Journals

This is a true story about interaction between the flight crew and I on the way back from Austin to NYC.  I think the only way to tell this story is to keep it as closely to the original dialog as I can.  So I try to recollect the best of I can.  And I have 7 witnesses at least to attest to my story.   Delta Connect DL5202, direct flight from Austin to JFK.  3/12/08.   As Sean and I left Austin this morning, though tired, we were pretty giddy.  We met some really cool people, and we worked our asses off from 6am in the morning to 12am at night, every night.  Naturally, we slept through our alarm and woke up a bit late.  We whirlwinded our luggages, threw ourselves at the airport shuttle, and got to the airport 45 minutes before our 9:30am flight.  But not to worry, our flight was delayed for 2 hours.  I didn't notice the signs, but in hind sight, this was an ominous beginning.    Sean and I did our usual routine, which was to check emails, get breakfast, and do a bit of work.  Finally, when 11:30am rolled around, we boarded the plane.  This time, 2nd from last row.  Felt like a business class upgrade.     As we were on the tarmac, the stewardess came to the back:  "Anyone single (not with a traveling companion)?  I need to move you up to the front of the plane now."  The belongings cannot come with.  "We have a load issue."  People were looking around.  A what issue?  She meant that people need to stuff the front of the plane to keep it balanced during filght.  But I really thought, after years of this being an issue, the new planes (we were on one) will no longer put passengers through these sad partings.   "You, move to the front."   And a nice guy that we met at the airport grumpily obliged.  "We need one more.  One of you four at the back has to move to the front."   There were four people at the very back (2nd to last row).  Sean and I on one side; a couple from England on the other side.  In front of Sean and I sat a mom and her daughter.   Everyone hesitated for a moment.  Then a lady two rows up said: "I'll move up.  I want to sit in front"  And another gentleman indicated that he is willing to move as well.  Thinking about the situation, I raised my hand and said,  "I have an ide..."   I didn't get to finish my sentence.  The stewardess cut me off and repeated, "I need one of you to move." "I have a solutio..." The stewardess cut me off again, "If I tell you to move, you move in 5 seconds." Then, the girl next to me told the stewardess to let them move up, and have the gentleman who was willing to move move back.  Issue resolved.  The stewardess gave me a stare, a little reprimand, and literally stormed off.  People around me were chuckling and shaking their heads.  The couple both turned around and gave me the are you ok look.  I told them that great thinking on your feet, and they got a good laugh.  I found it a bit amusing as well.  That was the extent of the first conversation. The stewardess was rude, but I thought that was that.  I went back to reading Kafka.    After we were in the air and the plane had leveled off, the stewardess and the steward both came to the back of the plane, standing next to me.  The stewardess began: "If I tell you to do something, I don't want hear another word.  The loading problem is an issue with safety. You don't do as you were told.  I tell you what to do so we don't delay."  And so on.  Actually, the lady was right.  The load balancing problem was a safety issue.  I was going to tell her that I understood but was trying to give an idea that would benefit everyone, and that I was trying to help.  I was just starting to say something, she cut me off.   "I can have you thrown off the plane and get you fined $10,000 if you argue wth me. When I tell you something, you better do it.  You are lucky and didn't throw you off the plane and call the police." At this point, I figured that, although she was really offensive, she was just asserting her authority and under stress.   Sean was already trying to start an argument with her, but I continued: "I totally understand that this is a safety issue, and I'm in no way trying to interfere with you doing your job, and I was at no point being rude to you.  I was just trying to say that, for the lady and the gentleman wanted to move up, we can just move them up, and this way, the couple can  move up but still stay together."   She cut me off very rudely at this point and told me again that I do what was told.  The way she was talking to me was devoid of reason at this point and very hostile.  I don't think I am being biased or am exaggerating.  If anything, I am actually more neutral than reality and omitting some of the pretty rude things that she said.  This, based on the reaction of everyone around me after the encounter, people can attest.   "I'm just trying to communicate with you, but I guess you are not interested in listening.  I'm a customer and not a school child, and I don't think it is right for you to reprimend me this way.  And I was just trying to offer a solution to help."  She told me that she was going to split people up and move people to the front, and then do exactly what I proposed.  So I said sure.  She stormed off, and that was the end of it, I thought.    You think that this is one sided, and it was!  I never lost my temper in tone or body language.  I was actually really calm and peaceful, as all 7 witnesses would attest.    After the plane landed, we were one of the last ones to get off the plane, but there were still a few people there.  The captain stumped towards me and said,  "Sit down.  I need to talk to you.  Everyone, get off the plane.  You sit down.  I need to talk to you."   I told him that it's ok, I'll just stand.   "If you don't sit down right now, I'm going to call the police to arrest you."  I was a bit surprised at this point, so I sat down.   "The stewardess told me that you were billgerent on the plane.  You were rude to the staff and if you are ever on my flight again, I'm going to throw you off.  Also, you vandalized the plane by putting sticker in the tray."   He actually said more pretty mean things; the quotes are accurate but distilled. He told the steward: "Check the tray."  The steward told him that "the sticker" was gone.  "Gone?  Did you check everywhere?  Are you sure he didn't stick it somewhere?" The absolute truth under oath was, I had one of my old luggage tag/tape somehow taped to my pants.  So I absent mindedly taped it to the back of the tray plastic.  The tag was already worn, and it by no means had much sticking ability let alone causing any damage.  The steward told me to remove the sticker, and I did.  He was sarcastic, but didn't make a big deal about it, but went to tell the captain.  I told the captain that I was just going to listen to what he has to say.  After he was finished with the interrogation, I told him that I want to file a complaint.  "You want to file a complaint?  You were beligerent but you want to file a complaint.  Go to the agent and get off my plane."   This finally got to me.  "Delta is a shitty airline.  I'm sorry that you work for Delta."   "That's it, come with me."   So off we go.   At the gate, the captain told right to the agent that I was causing trouble on the plane, and stepped back into the tunnel.  "You want to talk to the agent and file a complaint?  Come in here.  You were rude to me and my staff.  I nicely asked you to please sit down, and you blew me off."  Did he just say that?  He just lied to my face, and I flipped out.  I told the agent that he commanded me to sit down, didn't even bother to find out about what's going on, and just started to berate me.  Threatening multiple times to call the cops.  So call the cops!  At this point, I would have a better chance to explain to the cops.  I was making a bit of a scene.    The agent say that if I had a complaint, let's sort it out.  Ok, so I went into the tunnel.  2 more people went in, and they shut the door.  4 on 1.  The captain just started talking before I said anything and told the agent that I was rude, uncoorperative, and biligerent on the plane.  He said that I must had something against Delta.  Finally after 3 incredulous minutes in my opinion, the captain finished his story, and I had to stand there, listen, and be told not to interrupt.  AND I was the one who was supposed to file a complaint!  To me, this was pretty classic bullying tactics.   Ok, I told them that I was trying to help by offering a solution that can be successfully implemented in 5 seconds, was not being rule, and did nothing of the sort to try to vandalize the plane.  And in my explanation, I was interrupted at least three times.  Twice by the captain, and once by another agent.  Then the captain said,  "You know, customers are not always right.  Times have changed."   Too true.  Then the agent walked away and told me to wait, and the captain acted like nothing happened and walked away for good.  I stood at the gate for minutes before the agent came back.     After that, I told them I just wanted to go.  I already wasted a lot of time.  If they want to call the cops to arrest me, so be it.  I told the agent that I don't want to file a complaint any more because it was probably no use anyways.  "Do you have another flight?  No?  Then you are free to go."  "I'll never fly Delta again."   One thing is obvious.  I'll never fly Delta again.  I will also not file a lawsuit for a complaint because I feel like it is a waste of time and an ultimately he-said, she-said situation.  But this was pretty extreme.  At some point, even if Delta and its employees do not believe in serving the customers, there should still be a bit of human decency.  Perhaps I rubbed them the wrong way initially.  Perhaps there was a misunderstanding.  Perhaps they were under stress and acted out of desperation of the situation.  So they exerted their authority and imposed their will.  But after the first and second conversation, when everything was on the table.  That should be the end of it.  Beyond that point, their aggresion was going too far in my opinion.    At the end, it seems like I'm just powerless to do anything about it ultimately.  Just have to take it I guess.