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Commemorating 25 Years Flying to Shannon, Ireland

Published May 19th, 2011 in Airport, Community, Customer Care, History | 1 Comment →

In light of our recent 25 year anniversary of flying to Shannon, I want to take a moment to share with you my special relationship with the city, and the experiences I’ve had these many years at Delta.

I applied as soon as I heard Delta was starting flying into Shannon Ireland from Atlanta in 1986 – I was 19 years old. I remember at the end of my interview I leaned forward in my chair put my hands up in front of me and said “look I REALLY REALLY REALLY want this job” The interviewer leaned back in his chair, laughed and said “that’s the first time I’ve finished an interview like that!”

Audrey (right) at the Shannon Ribbon Cutting, May 9 1986

I got the job and spent three weeks at Gatwick training. I had such great fun and learned all about the position, including how to print a boarding pass which was a recent invention around that time. Before that all the boarding passes were handwritten.

So many things have changed in the world and in our industry since then…

I have worn a number of uniforms through the years. My favorite is still my first one; navy, white blouse and a navy, red and striped tie that clipped onto the blouse. My least favorite was the grey uniform. I was lucky as I had three navy maternity uniforms during my time, but I can’t lie, the grey maternity uniform was not flattering!

When I started there were only two ways of communicating with other stations, the telephone and the ultra-modern (at the time) TTY (telex’s) .The ideas of mobile phones and email were still way off with the idea of someone instantly communicating (like something from Star Trek!). As for blackberries….you ate those. Most things were done manually, even bag tags at check in…and there were even smoking zones on the aircraft.

What hasn’t changed is that our business is all about the passenger. It was back then and is today. The passenger may now be able to book online and check-in on their phones, but the customer service element remains the same.

What I love about working for Delta is the friendships I have formed, working with some of the same wonderful girls for the last twenty five years. I love the fact that when you enter the “office” each day you never know what is ahead of you. To know that customers I have assisted have been happy with the service they have received is what I call job satisfaction. And I hope to continue doing that for many years to come.

Here’s to Shannon!

Audrey Murray

Senior Airport Services Agent – SNN

New Help for Your Delayed Bags

Published April 21st, 2011 in Airport, Customer Care, delta.com | 4 Comments →

We know your checked bags have important things in them—your stuff! And we all have a story about how a delayed checked bag quickly put a damper on a business trip or vacation. And while the vast majority of checked bags we travel with arrive as they should, a delayed bag is still a big deal if it happens to you.

So, in a continual effort to improve this system and make traveling better for you, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes on five new projects that will improve your experience, should you find yourself with a delayed bag. Here are the new changes you can expect to see:

  1. Proactive notifications if your bag doesn’t travel with you. All you have to do is sign up for Last Minute Updates on delta.com or subscribe to have your contact info included in your reservation. We will call or email you if your bags don’t travel with you.
  2. Checked baggage tracking on delta.com. Now every checked bag has visibility if you wish to track its journey. For example, you’ll be able to see that your bags have been loaded on an aircraft.
  3. Self-service baggage kiosks in 18 of our busiest airports by year’s end. These look just like our check-in kiosks but they are near our airport baggage service offices and bag carrousels. You can use the kiosk to view a bag’s status, check which carousel bags will arrive on and file a delayed bag claim if necessary.
  4. All-online delayed bag claim process. Goodbye paper-based manual process. Hello easier, faster online process directly at delta.com!
  5. Rebates for bags lost beyond 12 hours. For the rare occurrence when a bag is delayed more than 12 hours, you can apply on delta.com for a transportation credit voucher rebate for $25 for one bag or $50 for two bags.

All of these improvements are up and running today, and we hope that should you have a delayed bag, we can make the experience smoother and easier for you.

Stephanie L.

Program Manager – Baggage Service Recovery

eBoarding Now Available at Even More Locations

Published January 31st, 2011 in Airport, delta.com, Destinations, Mobile, Planning & Booking | 14 Comments →

Back in the summer of 2008 when we launched mobile boarding check-in, it was the industry’s latest and greatest move forward in customer technology. A little more than two years later, we dramatically added to the number of locations globally where you can scan your eBoarding pass on your smartphone.

Delta eBoarding Pass

As a global airline we know how important it is for you to have eBoarding access in international as well as domestic cities. With 52 eBoarding pass enabled cities around the world, now you can travel through 43 cities in the US and nine airports in Europe with an eBoarding pass right from your phone!

We added 24 new eBoarding pass enabled locations since December including:

  • Berlin-Tegel, Germany (TXL)
  • Charlotte (CLT)
  • Des Moines (DSM)
  • Dusseldorf, Germany (DUS)
  • Fort Myers (RSW)
  • Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
  • Grand Rapids (GRR)
  • Hartford/Springfield (BDL)
  • Jackson Hole (JAC)
  • London – Heathrow, United Kingdom (LHR)
  • London – Gatwick, United Kingdom (LGW)
  • Miami (MIA)
  • Milan-Malpensa, Italy (MXP)
  • Munich, Germany (MUC)
  • New Orleans (MSY)
  • Philadelphia (PHL)
  • Pisa, Italy (PSA)
  • Rome, Italy (FCO)
  • St Louis (STL)
  • San Antonio (SAT)
  • Stuttgart, Germany (STR)
  • Tampa (TPA)
  • Tulsa (TUL)
  • Venice, Italy (VCE)

We’re constantly adding new locations to our list, just visit delta.com/checkin and select the mobile check-in options for all the cities where eBoarding passes are available.

And the mobile upgrades don’t end there! In 2010 we improved mobile.delta.com and launched our popular iPhone and BlackBerry applications, each of which have built in tools that allow you to check-in and access an eBoarding pass from the palm of your hand. Coming soon, we’ll also add our Android app to the mix and continue to add new features to each of our apps in the future.

We’re listening to your feedback and delivering more tools to improve your travel experience and provide hassle-free check-in options. Have you had the chance to use an eBoarding pass recently? We want to know what you think.

Rick E.

Product Manager delta.com & Self Services

How To: Rebook Your Travel Plans

Published January 7th, 2011 in Airport, Customer Care, delta.com, Operations, Planning & Booking | 29 Comments →

We know many of you are being affected by severe weather and hear your concerns. We’re doing our best to get you where you need to be, and recognize the questions many of you have been asking on our social media channels. To help address some of these common concerns and reach all of you at once, I’ve summarized your frequently asked questions here on the blog:

Q: What’s the best way to rebook a cancelled or delayed flight?

A: The fastest and easiest way to rebook is on delta.com. You can do that here: http://bit.ly/DL_Rebook.

If you’re traveling to, from or through Atlanta we’re enabling you to make changes to your itinerary due to severe weather for travel happening between Jan. 9 through Jan 11. Remember that tickets need to be reissued on or before and travel must occur no later then January 13.

If you purchased your ticket from a travel agency or online travel site, you may need to contact that agency or site for assistance. Alternatively, if you are a Delta SkyMiles member make sure your contact information is up-to-date so we can reach you with updated travel information if needed.

Q: I tried delta.com but couldn’t access the site. What now?

A: As a result of the high volume delta.com was running slower than usual at times, especially if you were trying to rebook. The issue has being addressed and the website has stabilized, but if you’re still having trouble you can call our reservations assistance line or reach out to us in Twitter.

Q: What’s the best phone number to call?

A: Our reservations assistance line is 1-800-221-1212.

Q: What if I can’t reach a customer service agent immediately by phone?

A: Because of the severe disruption the weather has caused, we’re experiencing an extremely high volume. While our call centers are fully staffed, you may still encounter a wait as we work to rebook customers and particularly those with travel plans occurring within the next 24 hours.

If you can’t get through to an agent right away please try back shortly. Because of the volume of calls it make take a few tries to get placed in line.

Q: If I want to get help through Twitter, what should I do?

A: Follow, tweet and direct message us at @DeltaAssist and an agent will follow up with you shortly. Please know that as with our other outlets, @DeltaAssist is also experiencing high volumes, so you may receive a response from a Delta Assist agent using @Delta.

Q: What else can I do to prepare for a possible delay or cancellation?

A: Check your flight status and weather advisories frequently (http://bit.ly/DL_advisory) and sign up for Delta Messenger to receive real-time alerts (http://bit.ly/DL_Messenger).

I hope this helps answer your questions about the rebooking process. Thanks for your continued patience and we look forward to helping in any way we can.

Jerry F.

Manager, Reservation Systems & Social Media

Red Coats Know It Best: Hear It From One of Our Own

Published January 6th, 2011 in Airport, Customer Care | 4 Comments →

We all know them. We see them in the airport donning that famous red blazer. They are Delta Red Coats and it’s their pleasure to serve you.

With the busy holiday travel season behind us, we wanted to build on the travel tips we’ve shared via social media the past few months and give you some insight on what you can expect from Delta in 2011. To that end, I sat down with one of our very own Red Coats for some insight into their world.

Delta: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Michelle. Shall we start off by sharing a little background on our Red Coat program?

Michelle: Sure! The program was revitalized in 2007 at our New York-JFK hub. Today there are about 800 of us in many large airports across the U.S.

Delta: What does a typical day look like for you?

Michelle: Every day I assist customers from all walks of life and from all over the world. I work at Delta’s Detroit hub, where we see customers from all over the U.S. and Canada as well as Asia, Europe and South America. I walk around the airport and see customers arriving from Brazil, returning to Paris or on their way to Japan.

Delta: Yes, our Red Coats are certainly famous for your ability to provide one-on-one help from anywhere in the airport. So how exactly do you assist customers without being behind a counter?

Michelle:  We’ve got new technology and the know-how to get what you need. We use hand-held devices to resolve problems on the spot and issue printed boarding passes, meal vouchers, Sky Club passes, travel passes and other coupons.

Delta: That’s great. And lastly, can you share any advice with our customers traveling in 2011?

Michelle: Of course. While we’re here in the airports to serve you, there are some tools customers can use to help themselves if they wish. We have kiosks that can help with flights and information as well as scan-and-go stations where a simple scan of your boarding pass can give you a new one in most situations if you need to be rebooked.

Liz G.

Delta Social Media

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