American Express - Delta Skymiles Platinum Review

We just went through a very disappointing Delta Airlines experience. So bad we are selling our Maui timeshare so we do not have to fly 15 hours to arrive at 9PM after taking off at 5:30AM EST and arrive to get the last available suite for the 2 week period we own.

We use our Delta Skymiles to fly free for 10 years & the first 5 they were arriving at 4PM, a rental car was ready for us, 30 minutes ride was in daylight & we were in a much better mood arriving for 4PM check in. The last 5 years we have been changed & changed again & told we have no seats when I have seats on my E-ticket that they have changed 5 times since my April reservation to fly in February next year.

March,2006: Just got online to book 2/15/2007 CLE-OGG and now they want 70,000 miles per person for COACH! Not 70,000 per couple.

I phoned in 2006 verifying our flight info & nothing had changed. We were flying a new route from CLE-SLC-OGG arriving at 3PM or CLE-ATL-HNL arriving at 11PM & then inter island flight we pay for or CLE- CVG-HNL & again inter island flight we pay for & that is round trip! So I learn we got CLE-SLC-OGG, 9 hour flight arriving at 3PM. I am ecstatic!

We arrive at CLE Hopkins go to 2B gate & I say good morning to the gentleman in a new suit at the counter, a step up in my book, from the navy blue vests on white shirts on men, blouses on ladies. He asked where we were headed & I said "Maui". A few minutes later we are paged by him. Turns out the flight to SLC is an 80 seat plane & they have over 100 guests. So he informs up WE HAVE BEEN BUMPED.  SO I sit down & phone AMEX NYC corporate office for my rep Howard.  He transfers me to the CEO who is livid withthe lack of service Delta is giving the company who gave them 47 million to get out of bankruptcy.  Now AMEX customers are being stomped on with lack of service.  We are ELITE Delta members, we board before FC.  Now we are bumped!!!!!

So now we are paged again, the man apologizes for the mixup & he changed our reservation giving us FC to ATL & nonstop to Maui. He stated we'd be an hour late. He also gave us $7 each breakfast & lunch vouchers for our 1.5 hour wait at each airport.

FC on Delta isn't what it used to be. China plates, cups & saucers have been replaced with plastic glasses for booze, paper cups like coach for coffee or tea, plastic for cold beverages again just like coach. So I have 2 Bloody Marys as did my DH. Then we are ready for breakfast & she asks what beverage everyone wanted & passes them out. No white tablecloth, so I knew we were not in true FC! Sure enough my coffee comes with powder creamer & sugar in a paper cup. Then she comes down the aisle with a big basket with granola bars, cookies, cheese crackers for folks to help themselves. This is FC breakfast? The bathroom had a line from coach at it, where is the drawn curtain?

Then we board ATL-OGG, we know it is 11 hour flight as we have flown reverse coming home many times. We are on 14 hours & nowhere near Hawaii. Then I see the TV screen & the map with the red line showing we flew from ATL north to Chicago then west to Seattle then to Maui. WHAT???? We landed at 10:30PM. Our rental car was given away & we get an ugly car with no cruise control & scratch, dented, unreal from Budget Rental. We have friends waiting for us & we missed the free drinks from 4-6PM. So we arrive at Embassy at midnight to learn that we get a 6th floor suite not the usual 11 or 12.

Then we are returning with the reservation I have on my E-Ticket. I just happen to call Delta & learn that our flight home is later by 2 hours. We have Aloha early going to HNL to board DL to ATL. Nothing to do at the airport, but it was a bad day for them, so we just stood & let all the rude ones get out of our way. Then I am looking for a kiosk to get boarding passes since Aloha has our luggage going to CLE but they do not print DL boarding passes. The ticket counter has 50 folks in line. So we head for the gate & get it there. The clerk tells us she is busy to return in an hour. So we sit & wait. Folks are in line at the counter & an hour later the gal shows to service folks & we board in 30 minutes. So in line we go for boarding passes. 2 guys in front of us know her, she tells them they get EEAS & the seats numbers are ours!  She is putting us in aisle 41 not 17A&B which I have had since April 2005! I showed her our E-Ticket which she tore up & gave us the row 41 seats. I told I wanted the boss. 20 minutes later she showed & gave us 18A&B telling us other Elite members got EEAS.

Then our luggage isn't in CLE & no one at DL office. So back up to ticket counter for assistance but I guess they have no other flights that night as everyone is gone. This is a #1 airline? So we drive home to hear DL pilots are ready to strike & if they do that will kill DL. 200,000 miles & no airline???

So I phoned with a complaint on our whole trip & all the inconvenience we were put through by it. They tell me that we knew when they emailed me, as we are in the air, telling us they changed flights. They had been told to phone my cell phone only. But no they email only???? Our luggage still has not shown & that is a month ago we returned. C/S is not at all helpful when you phone DL.

I have had it! So beware on your reservations, you may also be rudely awakened.

Oh yes, I cancelled the DL Skymiles card instead I took AMEX Blue, variety of airlines to use and they make sure you are booked onthe flight you want.  Why do the planes say DELTA when they should state AMERICAN EXPRESS AIR!  Also we did sell our timeshare back to the property.