Many of our frequent travelers are people with disabilities. In light of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s recent announcement about our handling of customers with disabilties in 2007/2008, I want to take some time to share our thoughts and discuss some important changes that you will see from our team here at Delta.
We want you to know we take the responsibility of serving customers with disabilities very seriously and we’re making changes to uphold our commitment, including:
- Installing automated wheelchair tracking systems at all of our major hubs
- Distributing customer service surveys expressly for passengers with special needs
- Expanding corporate level audits and consulting at airports to ensure follow-up on feedback shared at the airport
- Investing in usability enhancements to delta.com
We assure you that we’ll continue to coordinate with DOT and our Customer Advisory Board on Disabilities to make significant investments in technology, feedback assessment, and training to ensure that we’re supporting our customers with disabilities and providing them with a consistent travel experience.
For more information on our services for travelers with disabilities please visit our Special Travel Needs page on delta.com. If you’re a person with disabilities and have an experience that needs an immediate response, you can contact us here or by calling in the U.S. +1-404-209-3434.
Thank you, and I appreciate your feedback.
David M.
Program Manager, Disabilities
February 17th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
My sister is paralyzed and needs a wheelchair. When they booked a flight there were seats reserved for handicap access but they are not allowed to reserve them in advance unless they are medallion members. They have even called into Delta and were denied access to these seats and told they should ask for them when checking in for their flight. They arrived 3 hours ahead of time to ensure that they could get into one of the handicap reserved seats. They were denied these seats and they were given to medallion members with no handicap issues. Delta needs a way to prequalify people with disability needs so that they can book the seats that they need so they don’t have to try and transfer someone from a wheelchair in the 33rd row while the passengers backup behind them.
February 18th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
Hi there, this is Morgan and I work closely with David at Delta. Thank you for sharing this feedback. Was this a recent flight? We’d like to hear more details so we can properly follow up with your sister. Please submit those details here: http://www.delta.com/talktous
Thanks again and we’re focused on ensuring that our efforts moving forward are appropriately supporting all customers with disabilities.
Morgan D.
February 18th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Hi Delta,
I’m a gold medallion, and I also have mildly impaired vision. Even before I was a frequent flyer, I always found Delta staff more than willing to help if ever the need arose. On a few occasions, I requested help when walking from an RJ across the tarmac to the terminal at night (mostly I just have poor low-light vision). Also, flight attendants are always kind and understanding when I inform them that I can’t see them on overnight flights.
I know my disability isn’t as tough to deal with as some others you face, but I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate the little things that your employees do everyday.
If you’ll allow me to make one suggestion – the regional jet gate/door cluster in JFK’s Terminal 2 is very, very poorly lit. Especially in the area connecting the “curved hallway” (where all the planes park) to the stairwell to the main terminal. In my experience with all your airports, this is my personal #1 problem. Is there anything you can do there?
All the best, -Matt
February 20th, 2011 at 9:42 pm
Wow–it’s not so easy to submit a comment here! I’ve had to register as a blog author just to post this. That might be something you could change to make yourselves seem more friendly.
I find myself pretty disturbed by this post. Of the whopping four changes you described, only two will have any meaningful impact on passengers. Of those two, the meaningful impact is only guaranteed with one (the changes to delta.com). And that one doesn’t address most of the problems that brought on the massive fines in the first place.
All the surveys and audits on earth are meaningless unless and until Delta makes a serious commitment to make changes based on those things. I note that you were very careful not to say anything about making such a commitment.
To me, this post feels like the vaguest possible of stabs at appeasement. I deeply, sincerely hope that Delta’s got better plans than these to update their service for passengers with disabilities. What’s outlined above is unacceptable to the point of being laughable. People with disabilities are the fastest growing minority in the world. “With disabilities” doesn’t mean solely people in wheelchairs and blind people–we run the gamut from diabetics to quadriplegics. As of now, we spend more than $10 billion per year traveling. Passengers with disabilities aren’t a tiny minority–we are your future, financially. Or not. Perhaps the 25% of travelers who will have some sort of disability within 10 years will all be flying non-Delta airlines.
Delta’s a decent airline. I’d like to see you survive and thrive. But without the support of me and people like me, that’s not likely to happen.
I look forward to your response!
Liz Hamill
Founder, Travels With Pain and The Imperfect Traveler
http://travelswithpain.com/2011/02/18/deltas-big-opportunity/
February 24th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
And how about your commitment (or absence of such) to travelers with “abilities”? Delta, I am shocked how bad your customer service is! My bag was stolen from one of warehouses where you keep overnight luggage. With that bag I lost over $7,000 worth cloth and other items. 2 month later you are sending me $100 Delta credit. And that’s your compensation? Are you kidding me?!!!!!!!!! Not to mention that nobody responds to correspondence about all this nonsense!!! You can delete this post, but there is many other places where I gladly publicize this matter unless you team gets their butts of the chair and solve this issue.