I certainly understand your frustration. I'm sure there are all sorts of horror stories out there about every airline - I think at any given time one could round up an angry mob at any airport.

That said, I have to give Delta a certain amount of respect for trying to stay afloat without filing bankruptcy. They've been close several times and have obviously been forced to cut costs. When I hear about KMart purchasing Sears so quickly after filing bankruptcy, it seems like there is something wrong with the system (pretty easy way out, all things considered). Delta may be slipping, but at least they are trying to make a go of it.

Another rule that people should keep handy is that airlines are not supposed to put you on flights that will most likely result in a missed connection. In other words, if you have a one-hour connection to make in Chicago, and your flight going TO Chicago is running an hour late, the airline is supposed to find you another routing rather than to put you on that delayed flight.

This happened to me with US Air. I had a 40 min connection in Philly and my first leg was running 35 min late. I called 800 number and they immediately found me a NONSTOP on Delta. They put me on hold for 10 minutes because the only seat available on Delta was First Class and they needed special authorization, but I ended up getting to my destination 15 minutes ahead of the original schedule flying NONSTOP and FIRST CLASS.

snowrooster, Kmart emerged from bankruptcy almost two years ago and think of Kmart and Sears merging more than Kmart buying Sears. From a retailing standpoint, I think it is a pretty smart move.

I agree it is a smart move. I've had good experiences w/Sears lately in shopping for appliances - their salesmen know their stuff much better than the newer giant chains that hire teenagers (best buy, etc). I just think Delta should receive a certain amount of respect for trying to make a go of it with so many other airlines filing for bankruptcy. We know Delta is hurting, so it doesn't surprise me that they have eliminated offering perks to people who are voluntarily bumped.

I agree with those who say that this situation could have happened on ANY carrier. I'm not saying that Delta couldn't have done more for you at the time. I don't know, perhaps but perhaps not. We really don't know enough to make that determination. But I don't think it makes any sense to boycott a particular airline over one incident. Eventually you'll run out of airlines to fly.

chicgal - I'm confused. I thought it was KMart that purchased Sears, but I was corrected that it was actually more of a merger. It doesn't make sense to me that a company 2 years post bankruptcy would have the funds to purchase a company like Sears. Makes me think bankruptcy is an easy way out (hence the willingness to give Delta a break). Can anyone clarify?

snowrooster...Here's the story
http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/17/news...0/sears_kmart/

Tandoori - are you saying that you think Delta is next in line for liquidation? What do you base this on? They are not in bankruptcy at the moment.

Thanks, BeachBoi. According to the article, KMart is definitely buying Sears ($11 billion, I believe). While they are going to use the Sears name and merge the existing stores, Kmart is the buyer and Sears is the one being bought. Does that seem odd to anyone but me for KMart to have that kind of money to purchase Sears only 2 years after filing bankruptcy? Sorry, I guess this is off the Delta topic.

We flew on Delta on Nov. 22 from SFO to Atlanta. The flight was totally booked even on the Monday before Thanksgiving.

This was our third round trip flight on Delta and we have never had any trouble at all. All our trips went smoothly and with out a hitch. If there were any delays it was because of mother nature.

We schedule our flights on weekdays and not near holidays. If you book near a holiday I think you are just asking for trouble from ANY airlines.

I would contact Delta for some kind of compenstation.

Utahtea

snowrooster, I'll state it again that Kmart has emerged from bankruptcy. They didn't just walk away from a bunch of debt. They either reorganized it, paid it off, or secured enough financing to cover the debt.

What are you not understanding?

GT - I'm not sure what you mean. Obviously they have emerged. What baffles me is how they managed to build up so much capital in such a short amount of time to be able to purchase Sears. It seems to me a company that files for bankruptcy should take years to rebuild so that it does not become thought of as the easy way out.

snowrooster, I'm guessing it was a combination of restructering their debt and new loans.

Beleive it or not, the Martha Stewart Living brand has boosted Kmart sales enormously. They've also gotton a new CEO that rebranded KMart. I don't know if you are old enough to remember or not but KMarts used to be horrible back in the early 90s. They've come a long way from where they were.

You don't need a lot of capital to buyout a different company. Such merger/purchase is mostly done with stocks, not cash. As long as you can pursuade your bank(s) that such a buyout is good for the long-term, and you can convince the stock holders of the other company (Sears) that the purchase make sense, then things can happen.

Therefore, a smaller company can buy out a larger one. For example, the infamous LDDS Worldcom buying out MCI in the late 90's is an example.