm? It purports to be the customer service gateway where travelers can address "situations where travelers believe they have been unfairly or incorrectly delayed".

That sounds like you.

Hahahahahah! "Don't make me call Frankie" I cannot believe how messed up this system is. The security screeners have no incentive to treat passengers with respect or move the line at a speedy rate and unfortunately these grumpy, poorly paid screeners will be the first ones to be blamed if a bomb does get onto a plane.

Wayne - Sorry to hear about your problems and hope you get some kind of satisfaction from Delta. Flying has never been a pleasant experience, but the TSA seems to be committed to making it a downright painful one. :-( Give little people a little power and they become a huge PITA.

Joel - The gate agent says “It doesn’t matter what the pilots say, the computer says the plane is taking off in 5 minutes.” Oh dear, you made me shoot soda through my nose with that one! :-)

I rarely, if ever, leave comments on blogs or sites, but...

I'm so sorry.

Your ordeal made my hair stand up on end. I've dealt with Delta and there is no recourse. Who do you go to once they've ripped you off or ruined your planned vacation? Often the time and money required for this effort just can't be justified.

I realize that it's all post now, but the next time when you go wear as little clothing as possible and ship all your items via UPS to your destination ahead of time.

If that dosen't sit well with you, you can pack a flare gun (legal to own without a permit in the USA, but classified as a firearm by the FAA) at which point you will have to fill out a little peice of paper and have your luggage signed and checked. Then they lock it with a strap and hand YOU the key. Not the TSA, not anybody else. YOU. That way, you KNOW your luggage will get there for sure. The FAA and TSA don't like it when firearms are lost on airplanes.

Pack a flare gun in each bag, and you will never have any of your luggage lost. They also wont let the plane leave without you on it as you have the only key for the lock.

Honestly, you did the best you could. The USA is unfortunately thrust into this 'secure' flying, and they haven't adjusted well. Taking as little as possible on flights, and securing your luggage with a flare gun is about the only thing you can do.

I am still waiting for the day you will have to strip down naked, and shove all your personal belongings into duffle bags before boarding a flight. Then you get a numbered jumpsuit, and you are allowed on the planes.

It's going to happen. And watch. the people will let it.

I think you were treated horribly, but the reason first class passengers have VIP is because they PAY for it. Why should kids get to attend private schools while others go to public schools? MONEY. So get off the discrimination. The airport and TSA are at fault. Has nothing to do with discrimination.

The Socialism of the Democrats and the Nationalism of the Republicans gets combined, and they call it the TSA.

You should email this to http://consumerist.com/.

I can't begin to imagine what a horrible day that must have been. I fly out of San Diego all the time, but usually on Southwest. Your story just makes me think what an amazing 'illusion of security' we have created for ourselves. I'm begining to accept the fact that we have more of a chance of getting stuck by a tazer in the security line that actually facing a crisis mid-air.

Wayne, you have my sympathy. Flying isn't much fun these days, and when it goes wrong, it can go horribly wrong in a New York minute. Anyway, I was right with you until you wrote:

"Why should coach passengers be discriminated against? Why do first class passengers receive special security treatment? Are they paying more taxes to support the TSA? No! They should be in line with every other tax payer in coach."

Express lanes at airport security areas are typically for both first class (and international business class) passengers and for elite travelers. Let's take these one at a time.

First and business class passengers are either there because they're elite (see below) or because they've paid more for their ticket. How much more? It's impossible to generalize, but I just ran a search on Orbitz for a round-trip ticket from SAN to JNB, and got low fares of $1,334 in coach, $7,039 in business, and $11,511 in first. So if a hypothetical traveler was on the same itinerary as you, but traveling in business, and paid for his or her ticket, he or she paid at least $5,705 more than you (using the dates I ran). I don't begrudge such a person receiving faster treatment.

As for people who are using the express lines because they're elite-level travelers, in my experience, that privilege is typically reserved for people at the mid-elite level and above -- i.e., at least 50,000 actual flight miles per year. That's a tremendous amount of time in seats. My guess is that the typical elite-level traveler is doing most of their travel within the US, which means maximum round-trip distances of about 5,000 miles, and typically less than that. So these are people who spend a good deal of their lives on airplanes, and going through those dreaded security lines. Again, I don't begrudge such a person receiving faster treatment.

So, please, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yes, the traveler screening system is flawed in all sorts of ways. But allowing first and business class travelers and elite frequent flyers to use express lines is one of the few decent aspects of the process. (I write as someone who doesn't purchase first class tickets, but who flies enough to be a mid-level elite flyer.)

As much as i really dislike flying through the States its not only a US problem, London is just as bad; I swear its like they have a mandate to treat coach passengers as bad as possible to make sure they cough up the extra cash for business or first class next time.

Delta's terrible... the plane was stuck on takeoff on the tarmac, and I asked the flight attendent about connecting flights; she told me the pilots said we would be two hours delayed and that would cause me to miss my connection. She said I could deboard, so I did. *But* the gate agent said he didn't believe the flight attendent.

30 minutes later, the pilots deboard to get some lunch, and we chat-- the pilots were very nice and we chatted about the problem with the plane. All the while, the gate agent insists the plane will take off in 5 minutes "because that's what the central computer says." I point out that I am sitting in the gate, with the pilots, eating lunch. The gate agent says "It doesn't matter what the pilots say, the computer says the plane is taking off in 5 minutes." Ha!

This is why I drive instead of flying -- I can smoke, drink whatever I want, stop, pee on the side of the road, hoard potato chips, and crank up the tunes. Of course, you can't drive to South Africa. Yet.

Delta overbooked our flight from Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro this August. I was with a tour group of 8 people, but they decided it would be best to kick four of us off the plane and let the other four fly on to Rio. On top of that, they had been kicking people off this specific flight (only leaves Atlanta once a day) for the last few days. So, the first flight we could get out would have been 3 or 4 days later! That would have made me miss half my vacation, not to mention the hotels and tours and other arrangements we had already made in Brazil.
The gate agents were totally rude, but thankfully we got a ticketing agent that got 2 of us on a connection via Sao Paulo the next day, with the other 2 going via Buenos Aires. Not only did our group get split up again, but we had some crazy connection through other countries even. My compensation - $400 and some breakfast vouchers. I love how they treat us so well.
BTW my luggage stayed in Atlanta until I got on my next flight. I don't know why your luggage would have gone on without you.

The tyranny of idiots and petty bunglers. The security people are drunk with their power.

Couldn't find an email to send you this privately, but...
have you read http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/07/conversation_wi_4.html
Schneier interviews the TSA chief who basically says most of it is pointless, but if they didn't do it, we would blame them if something DID happen. ANYWAY, my point was, maybe Schneier can get you in touch, or at least point this guy at your story. Who knows, maybe you will get a response.

Good luck. Made me wanna throttle someone just reading it.

Have you contacted Kate at Stranded Passengers? She started out with another horrible experience, more with airline schedules, but has begun the drive to change air travel in general

Airlines
TSA
Accusal, etc

her website is a collection of links, that is a bit off-putting, but email to her. she is actually putting together congressional testimony now.

Good luck.

(btw, taking a trip from CA to TX to visit my friends and family in October. I am driving, just to avoid TSA. I only fly on business when forced)

http://www.strandedpassengers.blogspot.com/

All the agencies and standing lines are more Soviet like than anything. Actually I don’t know any cases where this heightened security actually have made any difference. Have a terrorist been caught with the bomb in his hand luggage? The terrorist that has been caught have all been found through good old intelligence and police work. I could only say that this only creates false security and angry passengers.

Between John and Peter Browne's comments you've got the info you need. Delta and other airlines pay for the additional security and passes the management of those services to TSA approved vendors. So if you fly a different airline that leaves from a different terminal then you would have had a different experience. Presumably.

This brings me to rule #1 of international flying. Never ever ever fly an American owned airline internationally. I'm in the air at least once a month, most often internationally. The headaches stopped when I flew anything but an American airline. The international airlines have newer fleets, better service, better food (read: they have food) and tend to be more accommodating. Look up the airline you curious about on airlinequality.com. (notice, no American owned airlines have 5 stars).

Lastly, John's right, be on time. San Diego's not a big airport but you should still be there 2hr early, smaller airports are often slower than major hubs anyway.

good luck ... and next time, fly South African Airlines.

Why are you all complaining about first class passengers being treated differently? What's up with this commy approach? Why don't you ask that economy passengers get more security checkpoints, not that first class will get less. If someone paid $2000 vs your $200 he damn well deserves a special treatment and not waiting in line.

@John and others, first of all I am a very diligent traveller. Before every flight I check the TSA Wait Times website ( http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/ ) for 6:30 AM it showed 21 minutes as a maximum, not just the average wait time at San Diego. In addition, the Delta desk in San Diego only opens at 5:00 AM, so arriving the recommended 3 hours in advance would have done me no good at all.

I don't know if you have visited many international airports in your time, but I have. In almost all, I have seen people from the airlines combing the security lines for passengers on flights about to leave. Even in the larger airports around the world they will request for passengers on such and such flight to come forward if there are abnormally long security lines.

Given the situation, yes I could have done things differently and arrived earlier, but based on all of the data I had and my past experiences with travel it was not necessary and might not have helped anyways - from what I understand the people in the line ahead of me were there much earlier. On the other hand Delta/TSA/GAT could have done many more things differently and it would have made no difference to their day/life other than gaining the satisfaction from having helped a passenger make their flight that was obviously so important for them to make.

As an foreigner that has to travel to the US with certain frequency, one of the things that really amaze me if how being the US such a "customer centric culture" (my experience regarding customer service in the US is very good, specially compared with countries such as mine), you can tolerate the kind of service you receive when you travel by air. It is of no surprise then, why the big US airlines are in such financial problems. My bet is that this mess is not because of market conditions but because of the crappy service they give. Just my two cents.

I find the actions of the GAT TSA and airport security to be appalling, hopefully they will be held accountable for that.
I have to agree with John if you had arrived the standard two hours before your flight this would have never happened.

Hey, that sounded like a whip!

Go search the consumerist blog on how to deal with airlines. They usually have a list of email addresses/phone numbers you can use to try and get satisfaction.

There is also supposedly some trick where you refuse to show your ID at the beginning of the line. Its legal to do so but they throw you into the full security check, which is faster than waiting in the original line. Will need balls of steel to pull it off though im sure.

DELTA=

Don't
Ever
Leave
The
Airport

Wayne,
As someone who has traveled constantly for the last eight years, I can definitely feel your pain. As far as refunds go, the best recourse you have is most likely your credit card company. Most CC companies have policies in place for charges and refunds on items paid with their CC.

Most of my road warrior friends refer to Delta as "Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport". I can't say that most of the other major carriers are doing all that well as far as customer service goes either these days. When selecting an airline for travel always look for their on time departure percentages. If it's below 70% and there is a connection involved then you have a chance that you will not make that connection. I know that price plays a part in airline choice, but your time is valuable too. Seatguru.com is also a great resource for choosing airlines that don't jam your knees into the seat in front of you.

I know you don't need more bad news, but there's a good chance that you paid at least $35 more than you needed to by purchasing your ticket from Cheapoair.com. They charge a hefty "service" fee that's more than most other online agencies, and bury it by lumping it in with the other legit taxes.

Actually, First/Business class passengers pay substantially more in taxes on their tickets. The TSA fee is the same, but the federal taxes levied on regularly priced First/Business tickets cost about as much as a discount coach ticket.

I've never flown Delta, but I do know from my time flying with United that it is the airline's responsibility to manage the lines, and if there is an empty first/business line and a full coach line, then it's Delta's responsibility to determine who is allowed into the premium line. United's security firm at SFO and JFK often takes people from the coach line and sends them into the premium line in times like yours where the premium line is dead and the coach line is full.

Also, if your Delta check-in agent had the authority to upgrade you, she could have printed you a pass to use the first class line. I would think that the GAT security people are paid by Delta, and your initial complaint about that wretched woman Jackie could/should have been handled by Delta's station manager.

This is the kind of thing that has convinced me not to fly... ever. I too live in San Diego and recently made the decision to DRIVE to Dallas (a 24 hour drive each direction) for business because I simply refused to submit myself to the likes of 'jackie'.

It is high time that our servants rediscover who they are working for.

Don't fly.

Really.

The title of this piece should be “Learning to account for my own actions instead of blaming others for my failings.”

Plan ahead and show up earlier. I don't get it -- they even tell people to show up 2 hours prior to departure at EVERY airport I go to.

Those of us who fly every week are given a quicker line as a courtesy for our patronage. I see people in the position of this author nearly every time I use the express lines and I am not moved at all. You failed to heed the suggestions.

I'm sorry your trip was ruined - but as a Platinum Elite Continental Frequent Flyer for many years, all I can think of when I read your story was:

"A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part..."

You should have arrived at the airport earlier than what you did. That would have prevented this whole incident.

Two hours early for domestic, three hours for international. Follow those rules and a lot of trouble goes away. Not all of it, but a lot of it.

Cheers,

~SB

Since 9/11 I've always arrived three hours early for international flights and have still nearly missed two flights out of San Diego. I now always arrive two hours early for domestic flights and have actually missed a flight because of check-in/security stupidity. If making your flight is important to you then you need to get your ass out of bed earlier. It is faster to take the Coaster to LA than to fly there from San Diego.

My brother in law was in line about to miss his flight and he called the airline customer service number and explained the situation to them. They had someone go to him in line and escort him through security - it is something to think about.

I just want to point out to all that the Delta desk only opens at 5:00 AM. So arriving 3 hours early would have done me no good for a 6:30 AM flight.

This is not a new flight, I am sure that if other passengers needed 3 hours Delta would open at 3:30 AM to allow adequate time for check-in right? I think not.

There is no excuse for falsely accusing someone of making a death threat, especially at an airport.

Thank you carry on.

[...] My Wonderful Trip To South Africa That Didn’t Happen Thanks To The TSA And Delta Airlines [...]

Airlines let bags fly all the time, once it goes thru check-in all they see is the call number, they have no way of knowing if you made it on the flight or not. I have had trouble with Delta in the past too. I was to fly from Hartford CT, to Tulsa OK with a stop in ATL. When we arrived are gate was changed and we were forced to wait for two hours. None of the desk clerks knew anything (hell they didn't even know our plane was on the tarmac until some passengers informed them). When we arrived our bag wasn't on the plane, instead it had some how managed to get to Tulsa before us (even though there was no earlier flight).
I suggest flying on another airline from now on.

Try showing up on time!

You detailed everything except what time you got there, except to say that you got there in plenty of time. Based on your "facts", you got in line at 5:45am (because at 6am, after being in line for 15 minutes, it had barely moved), which means you got to the airport at 5:30am, at the latest (since you went through the empty first class line). Interesting how you are so detailed and leave the one bit of information that puts the blame on you out of the post.

If you had been there 2 hours early, it would have been fine! I have flown over 100,000 miles a year for the last few years and have never had this type of issue. You sound like a guy who showed up late and is looking for someone to blame, you were probably an a$$ to the TSA too, serves you right!

While I feel that the security misshandled the situation, you obviously did NOT arrive to the airport 'on time'. There is a reason they suggest you arrive at the airport early in case of hold ups exactly like the one you specified. Yes, it makes traveling a pain, especially if you're about to go on a long flight, but it will keep you from missing your flight exactly as you did.

The lack of recourse, however, is still disturbing. There seem to be fewer and fewer ways to correct flaws in the system, and less and less flexibility when it comes to correcting problems. A lot of this is backlash caused by consumers that feel 'over-entitled', and the huge number of frivalous lawsuits due to procedure not being followed correctly, but we need to find a happy medium.

I have been to 50 countries and have made countless international flights. I have seen this sort of problem with other people many times.

You arrived at the airport too late.

The departure was scheduled for 6:30am

But after clearing the check-in, you started the security check at sunrise (San Diego on July 15 was 5:53am according to the Almanac)

That means you had a half-hour to clear security, make a very long walk to your gate 40 and depart on an international long-haul flight - coach class probably full.

Solution: On a busy summer day for an international flight (via Atlanta), you should have been at the check-in area 2 hours before departure. There might not have been anyone at the check-in counter at 4:30am, but you would have been in the front of the line and coasted through. If you had, you would have made it to your destination with minimal hassle.

I was under the impression that it was FAA regulation that your checked luggage could NOT depart the originating airport without you on the plane. If so, Delta broke that regulation. It is, however, okay for your bag to fly without you from connecting airports and such.

*shrugs*

I agree with John 100%. You didn't show up early enough. It sounded like you got to the airport about an hour before departure. If you are an experienced traveler, you have seen the insane security lines before. This was not Delta's fault you missed your (first) flight. If this meeting was so important, you should have shown up earlier.

Your luggage flew without you because it is basically impossible for them to do otherwise. Imagine you check your luggage and then simply miss the flight. At the moment the doors of the plane were closed the list of passengers that passed through the gate would have to be cross-referenced with the list of passengers who checked in, and the luggage for those not actually on the plane would have to be removed before the plane disembarked.

The only way for this to be remotely practical is if the doors are closed prematurely, a ground crew is available and waiting for the list of bags to remove to arrive so they can be removed promptly, and the bags are all easily accessible to the ground crew (again, for prompt removal). Alternately, the bags could be loaded onto the plane after the doors are closed and the necessary bags filtered out of the loading process.

Given the tight time-slots in which airlines operate, a limited number of ground crew, and the general disarray at the airport, there is simply no way for this process to happen reliably.

Personally, I do my utmost to avoid flying nowadays and I am considering simply taking the train when possible instead. My last experience with the airport was on a short flight for business. After plane delays, security problem, etc, it took me half again as long to reach my destination than if I had simply gotten in the car and driven there (12 hours of plane travel vs. an 8 hour drive), *and* I had to purchase a second ticket on another airline simply to do that well.

"There’s always a John on threads like this, isn’t there? I’m not sure where his apparent sad little need to be on the side of authority comes from."

Um, MB - this has nothing to do with being on the side of authority. This has to do with common sense. I hate TSA. I think their rules are dumb, asinine and pointless (any rule they have, I can come up with 20 different ways to get around them). I really think that you have a bunch of people on power trips, that are mostly not that aware of what is going on, that it probably isn't that hard to slip stuff past.

Now that being said, since I know they exist, I plan accordingly. This has nothing to do with taking the "side of authority" it has to do with dealing with the system with least resistance. I don't actively go out of my way to make myself stand out in these lines. I won't ask for preferential treatment (moving up in line, etc), because it can work against you (as the above story is an example of). I do my best to be on time (at least 1 hour to hit security, more for internationals). And above all, I do what I can to stay on the good side of these people, a single "GET BACK IN LINE." is enough for me.

You know, very few TSA horror stories start with "I was just waiting in line moving along with the herd."

I feel for Wayne for missing the flight, and all the trouble, but at the same time, the whole situation could have been avoided.

Your story points out how rude, inept and tyrannical the security people are at airports. I had to deal with that same attitude some years ago at the Canada-US border.

I would have hollered right back at Jackie. What an idiotic maroon treating you like a child. I would have been incensed.

This story also points out that you should carry with you an mp3 recorder to capture any dialogue that you can use to collaborate your complaint. A cellphone with a camera helps a lot too.

Please complain to the authorities some people have listed above. I would also contact your local media stations consumer line. You need to do it to get satisfaction for the ill-treatment you received and you feel you received.

It pains me to read your tale and compare it to the complaints people have with the current administration in Washington. People have valid complaints with the government. Congressman and senators reiterate the complaints in committee hearings and nothing of consequence really happens. "The war on terror" and terrorist screenings is a major issue here. It's as thought people do whatever they want damned be anybody else. Democracy is being eroded bit by bit and it is the public who will end up holding the bag. We all have to become as little children and exclaim metaphorically as in cases such as yours, "The emperor is naked! He isn't wearing any clothes." The current illusion society uses today to make democracy work is being eroded. We must take back our rights and demand redress from inept bunglers who apparently are in charge of this nebulous system encompassed by the "the world after 0911."

Definitely email the story into the Consumerist. They can usually help get you satisfaction out of completely embarrassing the horrible customer service actions of companies.

Amusing horror story.

I was encouraged to see you follow best practices for resolving consumer or legal issues. Document as much as possible, names, times, dates, locations.

My advice for possible followup: Write a letter. You have written a wonderfully blog, but a written letter does wonders where voice mail or phone calls fail.

1) Dispute the charges to Delta on your credit card.
2) Send a formal letter to Delta with your informaion.
3) Send a formal letter to CA senator/reps.
4) Send a formal letter to TSA.
5) Send a formal letter to GAT.

Update the blog with follow-up information.

Interesting to see how many people did not read the story and assumed you did not show up in time.

Sorry man! I've been given the runaround as well and it is excruciating! I was getting stressed out just reading your story!

I am never flying

Ever time I have flown from the UK to mainland Europe and back, it has taken literally under 2 minutes to get from the back of the queue to security. The long waits you americans accept are appalling.

Dennis: Someone paying umpteen thousands of dollars for a first class ticket is just as able to bring a bomb onto a plane as someone paying a couple hundred. They should get the same amount of security screening as everybody else. The fact that they don't shows me that the level of security they enforce on the people flying cheaply is unnecessary.

[...] from http://www.netstum… to show massive failure by the airlines and the security at the [...]

A girl wearing a mini-skirt gets national attention for her airline troubles - you should pass this report on to the media outlets as well. Try CNN's I Report, or Jack Cafferty. Make sure these bastards get a good reprimand for their stupidity and ridiculous behaviour.

Sounds like Delta. I stopped flying with them when they billed me $175 for one of their errors (on a $238 flight) a few years back. I think your best bet is small claims court. You can also claim damages for not having gotten to your meeting. Your next best bet is just to cancel the charge with your credit card company.

What time did you arrive at the airport? You don't say... just that you were "on time," which is relative.

It sounds like you didn't make it into the security line until 5:45. That is only 45 minutes before flight was to leave, and about 15 minutes before your flight was to start boarding.

It sure sounds like you didn't arrive with enough time to get through the Delta check-in line and the security line.

Wow. I am glad that I never fly anywhere. If I have to travel overseas, Ill take a boat. But since most folks over there arent too fond of Americans at the moment I think I'm good there.

Still, as far as I can see in their policy, they should really have gotten back with you refund in about 10 days. They only really make it that hard so people will either A) forget about it or B) get fed up and say 'nevermind'.

And concerning your troubles, I smell a punitive damages lawsuit coming on.

-Cheers

[...] Link [...]

Great Example of why airlines are not secure

So wait, are you telling us that the ONE person who was helpful (Ana) asked you not to tell anyone that she upgraded you to Business Class and then you went ahead and posted it on your blog? Some thanks!

It sucks, yes, but that's why you're supposed to get to the airport ten hours early now days. You knew how fuucked up airport security is, you should've been prepared for that.
I used to fly from San Diego to San Francisco all the time. Now, I drive. With all the airport security bullshiit, the drive time (about 8 hours) is really not much slower than the 1.5 hour flight when you add in all the airport delays.

This could have all been prevented if you arrived early to the airport like the family in front of you for the 7:30 flight. Traveling in US airports is time consuming but you lacked proper planning.

Things like this are why I will never fly unless it's absolutely necessary.
I will do everything in my power to never board another plane again until this is turned around.

Mistake #1: Showing up in the security line less than an hour before departure time, especially for an international flight.

I am sorry for your experience, those sorts of situations are always annoying and make you feel powerless.
I would like to say that to say that because of a few less than curtious people (which unfortunately every company has), ultimately, the TSA was trying to do their job.
It sucks that the line was that long. Maybe you should have gotten there much earlier simply to make sure that you would have had enough time.
If your bags were not screened thoroughly and something had happened on a flight that day, people would have absolutely no problem blaming the TSA for not being vigilant enough.
It sucks, lines are long, there are compounded problems in service with profit seeking airlines (although that is part of capitalism) and multiple lines being drawn with who is responsible for what between airlines, the FAA and the TSA, but to say that they caused you to miss your flight is just as problamatic.
Best of luck in future travels.

Anyone who still flights is a stubborn idiot. I mean come on! Who in his right mind would flight this days, I JUST HATE HAVING TO FLY. I'll rather change my job than having to fly with a bunch of people making my life miserable.

[...] My Wonderful Trip To South Africa That Didn’t Happen Thanks To The TSA And Delta Airlines | NetStu... Fly the Friendly Skies… (tags: airlines tsa security) [...]

I feel your pain. I traveled for 6 months straight last year and had nothing but bad experiences with the TSA. Regarding problems with time I live by the rule of get to the airport 2.5 hours before your flight leaves. This leaves a nice buffer for when things like this occur. I remember standing in line in Atlanta for an hour and several people missed their flight but I still had a nice 45 minute cushion to grab something to eat and relax a little before the flight.

You got what was coming to you. Death Threat Blah blah... If your flight is at 6:30 you should have been at the airport at 3:30AM and you know you were wrong because you posted you were there "ontime"...(what does that mean, 45 minutes before your flight? My last flight cost $2065 and I was there 3 hours early because A) I wanted to make my flight and B) I didn't want to deal with any BS. Whats your excuse... you said it y ourself your heart wasn't into it.

To the many dipshits who keep claiming it's the passenger's fault for not showing up on time - read his god-damned responses first.

Delta opens at 5 AM. His flight was at 6:30 AM. Delta manages distribution of passengers among the security lines. Showing up 3 (or even 2) hours early wasn't going to do much to help.

Missing his flight is entirely and exclusively the fault of Delta. No one else.

That sucks. But let's face it, flying is heavily subsidised by governments; we can't afford it as a planet; and it's time we all stopped relying on it so much.

The narrator is "shaking" from stress by the time he enters the x-ray line. I doubt his courteous manner considering this level of tension. His anger has even spilled over into the secure area when he decides to kill time before his rescheduled flight by logging complaints and asking for badge numbers, almost exacerbating the problem. If he were really that humble with the employees I am sure it would have translated itself into complete relief, as opposed to revenge, once he made it across with a new flight. We are subject to the censored version of a story about cranky people who, as evidenced by the narrator’s tardiness, probably had one too many the night before.

I do want to say you got lucky on the baggage front. Alaska lost my bag on the last trip i took to SFO (from SAN) (how someone loses a bag on a direct flight within the same state is beyond me). It took more than two months to get a measly $500 out of them (after 1 1/2 months of "searching" and another half month of "arbitration"). Meanwhile, I have to basically re-purchase my wardrobe and don't have money to buy a new bag because I didn't have a reciept, a lovely experience that obviously pales in comparison to yours.

Dennis, the security checkpoint is a federally mandated procedure. I pay my taxes the same as any other person (no matter WHAT price they paid for their ticket). They should get in the same line I do, no matter what.

@ Stack
Not flying an american airline is a luxury. If you're a govt employee you are required, by law, to "Fly American" whenever possible

> I just want to point out to all that the Delta desk only opens at 5:00 AM. So arriving 3 hours early would have done me no good for a 6:30 AM flight.

Then why was the security line so full if you got to the
Delta desk at 5am and were immediately checked in (at the 1st class
counter)?

Thanks for that sad story. I know now to get the airport 4 hours early with my DS a couple of books and a well charged mobile

Think about getting to the airport a couple hours before your flight?

It sounds like a terrible day. I have some experience with the airlines and have had similar terrible days. It seems that once Delta has your money that is the end of that. good luck getting it all back even if they were to cancel the flight and never have it again. We have as a group let them set the policy on how they take our money for a service and even if that service was not provided they seem to find a way to keep it. the only way to change the system is to find alternatives. I know that it is sometimes not feasible but I try to do my best. the TSA is taking over the document checking at my airport so there is no longer a first class line for the privileged few. The private contract companies are the worst of all. they know whatever they do the TSA will end up taking the heat. I do not excuse the way that they acted but at least at the airport that I use they are for the most part friendly and at least tolerable. I feel your pain because I know that I have it better here than most. good luck on getting your money back.

Wayne, I've worked at an airport for over four years now. The one thing I've learned is that airline passengers are some of the rudest people in the world. The main reason we have employees like "Jackie" is because they have to endure being treated like crap everyday. I would have to say I encounter 1 or 2 pleasant people a day as opposed to about 50 rude ones. Now to get to my point. I disagree with the fact that you placed these peoples names in your blog. I understand you were just trying to vent, but how can all of us reading this be sure that you were telling the truth. Suppose the roles were reversed and you were Jackie and Jackie was you. You may have been very professional and kind and doing your job, and Jackie was a rude passenger running late giving you a hard time. You might not have done anything wrong, but what if Jackie decided to blog about you and how supposedly rude and unprofessional you were to her and put your name along with other innocent people's names in the blog. And what if hundreds of people read it and believed it. Now if she did that wouldn't that be libel.

I'm not saying all airline employees are innocent because I've met my share of "Jackies." Just try to do what I do every time I fly. Be as kind and pleasant as possible to the airline employees no matter how they act. Maybe your kindness will have some impact on them and they in turn will be kind and pleasant to all the passengers they encounter later that day. Maybe if enough people do this, airline travel will become better and more enjoyable over the years. Just a thought.

I'm Canadian and fly domestically *a lot*, internationally regularly. In my biased experience, Canadian airports are by far the most secure and customer friendly I've ever flown through.

On a recent (my first) trip to New York I was stunned to see how lax the security was at the airport. I actually stood there wondering if I'd been through security or just some odd check point. It was clear that the Homeland Security people take themselves entirely too seriously, though. Arriving at my destination my checked bag had been rifled through, hastily taped shut with a note inside telling me that Homeland Security had done a hand search. They broke the good quality zipper on a very expensive bag. I have no recourse. Getting up into the Statue of Liberty was higher security than getting into the United States.

Weeks later flying through Charlotte, NC en route to San Jose, Costa Rica, again I was stunned at how lax security was (not even looking at my passport when boarding). Again, arriving at my destination Homeland Security had opened, hand-searched, taped closed and damaged my checked bag.

My dad worked in airport security back in the 80's so I obsessively show up 2 hours before domestic and upwards of 5 hours before international flights. We all know of the BS at airports so I take it upon myself to do as much as possible to not miss a flight...I never have.

Flying out of Heathrow earlier this year I actually left for the airport 6 hours prior to departure (an estimated 30 minute drive) because of potential M4 delays, check-in delays and security delays. Sure enough, although all of my details were confirmed before leaving home, Air Canada couldn't immediately find me in their computer system resulting in a 40 minute delay checking in. I wasn't stressed because of the massive time cushion I'd built in.

I would sooner wait at the airport for an 4 extra hours and know I'll get on the plane than arrive just on time and be stressed.

That said, I purposefully avoid U.S. airports when I can as they've proven to me that generally, they're completely inefficient, not designed for customers and really, not overly safe even with military personnel with machine guns in-hand 'guarding' the food court such as at Laguardia.

In Edmonton, Alberta there is a priority security line for disabled customers that is used as part of the regular queues if nobody is in that specific line. My last flight through Edmonton was around midnight and that priority line was the only one open. I was through in minutes.

Thanks for sharing your story, Wayne. I'll consciously avoid Delta in the future. I've heard stories of them being notoriously late and over-booking, but have never flown them personally.

@Joe, I seriously thought about your point regarding including the names of the people that I dealt with. Eventually I decided that, this being the internet, had not included those kinds of details that my story would just be regarded as a fairy tale. It is not my intention to harm the employees of Delta/GAT/TSA.

The masses and companies need to be made aware of the abuses taking place on the ground floor at airports all over the country.

I trust that some people will see this and be more willing to report their own experiences while traveling. The run around that I got from the TSA/Delta would have caused 90% of people to write the day off and never file any complaint - the only way we will get action is if we complain and I'm pretty sure Homeland Security doesn't forbid us from criticizing companies... yet.

Next time you should just walk.

> I just want to point out to all that the Delta desk only opens at 5:00 AM. So arriving 3 hours early would have done me no good for a 6:30 AM flight.

You say your flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30 am. You say you left the security line 45 minutes before your flight. That's 5:15 am. You say 15 minutes elapsed before you left the line, that's 5am. You spend time talking to the woman in front of you, and before that, waiting a few minutes in line. And then before that you had to
spend time checking in. So the Delta desk opened well before 5am.

Your story doesn't add up.

Arriving early sometimes does get you something even if the desk doesn't open at 3:30. What it gets you is a better spot in the line. But sometimes when there's a delay cascade, the line becomes irrelevant. I had an international flight out of San Diego out of Terminal 2. I arrived three hours early and STILL almost missed the flight. Eventually, the line became just a linear crowd that didn't move, as airline personnel would call out the next flight leaving and all of those people got to rush up to the front so they could check in and have a chance of not missing their flights. On this occasion, the security people did let us riff-raff use the First Class line but it was the beginning of a bad-weather delay day and they could see that if they didn't do something they weren't going to be able to contain the crowds in the building.

With your name in the records now, I would not be surprised if you have difficulty flying in the future. I think it's absolutely shocking how you were treated by the guards and I completely agree about the complete lack of redress that consumers have when it comes to the non-TSA, non-airline portion of the security process. There is no transparency as to who these people are, how they are screened and hired, what training they've had or not had, yet we show them our IDs and plane tickets so they know our names, addresses, and how long we'll be out of our homes. I feel safe, yep.

I got screwed out of a trip to Iceland because of Delta. They were rude and terribly unprofessional. Let's all boycott the bastards.

Have you been under a rock for 6 years? Sexurity wait times are longer thanb ever. The TSA is dumber than ever and anythinhg you do can result in you being declared a terrorist.

Meanwhile the bigger message of your story is that had you actually just been quiet, stood in line and not caused a fuss you really would have made your flight.

While it sounds like you had a crappy experience it feels like a lot of it was brought on yourself.

I for one am shocked that these people were allowed to throw out that false accusation of a death threat without repercussion - that alone merits losing their job, regardless of all the awful behaviour they exhibited toward you!

When I worked for an airline, as small an infraction as showing up to work late could get you fired. This is unacceptable, criminal and has to be stopped!

The TSA does have a dedicated and very efficient department for dealing with complaints and they actually do take care of things. Unfortunately the contact information for that department is top secret along with the rest of their rules.

I have no sympathy for anyone attempting to fly. What kind of person willingly gives up their right to be secure in the privacy of their belongings just so they can get somewhere faster?

Privacy is so hard for the rest of us to fight for because of everyone who abandons it for the sake of convenience. Stop being so selfish.

Mike: "You say your flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30 am. You say you left the security line 45 minutes before your flight. That’s 5:15 am."

6:30 - 45 minutes = 5:15? Interesting theory. I would like to see your work.

If I were you, I would talk to a lawyer and sue their asses. These "big daddy" companies need to be taught a lesson. They can't walk all over us and screw us out of what is rightfully ours. The US has gone down the crapper since 9/11. "F" this country. I'm sad to say that I happen to be a citizen here.

To all the people who are saying things like "you didn't show on time", "it's your fault, don't blame others", and especially "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part…" - I hope great great misery falls upon you at one point in your lives.

Didn't you hear about empathy, human factor etc etc. For example - I always help my neighbours to carry bags from the store etc. - if I would follow your logic I could tell them "hey, it's your fault, why didn't you plan ahead and made more children in your life - they could've help you to carry those bags". I also always give seat to anyone older than 55-60 years on public transportation - same goes here, if you follow that logic - they should have made better plan - either by better organizing their lives not to depend on public transportation or something like that. You know how they say: "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part…"

I know this is not good analogy since in those situations it ISN't my JOB to help those people, but voluntary action, but nevertheless, my point is - even if he did show up late, given the circumstances they've could be enough human to sort this thing in his favor - no one would loose anything in that case, and Wayne would catch his flight. Just by arguing with him, sending him back in queue, lying that he didn't know those people in the row etc. etc. would be enough for him to catch his flight (like he said - he missed actual flight for 2 minutes).

I just can't understand how can you be so heartless and cold to say "it's your fault, don't blame it on others". It's entirely obvious that practically all people Wayne encountered on airport acted like a$$holes, I just can't understand how anyone in their right mind can defend them. To me this is not much different than saying to person whose child got hit by a car "sorry to break it to you, but you obviously did poor job in instructing your child how to behave in traffic".

Well, like I said, we can only hope for great misery for people who're making Wayne into villain here (I can't believe how Need an Advil turned this story upside down - "everything would be swell, only if Wayne wasn't such rude person, and went on molesting poor honest, fellow compatriot-loving airport stuff"

I'm shaking just reading this. I'm sorry this happened to you: you didn't deserve it.

I had a similar experience.

I showed up insufficiently early for a Saturday morning flight during the Christmas holiday. There was no way I was going to make the flight.

No unlike this nutless weenie, I pulled out a stack of $20 bills and started bribing my through LAX.

First thing I did was cut the entire outside 300 person line, and walked diretly to Southwest's Skycap station. I put two $20s on the e-ticket printout and explained to him that I was going to miss the flight if I stood in the line.

He smiled, said, "Wait here," and took the itinerary and the 2 $20s to a counter. He printed out "RUSH" stickers for my bags and told me to follow him. "Just stay behind me, I'll get you there."

Our first stop was the bag x-ray. I handed him another $20 for the guy working the machine, and he understood it was for the guy working the machine. Front of the line, cut right past all the other bags, and whammo, done with that part.

Then to the security line. I decided to withhold actually giving the ID checker money, but my Knight made it unncessary -- we went right to the front, he opened up the velvet rope and she checked my ticket and ID.

I had a computer bag and we needed to make one more stop at the metal-detector. He cut me right to the front of that line too, off came my shoes and out came the computer and I was ready to walk through, but before doing so, handed him another 2 $20s for a job well done. "Thanks, and share the wealth -- Merry Christmas!" I said, and a few minutes later I was walking onto my plane.

The whole process took less than 5 minutes, and cost $100 total.

If I had missed the flight, I would have spent the whole day at the airport, and a three hour flight would have become a ten hour, minimum, day of travel.

So, I saved 7 hours, say, at the cost of $100.

What is your time worth, per hour, on the holidays? I would say much more; at least mine is.

You didn't arrive in time. The timeline you give shows you cut it awfully tight. Since the airport only opens at 5 I would have been there right when it opened. You obviously weren't.

I absolutely hate Delta and go out of my way to fly any other airline. They stranded me in Atlanta during the first controllers strike and didn't care in the least, They did nothing for me.

Nationalism is not Patriotism.

http://www.pan-nationalism.org/

Note academic citations there.

I may be different from most, but Delta has been the carrier that I've had the best luck with over the years. Most of my truly crappy airline travel experiences have come courtesy of American or Airtran. And I will echo what others have said in regards to getting to the airport early. I get to the airport two hours early, even for early morning domestic flights. If there's no one at the counter yet, I just kill time with the laptop with the guarantee of being the first in line to the counter and getting through security with a minimum of fuss.

Having said that, the thing that really sucks about the TSA in particular, and air travel in the United States in general, is that we as consumers have no recourse when we're mistreated either by the airlines or by the TSA. If you dare to speak up, as you almost found out, you are either explicitly or implicitly declared to be a terrorist. The only options we have are not to fly, or to lay down and take it from the TSA and airlines.

sorry dude.... my brother-in-law works at orlando internetional and had a tsa employee run her fingers through his lunch just to get to work. he has to do this every day.

It's great to see how many people complain about turning up earlier but don't bother to read the 5am opening reply... If it were up to them, we'd all arrive the night before our flight with tents and sleeping bags.

Typical arrogant South Africaner. Think you're better and can show up late and cut lines? Then when it doesn't work you have a hissy fit and call the police? Get a life. This is America, those poor people working aren't your SLAVES, you have no right to abuse them for your airlines faults. If you want first class, buy a first class ticket, don't try to make a scene to sneak your way through because you think you are superior person than they are.

Sounds like you are just a whiney bitch. Maybe you could have gotten to the airport earlier to leave plenty of time to go thru security. Even so, certainly you could have handled the situation better. If you truly checked in on time and the security line was going abnormally slow, the airline would have made sure you got thru.

Dude, you fucked up. Stop wasting our time on the internets.

Reading this story made me so angry that I am sweating. Every word made me want to scream!

Ugh, I hate people like this... stupid idiots...

you purchased this ticket on a credit card. By law in the US, you have upto 90 days from the day you receive your credit card statement in the mail to dispute any charges. This is automatic - there's no special insurance coverage or anything like that to use this ability. It's part of the law. Dispute the $225 and let the credit card company battle it out with the airline.

Delta appears to tell its employees to blatantly lie to customers in order to get whatever they want. They tell you whatever they think you need to hear to get you to do or think what works best for them. The general public has such a huge disadvantage because we have no access to information. I have been writing to my congressmen about the airlines, b/c there has to come a time that congress steps in and tells the airlines to stop lying to customers who are paying for their services. You should write to congress and tell them about your experience b/c the behavior of these people is criminal. Ever notice that flying is really just lying with an f in front of it? I get that driven home to me EVERY time i fly.

Those terrorist dry-runs you mention were bogus, just another thing that the TSA made up...
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/TSA_dry_run_terror_alerts_bogus_0727.html

I have about 28,000 miles so far this year and don't think this is a problem particular to Delta, it's travel folks! Things are going to happen, people are going to be rude, loud, smelly, others nice, sweet, engaging...etc. Gee, why doesn't every little thing always go like clockwork? Suppose you are living 100 yrs ago, did people miss boats and trains? Of course they did. They met moronic people in positions of power who messed up their plans. We do too, its a mine field out there, every airport, hotel, taxi stand, shuttle shelter and car rental booth all present opportunities for our plan of travel to unravel. Sometimes that last two minutes you took to grab a newspaper/coffee/muffin makes a critical difference when you watch as the last cab pulls away. The best advice I have ever heard was to anticipate and plan for delays and problems. Its expensive, however we now travel a day early domestically, two days internationally. And Wayne you were cutting it too close for an international flight, so right away Mr. Murphy decided to accompany you to the airport in order to support his law. Imagine your experience in San Diego that day but getting there an hour earlier, now you are at the front of that twisting line as you turn to hear a frustrated late arrival begging on the first class line, since their flight leaves in 10 minutes! The flight time didn't change, the airport was there, TSA was there, it seems it was you who wasn't there. By not allowing for a problem you invited one. Lessons learned? Arrive early (and bring a good book) Safe travels to all and remember to plan for a problem (or two) and smile and be gratefull we have the luxury of jet travel that wisks us off to far flung places in a relative blink of an eye!

Mike - "You say your flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30 am. You say you left the security line 45 minutes before your flight. That’s 5:15 am."

Actually, 45min before 6:30am is 5:45am, not 5:15.

Yay math!

Dude.

There is no excuse for the behavior of most of those you encountered... Good for you for standing strong throughout...

This is why I will not fly... That, and the fact that I am afraid to fly...

Six

Who cares if he got there 5 minutes or 5 hours beforehand? Delta's lack of professionalism is troubling, all the same. Rudeness, round-arounds and groundless accusations of death threats are never okay.

All the morons criticizing Wayne are wrong. The lines are horrendous in the mornings. They are letting people bring lighters on the plane, but not coffee through security to the waiting area. The security is unmotivated, understaffed and under-equipped. I've actually seen them get a little better with the scanning, but they have no concern for the time wasting.

Damn terrorists. If they weren't completely mad I'd almost think they knew we'd react so stupidly as to destroy the experience of air travel. If someone pulls a box cutter out on a flight I'm on, it's going in their brain.

I walked away from a boatload of Delta SkyMiles because I couldn't stand their level of service.

And a TSA employee once lectured me about how his airport was the safest in the nation as he picked over every square inch of my bags. He examined every item, tested for explosives, checked the thickness of the bag walls to search for hidden compartments. He did everything but sniff the underwear.

And he let me through with my guitar and six sets of steel guitar strings. Can you say "garrotte," boys and girls?

Classic case of defamation. The GAT Security woman "Jackie" made a false accusation and disclosed such allegation to a 3rd party. At that point, it amounts to slander and you have a claim against Jackie and her employer, GAT Security (who is responsible for her actions on the job.)

You probably flamed a TSA officer for asking a silly question on your forum :)

The reason that your bag could fly on without you is that we do not do baggage-matching in the USA anymore. After 9/11, passenger baggage-matching (PBM) was a requirement and everyone remembers the frustration. If a person was re-routed, then their bags had to be found and re-routed with them.

However, this changed when the TSA began screening all baggage in the cargo holds. Once all bags have been screened, the theory is that they don't require one-to-one passenger matching because the dangerous items will not make it through screening. Essentially, the theory is that we don't care if the passenger is not onboard because we know the luggage is not dangerous.

listen to john, he's the only one who knows anything here ... you're just being too self-righteous about the whole thing

I was really cheesed when TSA of Omaha, NE converted two jars of marinated vegetables I was bringing back from Italy as presents. I don't know if there was over 3 ounces of vinegar in the jar, but it fit in the ziploc and made it through JFK and Cincinatti screenings. TSA screener did not care that his bretheren in the prior two airports had no trouble, but these were not going in the cabin of that flight. My option was to check them in with my luggage. (but my bags are probably already on the plane) I said ok but by that time I had "surrendered" the item and once "surrendered" there is no getting it back. My option was to talk to the authorities, but I really needed to get home and thoughts of going away to jail made discretion the better part of valor. I don't feel so bad anymore. Maybe next time I will surrender a gallon of water. Imagine if 100 people surrendered a gallon of water.

I haven't read through all the comments, but I did read the entire article - mostly for the fact that I have had similar problems with TSA security at San Diego. For a while, I was traveling through San Diego about once per month with the SAME set of bags, toiletries, and computer equipment. I started with a grooming kit I received for Christmas: a small file, small pointed scissors (less than 1 inch blades), small rounded-tip scissors (same size), large clippers, and small clippers. On each trip through security every month, I would get a random piece of my toiletry kit confiscated until 5 trips later, they wouldn't even let me pass through with my small fingernail clippers! On each pass, I would show them the matching toiletry kit with the outlines of the missing tools and that they were slowly stripping away a kit at random, but each month I was told "not to cause problems", and that I "should know what's acceptable" to take through TSA security. I told them that I was a pilot, I was aware of what was acceptable, and that small clippers, etc were just fine. "No, No, NO!" they insisted. I also would ask each month for a list of items that were not allowed so that I could show them that my simple items were allowed, but was then told that they could not show me for "security purposes" what was allowed at the gate, that I would have to look it up online at home. I tried to get names and badge numbers but was told that for national security reasons, they couldn't give me that information. The TSA manager was always the same, and I've since destroyed my notes on the matter out of sheer frustration (and I only got her first name, never a full name nor a number I could call to make a complaint). I am still so frustrated by those experiences through SAN that I can't even type a coherant description here, and it's been almost a year since the last time I travelled through SAN!

... I also forgot to mention that at random times through SAN D security, they have also tried to confiscate some of my computer/electronic equipment. (Computer, charger, phone, phone charger, cables to connect both, iPod, earbuds, and an iPod cable - all pretty standard and the 'bare bones' stuff you'd need with a laptop, cell phone, and iPod).

I'd let them take my ferocious toenail clippers but stood fast and wouldn't budge when they tried to confiscate some of my phone/iPod chargers/cords. I was told I had "too much" electrical equipment (again, it was a pretty bare-bones phone/laptop/iPod collection) and that I had to throw away some of it because I had exceeded "the limit".

Again, I'd push for a description of "the limit" of amount of electronic equipment, and if it passed the scan I should be able to take it. They tried to tell me again that they couldn't describe what was/wasn't allowed at the TSA screening gates, and that I'd have to "look it up online".

Each time, I got my electronics through security after waiting for a police officer to come over and 'clear me' (the Police were fine, the TSA were the one's not 'in-the-know').

GAH, just thinking about those agents at SAN D TSA is making me Stroke Out...

I'm with you, Wayne, and cheers to you for writing this all out and documenting it.
Not sure why you're getting so many negative comments, these people are truly nuts.
I've been in similar situations to yours, and it's totally frustrating that there is no line of recourse -- even just to file a complaint!

What can we do to fix this? I'm with you.

your digg link seems to be broken: it's saying the article is "bizleading.com".

I think the moral of this story (comments included) is that Delta sucks balls. I've been there too.

All you people saying that he didn't allow enough time... WAYNE POSTED TWO OR THREE TIMES THAT THE AIRLINE DIDN'T OPEN UNTIL 5:00 AM!

He allowed enough time.

Stop being apologists for this stupid-ass "security theater" -- inconveniencing and humiliating passengers as a demonstration of security when, in fact, nearly all of these post 9/11 security measures are nothing but a dog-and-pony show for the public.

Meanwhile, the general public gets increasingly accustomed to authoritarian treatment... so far confined to airports, but when some jack-ass terrorist blows up a train or a subway, you'll have yet another arena where you have no civil rights whatsoever.

Don't believe me? Read this interview with the administrator of the TSA. (Posted upthread, but apparently most of you don't read the comments before you post.

[...] Link [...]

You get the government you deserve. When you figure that out and vote incumbents and incompetents out out of office and downsize the government, things will get better. Not before.

VOTE RON PAUL '08

@dcx, thanks for pointing that out... Both the digg and the reddit buttons were messed up. I removed them because nothing was fixing it. Kind of weird, the code is showing up properly and it was working all day... all of a sudden they are digging other stories.

Well I did not miss any flight but its been close, I have to say that I now try to plan around airports that have bad safety staff, I guess the best to do is to vote with you USD I do,

One Idea to make a website only to give point for good and bad services, I like many others do 3-8 flights a months and always interested in avoiding the Jackie's and others who failed to join the polices and now working Privately,

Her is a good site if you like to share information on flight and airports it dont give you the option to rate any but do provide easy access to information and others who do fly allot

http://www.flyertalk.com/

All the best, and good flight

horseshit. when you people quit whining on your blogs and start DOING something about the state of affairs, i might actually give a shit.

Wow. I'm surprised how many people didn't read the comments and then started bashing on you for 'not arriving early enough' ... namely, two hours before your flight. If any of them had, they'd see that you arrived as early as you could.. when the desks opened! I read enough of the comments to read that not once.. but twice! So shame on them for deciding to jump on you about it.

That aside, this kind of thing really disgusts me. All this stuff with the TSA screenings is garbage, and I'm surprised that we stand for it. I suppose that in a way we are forced to... and you either fly, or you don't. For some of us, there's no choice - we're either going overseas or it's just not possible to drive two days just for a business meeting to drive two days back.

Sadly, it's a strange and messed up world we live in.

What a flippin' whiner you are. Seriously, people would have been more helpful if you didn't have an entitled attitude. I work at the airport and if I'd encountered you...well.....you know. It's the airline that determines the first class rules, not security. Pay more next time and don't be such a baby. Shheeeshhh miss pissy proper pants, stay at home.

As a regular (weekly) air traveler, I sympathize. I have on several occassions gone to supervisors to document abusive behavior I have seen directed at other passengers, although I suspect nothing ever happens. We can only live in hope.

However, I do want to correct one misconception you and many of the commenters have on security costs. TSA (meaning the government, meaning tax dollars, meaning you) does not pay for the direct costs of security. Airports and airlines pay almost all of the cost. In the case of 1Class lines, the airline has decided to pay extra for more equipment and extra labor (from TSA and contractors) to provide an extra service for their most profitable customers, and this service is paid for from ticket prices, not public monies. Not every airline does this, and not every location has an expedited line, but where they do it is their privilege and in no way is linked to the level of service at the normal lines.

That being said, I have quit flying Delta long ago because they can't seem to handle operations very well. (BTW, if you think the company is not spending appropriately on customer service, how much do you think they are splurging with on aircraft operations such as logistics and maintenance? Think about this when selecting your airline.)

When fascism comes to America, it won't come in jackboots and swastikas. It will come wearing a TSA badge.

I had a (substantially less awful but still pretty offensive) experience flying out of Boston Logan last week: http://www.intheweird.com/2007/09/new-science.html

This is what happens when we take people with a tendency toward dominance and abusive and no marketable skills and give them any sort of unchecked power. Make no mistake, the TSA is only one agency in America today whose stated purpose is to keep people safe while their actual effect is to rob civilians of civil rights.

Go to the back of the Bus!

You have been abused. Your rights have been trampled on. And what to you do about it?

Write a Blog entry.

How lame.

Rosa Parks didn't write a Blog, man.

You and all the rest who experience this kind of crap at airports allow the bullying of TSA and Airline employees to continue by doing nothing more than moan and complain.

A stupid blog won't end Civil Rights abuses.

Take action. Until you sue, or do something constructive, you get what you deserve.

Delta really shouldn't book an international flight at a time that conflicts with their font desk schedule and makes it impossible to check in and get through security within the 3 hours. In that regard, at the least, they hold a great deal of the responsibility for the situation.

And since it still seems to be coming up over and over and over, and in the hope that re-iterating it once again may help: to all those who are saying he didn't get their early enough, he has repeatedly stated that Delta's front desk doesn't open until 5am. Not enough time to be there 3 hours ahead.

And here's hoping that this blame-the-consumer first attitude that is shockingly prevalent in the responses above is not an indication of things to come... The airlines certainly haven't earned my trust or a shred of deference, I can tell you. One need only look at the statistics to see this is an industry problem, not a consumer problem.

That sucks to miss a trip like that. I hate getting up early, so I doubt I'd ever schedule a flight at 6:30 in the morning. I'm accustomed to unexpected delays, so I make it a rule to get to the airport 90 minutes before any long flight where I have to check bags.

Tyranny folks, can you say TYRANNY! I have read every reply here. I Wonder if any one here remembers why we have the right to bear arms? Now,... The Blog may be greater than the gun.... start paying attention to every thing going on in our country. Do you not see that the democracy of the U.S.A. is almost at an end. The Next step in our evolution is Dictatorship. I think the terrorists knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the U.S.A would respond with a knee jerk reaction. They picked the right time and the right president to do it to. I have been watching things like this unfold since 9/11 and it's only going to get worse.
Here is what i want to know how many other airlines are at the San Diego terminal What time did the ticket counters for those airlines open? Delta is not the only one. Bottom line is if he got in line at 3:30 am the counter opens at 5:00 am he only gets 1.5 hours to get processed through security. The other airlines also contribute to the line, you see....the poor planning as i see it was the airline, Delta not opening the ticket counter at an early enough time so that they're customers could have the 2 hours needed to get through security . I think the big picture here is the principal of the matter in which we get treated by TSA, I have been on an international flight recently i found it odd that it was harder getting out of the U.S. Than it Was to get back in....
Don't Tread on Me!!

I couldn't tell from your writeup why you didn't give enough time allowance for security checks? Normally, people would show up at least 2 hours before their scheduled flight but it seems you arrived only an hour before the flight??

I guess I can say is next time, arrive 2 hours (or more) before your scheduled flight. Nevermind you have to wait longer on the lounges at least you won't miss you flight.

Have a nice trip! :-)

I used to worry about arriving early to check in for flights, now I check-in online. Saves so much hassle. I fly internationally a lot, but mostly within Europe (in live in the UK.

I used to fly in and out of the US quite a bit in the past, but they have made so many pointless security rules it started becoming more trouble than the trip was worth. I do feel for Americans who fly for work a lot, you loose so much time for nothing. I do not understand how so many people are willing to give up valuable time to stand in unnecessary queues (read lines).

What worries me the most is the lack of responses from people related to the issue of the airline flying the bag without the passenger on board. BlahBlah posted reasons why this could have happened and I'm sure continues to happen every day, but that is a huge security risk. I am not about to start reading through the relevant FAA regulations, but I can tell you its against the law in the rest of the world for the airline to leave your luggage on board in the event you are not flying. Imagine what could be in the bag for one.

As for all the "feel better" security on show in major airports around the world, what a sham. I have on more than one occasion been searching for one thing or another in my carry on bag mid flight, only to find a pen-knife I thought lost during my trip. I always feel shocked and nervous at this point, like I will be in trouble somehow, then I quietly put in back in the bottom of the bag and continue the search for whatever I was actually looking for. The fact that I can accidentally bring weapons onto flights (always international, once from Dulles(VA), twice from airports in Europe) shows me just how safe these "security checks" and "screenings" are making me feel. I just hope the loud obnoxious TSA staff scare potential terrorists enough to make them leave their weapons at the airport and the long security lines make them decide they would rather blow up something else rather than stand around for hours praying whoever was in charge of the "fuses" was on the ball that day.

Just don't ask about why we need all these security checks post 9/11, as there are some serious questions relating to what happened that day (I was living in DC as the time. I am interested in how some of the young men accused of the attack have since been found alive and well. No matter, more security will make it better say the people in power. I can't see any of them waiting several hours in a line before being asked to take off their coat, belt and shoes, then having some rude security agent telling them they cannot take a drink with them for the 10 hour flight they are about to get on unless they buy it for $3.99 in the shop just past the check-point, who only sell safe bottles of water which are just a bit more expensive.

More rant than suggestions I'm afraid, I know how you feel though.

I know your pain..

I fly 30 times a year, and here are a few tips

Get to the airport 3hrs of departure - even if the check in lines don't open until 5-6am and your flight is at 6:01, it is the responsibility of the airline to get you checked in with enough time to get through whatever security you have to go through to make your flight. If they don't, it's on them to provide you a FULL refund or at least, a free ticket of equal value. Most airlines will announce ahead of time if 'so and so' is leaving on a certain timed flight, and bump you up the line.

Carry as few bags as possible. It has happened to me on NWA a few times where my bags flew and I didn't. They have always got my bags back to me within 24hrs and bring them directly to my home, at no extra charge (and a few times I've received free vouchers for meals at the airport for the inconvenience).

Be as friendly and polite as possible, which it seems you did. TSA and staff at airports are just doing their job, and a stressful one at that. A smile and Thank You's go a LONG way in getting YOUR way.

Always try to check in online, choose your seat, and print your boarding pass. I see people all the time taking up time at the kiosks doing this.

Wear nothing that will flag you at security. Pack your watch, rings, etc, ahead of time. Wear shoes easily off/on, etc.

Unfortunately, with 9/11, flying has become a chore. You have to be prepared ahead of time. If you still have not received a full refund, start writing to every address you can get at Delta, and your local/national news stations/newspapers.

Good luck on your next flight!

[...] Link [...]

Oh, he could only get there 90 minutes before his flight since that's when Delta opened. Still, it's surprising to see that it took him 45 minutes to check in with Delta, leaving him only 45 minutes to get through security.

Why did it take so long to check in?

Seems a few folks are missing the point about a first class ticket and the security check for first class passengers.

Spending extra dollars on a flight entitles you to a number of Airline offered items: pre flight lounge, bigger seat, better food, more flight attendants, free drinks and mile high club (if on QANTAS).

What it shouldn't do is offer you better government items such as security check in.

My analogy? Buying a more expensive car doesn't entitle you to drive in a special "expensive cars only" lane- or on the sidewalk, driving over plebs.

So egalitarian USA, whatcha doing accepting this crap?

Regards
Tom (Australia, where the airline security folk are just as bad)

[...] My Wonderful Trip To South Africa That Didn’t Happen Thanks To The TSA And Delta Airlines | NetStu... I don’t normally post personal items, but I think that everyone should know about some of the horrible things happening at San Diego International Airport and with Delta Airlines. I wrote this immediately after the events that transpired so that I would (tags: abuse airlines article blog flying security temp travel usa tsa) [...]

Wow, I've never had such an abysmal experience as you just had and I've been around the planet 8-10 times so far. I can only hope that you never have problems like that again and that someday you find a little justice for all of the hassle that a few bad apples caused.

1 who doesn't fly

I am a fellow SD resident. I feel your pain. I am sorry to hear you have dealt with so much incompetence.

I have one suggestion that can stop this retarded madness once and for all. Let's stop flying.

Seriously, let's all refuse to buy airline tickets for 1 month. If anything will get the attention of those in a position of "change" to rectify this body-cavity-search invasion...not paying for flights will certainly do so.

Right now, the airlines feel they have us by the short and curlys. So does the TSA.

IF we do not buy any tickets for this holiday season, and instead decide to take a train, car, bus, or carpool... we will have the attention of these buffoons. I'm not flying anyplace this holiday season. Let's band together and actually all NOT fly.

-C

If you stop buying tickets you US gov will like last times offer tax cuts and other things to support the Airlines and that USD will likely come from you schools and or other soft things,

when I say vote with you USD, I mean pick a airline that you feel helps you and give a good value,

You only need to be few before renting a plane is cheaper
bring anything you like, guns, bombs, water, coffee more then 120ml of after shave,

Oh and keep in minds that all airport in the world follow the US rules, thanks guys for ignore the facts

Nice,

how America is trained to be obedient...

Everybody is willing to suffer even the most rediculous treatment, to accept the even most repressing laws, just because they belive old Osama is on everybodys back ...

"I have upgraded you to Business class. Don’t tell anybody."
I think you just told everybody... ^_^

ALL OF THIS!! Just for a ticket to beautiful SA. What a pity you missed your meeting and the chance to see relatives and South Africa.

I am in SA, live in JHB and love every second of it. I honestly think that if you can bare to deal with Delta again that you need to get on a flight and come, soon!

I had the experience of a lifetime while flying Delta from Cincinnati to Las Vegas.

Our original flight was scheduled at noon. We boarded on time and departed within a few minutes of schedule. After taxiing to the takeoff position, and waiting in line we finally got to be number 1 at about 1245. But, as we started to rev the engines, we suddenly stopped and pulled out of line.

The pilot, who kept us well informed, told us that he had a warning light. He needed advice as to whether he had to abort the flight or could fly and we were waiting to the side for an answer. Finally at about 1330 we received the answer that repairs would need to be made. Therefore, we were returning to the gate.

We finally made it to the gate at about 1415. Two hours later we were informed that the plane was ready to fly, but we now needed to find a crew. We boarded the plane again at about 1800. But rather than taking off we were asked to deplane as they had suddenly discovered that they didn't have enough crew members.

Again at about 1930 we once again boarded the plane and finally left for LAS at about 2000. Well we flew for nearly an hour when the captain informed us that some of the crew members would "timeout" before our arrival in Las Vegas and that he had been ordered to return to Cincinatti. We landed, taxied back to the gate, and deplaned at about 11 PM.

All in all, I spent about 14 Hours in the Cincinatti airport. I boarded the plane three times, left the gate twice, took off once, and still spent the night in Cincinnati.

What I really wanted to know, was how many frequent flier miles does one receive for flying from CVG gate 38 to CVG gate 47

First class passengers pay much more money for their ticket. This is why they are afforded luxuries like lounges, faster lines, better customer service, faster check in, and, of course, better seats and service on the plane. Often the airline will arrange a deal with security to move their first class and business customers through security faster. when it comes down to it if you pay more money you get better service all around.

Wow, what a whiny little bitch you are!

What are you, a woman? You failed to adequately plan for your trip and then seek preferential treatment and complain when you don't get it.

Be a man and suck it up, nancy-boy!

This happened because you went to sleep one night and woke up in a police state.

Just wait till the next time you fly.... my advice is to check in a few hours early. 12 should do it.

If The USA had had the same security in place that the rest of the world has employed since Entebe then not only would you not have had the problems you had in your trip to South africa but 911 wouldn't have happenend either.

People carrying box cutters on a plane? My moher had her pinking shears and nail file taken off her on flights in the SEVENTIES!

It really is BASIC COMMON BLOODY SENSE.

But no US over reaction has screwed air travel for the whole world.

Well done.

I won't say that you should have gotten to the airport earlier (even though you should have), you just shouldn't have been such a whiney bitch. If the TSA people don't realize that you, out of all the people in line, are the most important one there, say thank you, get back in place,and take your chances.

My regret is that they didn't taze you and post it on you-tube.

Also, please get f*ck out of my country and don't come back.

There are two distinct issues here:
- Missing the flight
- The horrid actions of GAT

The second, while indefensible, would have been avoided altogether by managing the first.
The first would have been avoided by being there on time. The "desk didn't open until 5" statement means nothing. It doesn't mean you can't be in line before 5. If you got there an hour earlier, you would have been near the front and had plenty of time for security.

Everyone who things that the original poster is whining has not flown Delta out of SDI on an early flight. It's a nightmare - hundred of people on line for 2 hours barely making or missing flights despite arriving in plenty of time. I'm sure this scene replays itself EVERY DAY there. By the time the counter opens there are too many people on line to all make their flights. Delta is not staffed to handle check-in fast enough for early flights so people end up spending 70 minutes checking in. Security has 20% of their services reserved for 3% of the people which results in 40 minute security line. I'm sure people miss their flights every morning because of this mess and anyone who's seen it wouldn't be critical of the complainer.

Wouldn't it be nice if all those people telling you what you did wrong, would have read why you did what you did and that the Delta counter was not open two hours before your flight!???

I feel your pain and also realize that there is little we can do about it. I definitely would be following up with the credit card company with the complaint and see what they can do for you!

I stopped flying Delta is 1988.. they were bad then. And it was also out of San Diego! Ironic, I guess.

Good luck!

[...] happens when the processes supposedly meant to “protect us” instead harass us, hamper our popular culture and keep out scholars for no discernable reason. Curious if people [...]

So.....

You missed you flight.

You arrived roughly an hour, or hour and half before.

Line was long, moving slow, and it made you miss you flight.

Desk opened at 5:00, when your flight was 6:30.

Jackie falsely accused you of making 'Death Threat.'

Police were of no help.

You are penalized with 'Cancellation Fee.'

No one seems interested in helping you. (Other than Ana.)

Well, I think I see a solution for your next trip oversea.

Swim.

And make sure you start your swimming early.

About 3 or 4 months early, would be my suggestion.

I'm a supervisor with the TSA.

I've read all of the comments thus far, and I understand that as an organization many people are unhappy with the way that TSA does business.

Each lane at an airport, when properly manned, can process about 300 passengers an hour if conditions are absolutely optimal.

During the busiest periods, I put my best people at each position to keep everything running as speedily as I can to make sure that everyone makes their flights.

Part of the problem is that everyone shows up for their flight at right about the same time, which increases the amount of persons coming through the checkpoint at once by a large factor.

Add to that many persons with special needs that require additional screening (such as persons in wheelchairs), families with toddlers and persons that wait until they get to the walk through metal detector to get ready to walk through.

Whenever someone walks through the metal detector they are afforded the opportunity to try again if they alarm before they are sent to extra screening.

It is the people that aren't paying attention to the stuff in their pockets, or insist their belt would never set off the alarm (or the famous "I've worn this through XXX airport a hundred times and have never set it off") that makes everything slow down to a crawl.

People get angry when they have to take their shoes off. You can thank Richard Reid for that. The compounds he used for his explosive footwear did not have any metal in them, which is why they didn't alarm the metal detector and they came very close to losing that plane.

As a result of that we have to have everyone remove their footwear to look at it under the x-ray to make sure that there isn't an explosive charge in it.

Do I think that toddlers should have to take their shoes off? No, not really, but TSA HQ has mandated that all footwear come off, and so we have to follow their rules.

I know that the majority of people that come through the checkpoint just want to get in and out, and I know that most people don't have any criminal or ill intent. That being said, as a result of the liquid explosives scare they came out with the new procedures on that.

I know that 99% of the time that a passenger's toothpaste or shampoo isn't a threat, but again we are mandated to stop it from coming through the checkpoint unless it is carried under very specific criteria.

People get angry with the procedures, but I know that the policy is setup in the faith that we want to have a blanket policy to keep explosives off the planes with the least amount of hassle.

People that are unhappy about the liquids, gels, and aerosols ban can thank extremist groups for hatching a plot that included liquid explosive material (peroxides, AMFO or Nitroglycerine come to mind)

The problem is that currently the amount of liquids that human beings need for life sustainment and enjoyment (and want to bring with them through the checkpoint) is far and away more than any sort of screening at a large airport can process in a timely manner. Current technology is limited to vapor testing and in some cases there is some technology that allows molecular density testing through the surface of the container, but it is just too time consuming and it would make the security line waits stretch into hours.

As a result, they put everything into the zip-lock bags and limited the size of the bottles that you could put everything in.

Why? there's a couple of reasons for it.

First, it helps to unclutter the bags when they go through the x-ray. If passengers lay everything down in a single layer, and don't cram 600 pounds of stuff into one bag, it's far easier to see and not need to shoot it over to secondary screening.

Passengers have this odd habit of trying to cram everything they own into one bin. I really don't know why. Spread it out over several bins so the x-ray operator can clearly see everything, and things will be much faster for everyone.

All footwear has to come off, unless you are medically unable. TSA knows that some people have special braces, or they are elderly and it is painful to sit and undo shoes and whatnot.

Just expect to take your shoes off. Sandals too. Bring surgical booties or wear socks if you don't want to walk on the floor or carpet barefoot.

I know that there is a lot of people that don't like TSA, because of their attitudes.

I've tried to stay as positive as I can over the years, but one thing that people don't get is that we get crapped on, quite a bit.

Passengers that go into over-the-top drama mode because THEY didn't want to follow some simple, readily available and posted rules gets repeated several hundred times a day at my checkpoint.

Over the years you get tired of all the false drama that people create, and it wears on you. it's kinda like being a police officer, the older they get they tend to be kind of "dicks" because over and over and over again somebody else breaks the law, then blames the police for the trouble they are in.

if you come through the checkpoint ready to travel (i.e. you followed all the regulations), get rid of everything metal on you and keep your ticket in your hand, you will likey cruise right through screening.

If you show up two hours early you should have no problems except during the holiday seasons when everyone is flying.

ok, i'm done with the novel. return to flaming TSA.

Although I can see this was frustrating you seem really confusing to me. I guess you haven't figured out how capitalism works in the 20 years of life her in the States? People with more money get treated better. They paid more for their ticket so they get a VIP line. You have to stand in line with hte rest of the sheeple but are so fucking more important than the rest of the people in line with you keeping their mouths shut because they see the futility of the situation. You referenfce Xeni or Jenny which means you must be a complete douche if you are in cahoots with the BB crew. Ya know, I guess I just answered my own question. This shit happened to you because you are a douche. You may have friends and a gf but you are inevitably a douche. You are the asshole who was so important with your big flight to South Africa that you tried REPEATEDLY to circumvent the system and sneak through the first class line. Jackie probably noticed you and thought to her big black sow-ass "this little gay cracker think he sneaky, I jus hope he try some shit like dat wit me!" I added t3h ghey in there because you are probably gaunt from a life around computers, wear designer ironic ringer tees, and are generally weak from being an organic vegetarian, and you tried fair-trade coffee for a while but said "fuck it! Starbucks is just too convenient and good". Now, most black women would like a bubbly little hair dresser type, but you physically fell into that gross, pan-sexual category PLUS circumventing the system= angry BBW. You also state that your carry on weighed 70lbs so you are also the cheap asshole who stuffs their massive roller-bag in the overhead compartment so that others must walk 12 seats down and stow their correct-sized luggage at the back of the plane which they will have to wait for the plane to empty at landing, and retrieve later. NOT YOU though, you don't have time for that stuff, you have Mac and Blackberry product placement in your blog because it is like a badge to let people know how cool/douchey you are. Jenny would approve. Hope you learned a little with this experience and maybe grew up about 20 years in the process. Try and grow a beard, stop shaving your chest, cook something on a fire, and go play on a beach with no internet access. People don't like douchebags or smarmy douches. It just pisses them off. Good luck with stuff man

Although it's true that, as some defenders have pointed out, he has posted several times that the Delta ticket window didn't open until 5:00 a.m., I haven't actually seen him claim that he ARRIVED at 5:00 a.m. Given that in his story he basically had no wait at the ticket window (thank goodness for the extra 1st class window there, eh?), and got into the security line at 5:45, it sounds to me like he arrived at the airport roughly one hour before departure on a flight halfway around the world. He also ended up getting through the line more or less exactly where he would have without the confrontation; he just didn't get special treatment to get him through the line faster.

The employees were rude to him. "Joking" about death threats by security staff should be taken as seriously as those security staff take "jokes" about bombs in one's luggage. But the whole situation could have been avoided if he had just gotten to the airport 20 or 30 minutes earlier, and that late arrival is the real reason he missed his flight.

You can stop this by doing what I did. Try to change jobs so that you don't have to fly anymore. I was also harrased and accused of trying to take a bomb on a plane when the fosforus? dial on my alarm clock set off the sniffer. Decided to never fly again.

GAT, formerly known as General Aviation Terminal is a crap outfit. I know I worked for them in Mobile back in the early 90's. Pay was terrible, no benefits, and low life employees made it a realy crummy job. I was fortunate to get on with an airline and I can tell you it really woke me up as to how bad of a company it is. The best part is that GAT, because it is primarily owned by a woman get's contracts with Delta and other airlines and thus has this non sensical swagger you had to deal with. Screw them

Sorry, I have no pity for you. If you truly believe that you have been wronged, complain professionally and not whine about it on a blog.

Copping an attitude with others...You will reap what you sow.

Here is a novel concept, familiarize yourself with the TSA website. Try heeding the recommended times to arrive at your airport!

Could the TSA and Delta have handled it a little better? Perhaps. Can you control their actions or lack of? No you can't. So chill and take responsibility for your own actions.

Sorry to hear about the troubles that you had. However, the way this story is written it has NOTHING to do with Delta. Your problems are partly self created, partly TSA related. Clearly, the problem is two fold:

First, according to your timeline above, you entered the security line 45 minutes prior to the departure of your flight. Clearly, you did not arrive at the airport far enough ahead of time for your flight. Anyone who travels somewhat regularly, or reads the newspaper articles about travel (as it seems you do) then you should know that JFK is a difficult airport and that for domestic flights, you should arrive 2 hours prior, and international 3 hours prior. These times have been in place in 9/11. Had you arrived at the airport with enough time you would have gotten through security and made your flight.

Second, arguing with TSA employees or contractors is pointless. It only costs you valuable time (as you've probably learned).

And then you get upset for Delta charging you a cancellation fee for your ticket? C'mon, it's part of the ticketing and fare class rules. If you'd read those you shouldn't be upset. Those T&C's are standard throughout the airline industry and not exclusive to Delta.

IMO, your case here is weak. I see a lots of parts in your story where you made amateur mistakes in air travel that put you in your position.

My favorite part about this are the commenters who either say:

1) "Get there 2 - 3 hours early." (How about read the previous responses before scrolling to the bottom to post your ill-informed comment)

2) "First class passengers pay more for their flight so they should get special treatment." While I agree that they did pay more for their flight, they did not send the US Government (ie the TSA) a special check for their speedy security line. They pay the same taxes as the people in the other line and the taxes pay for the TSA.

Anyway, netstumbler is a great product, sorry about your airport nightmare and, more importantly, idiot commenters.

I'd feel worse for you if you had gotten there ahead of time so you'd have plenty of time for security. Expecting to be let ahead in line because of your own lack of planning earns you no sympathy from me.

I've been flying for a good portion of my life. I've seen TSA security become a lot more strict after 9/11. Fine, whatever it needs to be done, and these people are doing their jobs. It's told on EVERY airline, if you read the fine print, no bags over 50 lbs. I want to know what airline allows bags that are 70 lbs. Next, for flights they tell you to get to the airport 2 hours ahead for domestic flights. . granted the ticket counter wasn't open at 5, but knowing you have to go overseas means you probably want to be there at least 3 hours before your flight, not an hour. Who do you think you are thinking you are going to get preferential treatment because of what time your flight takes off? Maybe next time you fly on an "important" trip you need to get to the airport earlier. Quit bitching about these TSA agents, they are doing their job to keep passengers safe. Granted, I've been pulled out of line for a tube of chapstick, but I was EARLY to my flight by 2 hours. Stop blaming others for your own inadequecies.

How comforting to know that "security" at our airports is being handled by people whose last jobs were probably at Burger King.

On the other hand, they've probably got 20 IQ points on that grinning buffoon in the White House.

For those of you who keep yelling at this guy for not showing up early enough-please shut up:
1 - The Delta lines at San Diego airport don't even begin to process passengers until 4:45am.
2 - The TSA line doesn't start handling people until 5:00am (at the earliest).
3 - By 5:00am, the line is probably 100-150 people deep(sometimes it is MUCH longer). This is because everyone showed up 2 hours before the flight.

In many other airports, I have seen the security people walking the line putting people into the first class line if their flights were about to board. Not allowing it is ridiculous.

I am Silver preferred with US Airways and I just love walking past everyone in that line. I've earned it.

[...] http://www.netstumbler.com/2007/09/18/my-wonderful… What recourse do passengers that encounter things like this with the TSA have? This is obviously a [...]

Lets face it, flying in America SUCKS.

Ive been flying to Moscow since 2002 out of LAX, first to visit my girlfriend, then fiancee, now she is my wife and in America and we visit her home at least once a year. I was flying about 6 times a year for 4 years straight.

I agree with other people in here you should prepare for your flight, pack lightly as possible, try not to be a distraction, flashy clothes, attitudes, arrival substantially early, etc, but we cant fix the fact TSA and GAT are a bunch of jackasses, plain and simple.

Ive arrived 4 hours early many times only to have TSA tell me sorry we cant check yo bag until you check in at the desk first. The desk doesnt open until 1.5 hours before the flight. Then, when it does, everyone is in a mad rush to get their bags checked. Bullshit. To make it worse, every other time I go to the same god damned airport for the same god damned flight, TSA switched their rules so I have to wait at baggage check in before I can check in at the desk, then its a mad rush to check in at the desk with about 20 minutes before flight time. So getting to the airport 3 or 4 hours early is a load of fucking crap.

But we need these stories to come out and hopefully people will become awakened to whats going on in this world and what a "police state" is. Go to "infowars.com", "prisonplanet.com", "shirtees.net" and dont forget to listen to Alex Jones live daily radio feed at infowars.com. Make sure to check out his movie "Terrorstorm" on google video too.

quote: This brings me to rule #1 of international flying. Never ever ever fly an American owned airline internationally. I’m in the air at least once a month, most often internationally. The headaches stopped when I flew anything but an American airline. The international airlines have newer fleets, better service, better food (read: they have food) and tend to be more accommodating/quote

Agree 100% My experience has been the same.

Moral of the story: if you had gotten to the airport earlier you would have been fine. This is what you get for cutting it close. Airport security people have to deal with so many jackasses like yourself who think they are entitled to special treatment because they are dumbasses that got to the airport too late. It probably desensitizes them to your complaints.

And trust me, all of your complaints were completely ignored.

Papers, please!

I must see your papers!

NO!
You will not go through the line which is empty!
This line is for party members and their companions only!
You may use the time during which you will be waiting to prepare yourself for the thorough searching of your possessions and of your person once the checkpoint is reached!

The security of the homeland is of utmost importance!
Those who travel must understand this fact!

NEXT!
I've said NEXT!

Papers, please!

Sorry about your bad experience. I just sucks to fly in the US now. The TSA has done nothing to make the airports and flight experience safer. Instead, their arbitrary and short sighted "security" measures have done nothing more than to piss off your average traveler. It's just a jack-and-pony show on their part. Their insistence on sending all of your luggage through the x-ray scanner is slowly starting to damage the longevity of traveler's electronics equipment, especially cell phones and small electronics. My father's cell phone quit working because of all the times it went through x-ray scanners. Why can't they just inspect your personal electronics by hand?

It also is very invasive when you are randomly selected to have a TSA staff person open up your bag. It's incredibly embarrassing to have your personal possessions, incuding underwear touched by some stranger.

The unequal nature of the lines for preferred/business/first class and coach class is unfair.

Computer Maintenance Tips

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

He said that he was not at the line until 45 minutes before his flight. That means he could have arrived one hour earlier, checked his bags, been near the front of the line, and made his flight with ease. This all boils down to two factors:

1. He showed up much later than he should have.
2. He threw a fit over a line that he could have easily been at the front of.

If I was taking a critically important trip, I think I would have arrived at the airport with plenty of time to get through security. Of course I've never missed a flight.

QUOTE
I can’t see any of them waiting several hours in a line before being asked to take off their coat, belt and shoes, then having some rude security agent telling them they cannot take a drink with them for the 10 hour flight they are about to get on unless they buy it for $3.99 in the shop just past the check-point, who only sell safe bottles of water which are just a bit more expensive.
UNQUOTE

Not so fast my friend ... I flew from Hong Kong to San Francisco 2 weeks ago. Got to the HKG airport very early, ditched my water bottle into a trash can and basically - as I always do - stripped myself of anything metal and placed it in my backpack before going through Immigration and Security. I sailed right through, as usual. Once inside the Secure area, I had lunch and ordered an extra bottle of water to take with me. Got to the gate, gave my ticket to the staff and started walking through the jetway. At the door of the plane, several officers and tables were set for "secondary" inspections. There we go, my backpack is inspected again, and my water is confiscated. I tried to ask why since it was purchased inside the Secure area (I had the receipt in my hands), but to no avail. "Against the rules" was all I was told ....

I know its just water, but what upsets me are the inconsistencies. Just give me the rules, I'll follow them. But don't change the goal posts every other day (remember cigarette lighters?).

All the best to everyone

How dare anyone out there make fun of Delta after all they've been through. They went through bankruptcy and strikes and 9/11. And all you people care about is more, more, MORE! Leave Delta Alone! You’re lucky they even fly for you bastards! Leave Delta Alone.
PLEASE!

I had a similar experience with United about 3 years ago. In my case, I had a 9:45 am flight from Dulles to Savannah, GA. I cleared the ticket window and was in the security line by 7:00 am--2 hours and 45 minutes before my scheduled flight--planning to catch breakfast on the concourse.

When 8:00 arrived, and I was still less than halfway to the metal detectors, I was getting concerned, and I started asking every "official-looking" person whose eye I could catch. They all assured me that I would make it in time. At 9:00, I got the couple near me to hold my place in line while I went up to the front to ask about it. I was told to get back in line, that I would be fine.

I nervously waited my turn, but the line was moving, and it began to look like I might actually make it after all. I finally made it through the security checkpoint with no problems and ran all the way to my gate. I arrived at the gate at 9:40 sharp, only to discover that the flight was gone. The gate agent informed me that the posted schedule of 9:45 am is a "wheels-up" time. They closed the doors TEN minutes prior to the posted departure time! Four other passengers came running up right behind me. We were all flabbergasted that, given the obviously excessive security check time, United did not hold the flight a few more minutes, especially since we had already cleared the front ticket window, so United knew we were on our way to the flight.

Since I had missed the meeting I was supposed to attend, I demanded my money back, and they refunded. But nobody ever offered anything like an apology.

So, to those who say "you should've gotten there earlier," I say "poppycock!" It's impossible to get there early enough if they are not going to exercise a modicum of common sense in easing the delays -- they could make concessions to passengers with special cases and never have to compromise security. They are just too stupid to want to try.

You had a rough experience. I'm not going to attempt to add to your suffering here. I would simply like to offer a few practical suggestion on how others can avoid such experiences:

1) Know what time the ticket counter opens. If your flight does not allow enough time to wait for the ticket counter to open, consider a different flight

2) Do not offer your opinion to any airport personnel who do not ask it. It won't solve anything, and whatever ill treatment you get will have to be hashed out through bureaucracy of some kind anyway.

3) Don't pack 70 pound bags. The extra $25 charge does not go to the poor guy on the tarmac who has to pick up that bag. Be kind, pack small.

4) If your flight involves tight connections, you will suffer. Avoid tight connections. Better to sit around an airport for hours with nothing to do than to scramble desperately to a flight you can't possibly connect with.

5) Travel is suffering. Has been throughout most of human history. Do not look upon your suffering as something unusual. But file complaints with the appropriate bureaucracies if you are singled out for particular misery. Don't argue in the terminal or at the gate. Just take notes and file the proper forms afterwards.

Travel Search Engines

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

To the person from the TSA who is saying "We have to take away your liberty to save it" and "We're justified in being rude to you because someone else was rude to us", a few points:

1) The "water plot" was chemically impossible. The individuals behind it were wanna-be's, planning for something they could never carry out ... in fact, that a Nobel Prize-winning chemist would be unable to carry out. What they thought they could do, and anything remotely like it, was quite simply not possible for them to do. In layman's terms, "it don't work like that".

2) You're an actor in a theater. Nothing more. You're doing nothing to keep people safe. You're a walking, talking pacifier. Just call yourself "Binkie". They've put you out there to make the voters *think* the politicians are doing something Important, but the real security happens nowhere near you. Just like people think if Grandma's home remedy for a cold tastes terrible it must be really good, they think if they're hassled and abused at an airport, they must be really safe. Neither one is true. So don't feel so high and mighty. You're just a prop.

3) The Golden Rule is not "Do unto others as totally different people have done unto you." Really, it's not.

In Cairns, Australia they use private security firms. They use people who are also prison guards. They're as charming as the people you described.

[...] Netstumbler.com: My Wonderful Trip To South Africa That Didn’t Happen Thanks To The TSA And Delta ... Permanent Link [...]

I avoid commercial air travel as much as possible. I have a private pilot's license, which is great for many domestic trips.

I've had bad experiences with Delta before-- nowhere as bas as the ones you mention, but still extremely annoying. I had already vowed never fly Delta again, and your story underscores it.

You can file a police report on Jackie for making a false police report (she lied to the police about you making a threat). Once you do that you can sue GAT for the damage their employee did (when she lied). GAT isn't responsible for missed flights but they are responsible for their employees' behavior.

Make sure you make a complaint to the Inspector General of TSA or the Dept of Homeland Security.

I gotta tell you I can sympathize with your story, you should have been pulled out of line by Delta and escorted to the front of the line, you should add that to the delta questions. I fly several times a week and see this happen all the time.

The first class line needs to stay however. Most of the people in this line are people that fly frequently, know the rules and can get through security very quickly. They know they have to take off their shoes, know you have to take the metal out of your pockets, know nothing can be on top of your laptop, know the liquid rule. The general traveling public does not realize these rules and cause the line to move very slowly. That is why that line is frequently empty, I'd bet that on average that line sees as many people go through it as the other lines.

So maybe they should rename the line to "People who know what they are doing" but everyone thinks they know what they are doing so that probably won't work....

[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today!.Here’s a quick excerptRecently, I had to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa for business. I had an important meeting for a big bid that was scheduled for Monday. I was scheduled to arrive on Sunday. The thing that was going to make the 25+ hour trip worth … [...]

[...] I'm not convinced that current security measures do much more than deter  garden-variety crazies. A determined terrorist will get through if he or she really wants to. Think of the millions of people flying each year then try to recall the last time you actually heard of someone dangerous being stopped? Usually, all the screeners do is inconvenience ordinary people with their zealotry. [...]

I'm from San Diego too, all these travel horror stories that have come out of San Diego International Airport lately are really embarrassing.

Some thoughts:
1) Duh...If the airline advises their passengers to check in 3 hours before a scheduled international flight, then the desk should be open at least 4 hours before the flight. Delta sucks for that, but San Diego International Airport is not really international. I don't think they even have an "international arrivals" area for customs and immigration, and the only direct international destinations are a couple of airports in Mexico and Canada. Since the first leg is a domestic route, arriving 3 hours early seems like an overkill. But still, if they make that recommendation to customers, they are obligated to have the counters to handle customers who follow the rules.

2) Early morning and late afternoon on weekdays are rush hour, they seriously need to add screening lines during those times. Other times of the day it actually goes really fast.

3) If you think San Diego International Airport sucks, try LAX. If you're connecting to or from an international flight, you have to get out of your arrival terminal, wait for the one bus that rarely comes and takes forever to stop at each and every single terminal and only in one direction, then go through LAX's horrendous security again to get to your departure terminal. I don't think the international terminal is even connected to the other ones with interior walkways, just the curb that's tough to navigate if you have a rolling carry-on. It's really faster if you're a fast walker. I've missed connections even with a 3 hour layover.

3) Several travel magazines (I believe Budget Travel and Conde Nast Travel) have travel ombudsman. Your story is shared by many frustrated travelers, you may be able to get this issue mediated by them. Have you thought about emailing Mike Turko (the TV guy)?

Horrific story. Regarding your financial issues, and assuming you paid for your ticket via credit card, next time you speak with the Delta employees inform them that failure to refund the price of the flight they did not provide and the luggage surcharge that is not applicable is considered fraudulent and that if they will not refund your money, you will (and can) instruct your credit card company to issue a chargeback (the credit card firm refunds you and refuses to pay Delta, also if Delta gets enough of those they lose the ability to accept that form of payment).

That should motivate them to refund you, but if it doesn't, what they are doing certainly entitles you to the full protection of your credit card, so I would strongly encourage you to contact them regarding getting a chargeback put in place and having them handle your refund.

Slight disclaimer: I work for Bank of America's credit card division.

Next Time Show Up Earlier

I love my new section on whiners. The Internet is full of them, and this mental giant complaining about missing an international flight to South Africa is a good one. The post is your typical TSA/FAA/Airline bitch-fest. ... Lines at...

Boating Supplies

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

I work for an airline...

We have problems all the time with the companys that are hired to check ID's and manage the entry into the TSA Security Checkpoint.

We have people that get down to the gate with the wrong persons boarding pass...their online boarding passes from the wrong day (that they present on accident) all of this gets checked by these people, and still this happens!

As far as your bag riding without you. That is common practice.

The only way your bag CANNOT fly without you is if you were randomely selected as a SELECTEE (SSSS on your boarding pass) and you do not board the aircraft. At that time your bag must be pulled for security reasons.

Otherwise, your bag can fly wherever it wants without you.

The Delta agent should have advised you that by doing a refund request you are subject to the fee. Ours is only $75.00. But still, you should not have had to pay that anyways...

Delta did not offer to reroute through JFK to get to JNB??

Glad you got a good agent who knew what they were doing though...that could have easily made your day worse.

very long story but worth to read... i just hope it will never happen to me.

I am an airline employee not with Delta but a domestic carrier here in Arizona. First off I would like to ask you how long before you scheduled time of departure you got to the airport for your first flight you missed cause of TSA? Second I would like to say that for connections especially international ones you should have showed up to SAN airport at least and I stress at least 2 hours before your SCHEDULED departure time. I prefer to get there 3 hours but if I know that the airport is going to be busy might be smart for a little more leeway.

Now as far as your problem issue with Delta and TSA, first off this issue you had missing your first flight was not Delta's problem. TSA on the other hand granted if everything you say is accurate then Jackie was wrong. The first thing you should have done was to go back to the Delta ticket counter and ask that they give you an escort to the front of the line. All airlines will provide this service if they determine that you will miss your flight. If they say no to you cause they believe that you will make it then I dont know what to say.

When you did finally get through security I understand that it was getting to crunch time on the flight so you did the right thing by running. Although and I cant remember exactly if Lindberg Airport has electric carts to and from the security checkpoint. If they don't then running was the only option. Once you got to the gate and they said you missed your flight at that point most airlines seeing as this was your fault in the long run not the airline would have put you on standby for the next flight.

The next flight that you were waiting for had been canceled because of a mechanical problem with your aircraft, so Delta is responsible to reimburse the passengers that were scheduled for that flight, not you being that you are a standby pax on that flight due to yours or TSA's problem not Delta. Now with that said had you at the time requested compensation for your travel I might have been more than happy to assist in getting it to you then. You waited till the next day which is fine I mean you had to make up your mind but that caused problems. Long story short the refund whether it be full or partial was a customer service to you cause technically Delta owed you nothing seeing as they were not the ones that made you late to your first flight.

Oh and by the way as far as your little remark about your baggage first off if you read the fine print or just have common knowledge of domestic flights your bag was too heavy so you had to pay simple as that. They don't charge you for pocket money I mean this is money that goes in to paying for the fuel of the flight and the poor ramp agents that have to deal with your heavy luggage ( Being an ex poor ramp agent myself) thank god I am now upstairs in Weight & Balance and ticketing. When my ramp agent tells me he has 15 heavy bags that is bags over 50 lbs I have to add that to my figures which raises my payload which could cost my airline in fuel. I am not saying your one bag made a difference but add it together it does. Plus as a ramp agent you are getting paid close to minimum wage to haul around some heavy bag. When you stated that unlike all the other international flights allowing 75 lbs well first off you are still traveling domestically second ohh well pack less or spread your weight a little better.

Final say in all this is this traveling is a privilege and a right. There are rules to it just as any other business out there, the rules are clear and precise and there for your safety and for yours and all passengers pleasure. There are many resources you can use before traveling such as going to the TSA.gov site and checking on what is allowed through security and also getting appropriate times for wait and stuff. You can also call your airline in advance say 24 hours and check-in with the flight and get any info you need such as typical times for flight and what needs to be done if there is a problem. Last but not least and this is the most important GET TO THE AIRPORT 2-3 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF YOUR FLIGHT.

I would love to hear back from you on this issue and would also like to know if you ever travel through Arizona. Email is cinimodaz@gmail.com more than welcome to contact me.

Wayne, please ignore the unsympathetic whining of the many commenters that are in love with authority. All is as it must and should be, and we certainly deserve no human compassion in life, right? No this is not right.

Just watch the US tourist industry start to nosedive as foreigners simply ignore the US. Come to think of it, for most asian and european citizens, There are plenty of much friendlier wonderful vacation destinations, not to mention friendlier safer places to study, work, and live.

Tokyo, Japan, resident for 3.5 years.

A friend of mine, through shall we say over-joyful celebration on his farewell sendoff, arrived at Narita airport FIFTEEN MINUTES before his flight to London was due to take off, and they still re-opened the closed checkin counter for him, whisked him through security and on to his flight.

That is customer service.

GAT is a gound handling contract company that primarily handles delta at san diego airport

Here's there webiste. PLEASE COMPLAIN LOUDLY

http://www.gatags.com/home.htm

Fashion and Clothing Tips

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

Consumer Electronics Reviews

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

SETH DELACKNER sooooo according to you we shouldn't ever expect anything on time. There is always one asshole like your Nippon friend who thinks they are so important that the rest of the world should have to wait on them. If he left his medicine on the plane or if he were heading to the hospital I could see that, but his travel was not life and death otherwise he might've taken it easy on the sake. I am not a tool of authority- that is a defense mechanism you use when you have no other real arguement as in this case. What about the other people that actually got there ON TIME and waited in line?? This prick was jsut "whisked" on through. As long as there are feel good liberal dandies like you two in the air everyone would be here compaining about late flights. If you spend thousands of dollars on something, maybe you should buck up and act like it. Otherwise, I guess money isn't very important to you and you deserve to part ways with it. Nice slight to the US there too. Ya just slipped that one right in there. Trolls all over the world are jealous. I just wish we could e-punch people online already.

Top Fashion Tips

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

You are an idiot and it sounds like you are a pain in the butt. If you would have arrived early and planned accordingly, you would have made your flight. You are an adult now so take responsibility for your own actions!

Fashion Magazine Online

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

Black Coffee Facts and Interesting Coffee Resources

Sorry, it just sounds like a crazy idea for me :)

Dog Care Tips

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I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

[...] read more | digg story [...]

[...] read more | digg story [...]

[...] Wayne Slavin wrote a fantastic post today on “My Wonderful Trip To South Africa That Didn’t Happen Thanks To The …”Here’s ONLY a quick extractNow, we all know this year has been a special one for the airlines and air travel as a whole. From the JetBlue hostage crisis, the terrorist “dry runs” on airport security around the country, and the most recent debacle on Southwest … [...]

Online MP3 Downloads

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

[...] is a fairly typical story about the treatment of fliers by the TSA and it’s contract cronies. Crap treatment and then Not doing there job at [...]

Top Internet Business

I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting

[...] read more | digg story [...]