Delta 1085 ATL-LAS 09-NOV-2008. Be nice, people.

On Sunday, 09-NOV-2008, Delta Air Lines 1085 (ATL-LAS) was delayed leaving ATL (AKA the Delta Fortress). For whatever reason, Delta elected - or was forced by circumstances - to utilize a smaller B767 than had been originally dispatched for the flight to Las Vegas from Atlanta. The smaller aircraft had a different cabin configuration (from the standpoint of seating) than the aircraft passengers had expected. The different cabin configuration resulted in the gate area software "dumping" all seating assignments and apparently doing a "refresh" of those assignments. The change in seating resulted in passengers being assigned seats that may not have matched their boarding pass, and a number of passengers low on the upgrade list may not have been upgraded: there is a possibility that on the larger aircraft that was withdrawn from service they may have been upgraded.

Those are the facts. The PAX (sheeple) failed to respond to this news in what could be considered a deliberative, accepting way. A number of PAX took strong issue with the gate crew, failing to understand, or to care, that the gate crew had nothing whatsoever to do with what is known as a "change in equipment" or an "equipment change". There were a number of sharp words from PAX who failed to upgrade, even though they were on the upgrade list or queue and may (or may not) have been upgraded on the larger, original aircraft. The gate crew responded with blank, non-emotional faces and carefully considered responses to PAX, some of whom spoke more sharply than necessary, and others who tried to spin the situation into one where the gate crew deliberately targeted certain passengers for different seat assignments or removal from the upgrade list (queue). The gate crew does not target specific passengers - but I would not blame them in this case with certain a$$holes, and you know who you are.

The gate crew made responses that were long in content and explanation, and short in emotion - just as they should. The gate crew were professional in the utmost, in stark contrast to the PAX who failed to comport themselves in a way that a gentleman or gentlelady should in a public place, dealing with service-based employees. The gate crews' explanations of the nature of the delay, the change in equipment, and how that affected their operations were particularly impressive, and may have been targeted to assuage those PAX who were expecting a factual explanation of the scenario as it unfolded.

Be nice, people. Running an airline, being an employee of an airline, and trying to make sense and profit of an airline job in times of economic challenges is difficult enough. There is nothing to be gained from belittling airline employees, trying to force them to do what they cannot, or playing the "I am a frequent flyer" card. On that last, be assured that if you are a frequent flyer, the gate crew as well as the cabin crew on board the aircraft are well aware of that fact. The much-maligned business-frequent-flyer is oftentimes that most pleasant traveler, and the most polite and reasonable in adverse operational conditions - we know how the system works and we generally just sleep through any problems. Be nice, people. Your mother taught you better.

On board the aircraft after a 50 minute delay (be assured the craps tables will still be in place in Sin City even though the aircraft departure was delayed), the cabin crew was professional, quick, efficient. This obviously experienced cabin crew executed a delightful, pre-planned ballet that showed the tremendous training regimen Delta cabin crew undergo. There is nothing more pleasant than a routine, boring flight - trust me, the non-routine ones are not fun - and a cabin crew responding to adverse conditions with professionalism and thoughtfulness made up for the short delay. No one is flying to Vegas to connect to go someplace else, so give me a break on the delay.

The gate and cabin crew of Delta 1085, 09-NOV-2008 ATL-LAS deserves our thanks for a professional and pleasant 4 hour flight. A routine flight, with well-known and expected objectives, is a testament to the tremendous job done by the FAA, the NTSB, Delta Air Lines, and everyone else who contributes to a safe flight environment and a near 100% expectation of arriving where you set out to arrive, and a testament to the quality of flight from a safety and comfort perspective. Try finding another service-oriented business with similar objectives and results.

Technorati Tags: B767, KATL, KLAS, Delta Air Lines, travel

Posted at 02:04PM Nov 09, 2008 by tgardner in Travel  |  Comments[1]