Delta Airlines. Anyone fly with them recently?

[ShredtheGnar]

Found flights for a great price. Have never flown with them. Have had terrible luck with American recently. Was wondering how they compare?

[invenio]

I find that all airlines are hit and miss. Sometimes you get a great flight, sometimes there is a massive delay or cancellation.

I usually buy direct if possible, then cheap as possible, and I typically will pay a little extra for seat selection. I'm too cheap to fly first class and you don't get there any faster even if I wasn't.

[The White Coat Investor]

Found flights for a great price. Have never flown with them. Have had terrible luck with American recently. Was wondering how they compare?

Salt Lake is a Delta Hub. Most of our flights are on Delta. Probably the best US carrier, although bad things happen to travelers on any carrier from time to time obviously. Don't expect a "transatlantic Air France" kind of experience out of a domestic flight, but they're certainly competent at what they do.

[bovie]

Found flights for a great price. Have never flown with them. Have had terrible luck with American recently. Was wondering how they compare?

Best domestic carrier, has been for a while.

[naruto]

Reecetnly flew transatlantic form London. I had premium economy and wife had standard economy seat. Wife started experiencing back pain but the flight attendant did not allow us to swap seats. Plane was 50% empty. I did not understand her logic of refusing us to swap seat. It is not like we were taking any extra premium econoy seat even though that section was 75% empty. So it is really hit and miss . But overall it is ok

[altadoc]

Delta tends to end up at the top of the domestic heap. I think they were awarded top carrier by WSJ recently.

I find their flight attendants to be heads and tails above United and American. Planes tend to be newer and nicer as well.

[East coast]

I've had status w all three legacy carriers at different points (many of them overlapping) over the past few years. There is very little to no difference between UA/DL/AA. I (only somewhat jokingly) say that anyone who says otherwise hasn't flown enough!

Book direct flights, pretty much regardless of cost difference (for this board's crew, all of whom can afford it).

The only time the airline actually matters if u have REAL status (usually the 3rd/4th tier - ones that require butt in seat miles)

[East coast]

Btw, if newer aircraft is on your list of reasons to fly an airline, the lowest cost ones will be at the top of your list (I think frontier technically has the youngest fleet last I looked). Delta kept the MD's around for a long time because they were incredibly reliable (leading to lower cost/less delays) - I wouldn't use that as a criteria personally for determining who to fly with.

[MPMD]

i think delta is the only real airline left in america.
united is ok, when they are good they are great.
american is very mediocre
SW is fine for what it does, but it's not a comprehensive airline, it's a budget carrier with too much market share. open seating on an airplane makes absolutely no sense, as evidenced by the fact that after 25 years or whatever every boarding process from gate to takeoff involves their people frantically trying to explain the process and a bunch a jerks trying to jump the line.

[ShredtheGnar]

More or less worried about how airline deals with issues. Last 2 flights with AA were a mess. Cancelations, missed connections, etc. in Nov flew to MIA for cruise and 1st flight delayed on departure and then stuck in holding pattern due to weather. Missed connection in DFW and got no info on what was going on. They got our luggage on a flight to final destination and I got on line to find available flights. Then went to a kiosk to get someone to book me on a flight to destination. They took better care of luggage than the passengers. Last flight was to PR and flight back was cancelled for no given reason. Waited in line with costumer service to get re-routed for about 1.5 hrs. Had to stay overnight in DFW and fly home the next day. They at least put me up in a hotel, but it was a major inconvenience. Sounds like Delta will be much better. Keeping my fingers crossed. Price was definitely good.

[bovie]

Reecetnly flew transatlantic form London. I had premium economy and wife had standard economy seat. Wife started experiencing back pain but the flight attendant did not allow us to swap seats. Plane was 50% empty. I did not understand her logic of refusing us to swap seat. It is not like we were taking any extra premium econoy seat even though that section was 75% empty. So it is really hit and miss . But overall it is ok

Why would you even bring this up to the flight attendant? Just switch.

[bovie]

More or less worried about how airline deals with issues. Last 2 flights with AA were a mess. Cancelations, missed connections, etc. in Nov flew to MIA for cruise and 1st flight delayed on departure and then stuck in holding pattern due to weather. Missed connection in DFW and got no info on what was going on. They got our luggage on a flight to final destination and I got on line to find available flights. Then went to a kiosk to get someone to book me on a flight to destination. They took better care of luggage than the passengers. Last flight was to PR and flight back was cancelled for no given reason. Waited in line with costumer service to get re-routed for about 1.5 hrs. Had to stay overnight in DFW and fly home the next day. They at least put me up in a hotel, but it was a major inconvenience. Sounds like Delta will be much better. Keeping my fingers crossed. Price was definitely good.

You are going to have more luck being rebooked and avoiding being rerouted with an airline at its hub, regardless of airline.

[East coast]

More or less worried about how airline deals with issues. Last 2 flights with AA were a mess. Cancelations, missed connections, etc. in Nov flew to MIA for cruise and 1st flight delayed on departure and then stuck in holding pattern due to weather. Missed connection in DFW and got no info on what was going on. They got our luggage on a flight to final destination and I got on line to find available flights. Then went to a kiosk to get someone to book me on a flight to destination. They took better care of luggage than the passengers. Last flight was to PR and flight back was cancelled for no given reason. Waited in line with costumer service to get re-routed for about 1.5 hrs. Had to stay overnight in DFW and fly home the next day. They at least put me up in a hotel, but it was a major inconvenience. Sounds like Delta will be much better. Keeping my fingers crossed. Price was definitely good.

I can't emphasize enough how little difference your experience will be between airlines with this incremental info. The big difference maker for a flyer like you is what airports you go through (feel free to look up the usual suspects for highest percentage of delays), layovers (none preferably even if you need to drive 3 hrs to an airport with that option) and time of day for your flight (earlier the better for obvious reasons). If you are choosing based on which airline will treat u better for a given situation u are guaranteed to be sorely disappointed w.o status.

[naruto]

Why would you even bring this up to the flight attendant? Just switch.

we did switch, but she woke my wife up ( half an hour after switch- i think her hair gave away otherwise she was bundled up in a blanket) and told her to go back and not in a very polite way.

[Kamban]

I have found United to be the worst of the legacy airlines with rudest staff. Delta and American are equal and a notch above them. Delta flights are a bit more reliable.
If flying international I would rather take a carrier like Emirates than Delta if both go to the same destination. Even in economy class the seats are better and the service heads and shoulders above the US carriers.