I recently became a big fan of Delta Air Lines after witnessing first-hand how they treat members of our military and how they do a nice job giving free upgrades to their frequent fliers (they still have the worst frequent flier program in terms of redeeming miles at their lowest award level, but that’s another story).
My beef with Delta is how they encourage their flight attendants to push their Delta American Express credit cards in the middle of the flight. I can understand that the airline and the flight attendant want to make more money (they must pay the flight attendants a commission) and build brand loyalty, but there’s a time and place for everything—and the middle of a flight is not one of them.
It seems that the head flight attendant usually pushes the card for a second time an hour before landing, which is when most passengers are sleeping, watching movies or working on their laptops. The last thing they want to hear is some flight attendant get on a loud PA and speak for two to three minutes about the perks of a credit card. Actually, the last thing passengers want is to hear the pilot get on the horn and say we’re having mechanical problems. But you get my point.
Each time I’ve heard a Delta flight attendant makes this long, disruptive announcement, I’ve watched the passengers around me grumble and shake their heads in disbelief. I’m one of them, too. Yes, the Gold card is a very good one. We’ve even written about it and its many perks on this site. But don’t make a second announcement. Just make your first plug after the safety briefing. Or if that’s not good enough, run a silent commercial on the screen. But making the second announcement actually turns people off and makes the airline and the flight attendants look desperate.
FYI: Each time, after they make this announcement, I watch the flight attendant walk down the aisle with sign-up pamphlets and I’ve only ever seen one passenger take one.
Have you noticed this? Does it irk you too or is it just me? I hear US Airways and Alaska Airlines does it as well but I can’t confirm this since I haven’t flown them in a while.
Now days people pay pennies and want the world in flying. If you don’t like what they are doing with their business charter your own flight or better yet don’t fly at all. Airlines are a business. Seriously if you dislike it so much open your own airline company and let’s see how you fair. It’s a business get over it!
I hate Delta keeps charging more and offering less – Sky Lounge
As a current multi- year DELTA Gold Medallion flyer and Sky Club member, you now have to pay more for reduced service! You can’t even bring your family with you in the Sky Lounge without paying an additional fee of $29/per person. How about an exception for family with ID’s!
I can assure you I’ll not be so loyal to Delta when they want to charge me for bringing my family in to the Sky Club once per year! In my mind, loyalty goes both ways – Obviously, Delta doesn’t feel the same and its very disappointing!
Having worked for a major retailer with their own credit card, it became the first priority to sell that credit card to each and every customer. As an employee, I would receive up to a $10 “SPIFF” for each credit approval. The retailer would be rewarded $2 every time the customer used that card for any size purchase. Retail is failing right now so that credit card is the main source of income that keeps the doors open at most stores. The dollar has become more important that service and it’s no different on these airlines.
The ironic part is that the majority of cards are for Americans only!! I have to sit and listen to the speech and be hounded to apply for a credit card to which I do not qualify. This is the reason I bring noise cancelling headphones and great tunes on my iPad. God help the employee who wakes me up to sell me a card!
Overnight flight (not on Delta) from O’Hare to Dublin. I try to set my body clock to “local time” as soon as the doors close, so our 6pm departure Chicago time was midnight in Dublin. 3 Hours into the flight (9pm in Chicago, and 3am in Dublin), a piercingly loud sales pitch came on the PA, waking basically everyone on the flight from a sound slumber. Truly clueless behavior by airlines.
I use Hearos Brand Ultimate Softness Series foam earplugs to tune out when aboard. My wife is a police sergeant here in Los Angeles and started using this type earplug when she was shooting on the firing range.
I would agree that if they wanted to give a second announcement about it, to include it with the announcements at the end of the flight. It’s a time when I expect to be interrupted,