What about when the airlines render you nearly insensible?

By Bruce Mohl, Globe Staff, 01/27/02

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On Jan. 2, David Kubiak and Allison Gilbert-Kubiak boarded a Delta connecting flight from Atlanta to Boston that left them feeling more like prisoners than passengers.

The Brighton couple spent nearly 10 hours on the jet, eight of them on the taxiway at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport waiting in a heavy snowstorm to have the plane de-iced.

Throughout the ordeal, the pilot gave repeated updates on their progress toward de-icing stations, all of which turned out to be overly optimistic. They were served no meals while the plane was on the ground. They were not allowed to get off. By midnight, they felt as if they were about to snap.

"I began to feel like a hostage who was being held against my will," wrote David Kubiak in a letter summarizing the experience. "It had been well over 6 hours, the smell from the toilets was overwhelming, both my wife and I had pounding headaches, and we could not get off the plane."

What happened to the Kubiaks and thousands of other Delta passengers in Atlanta was eerily similar to what happened when 7,000 Northwest Airlines passengers were stranded on runways in Detroit during a blizzard in 1999. The incident, settled last year with a $7.1 million legal judgment, became the rallying cry for a passenger rights movement and prompted calls in Congress for legislation requiring better customer service.

The airlines staved off government regulation by promising to voluntarily set the bar higher for their customer service, but the Kubiaks wonder whether anything is notably different today.

"I don't think they're going to change," Allison Gilbert-Kubiak said of the airlines. "Delta's attitude was, like, `[Expletive] you, you're on our plane.' "

David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, a passenger advocacy group in Washington, said he sees no interest in Congress in reviving the so-called passenger bill of rights. The airlines are bleeding red ink in the wake of Sept. 11, he said, and fears about security far outweigh concerns about customer service.

"I don't think anyone wants to impose any additional burdens on them," Stempler said. "There's one thing worse than poor service and that's no service."

Delta, eager to get travelers home after the holidays, didn't cancel its heavy late-morning block of flights on Jan. 2. But when the snowstorm arrived earlier - and heavier - than expected, it resulted in lengthy de-icing delays and heavy congestion.

According to Delta, approximately 176 outbound flights on Jan. 2 were delayed more than one hour. Approximately 20 flights were delayed more than six hours. At times, as aircraft arrived and others couldn't get off, there were more planes than available gates. The airline paid for hotel rooms for approximately 6,000 people that night.

Delta ended up issuing a formal public apology to 50,000 customers and has since sent individual form letters of apology along with a $400 credit toward a future flight to each of the Kubiaks and thousands of others who endured the longest delays.

"Our customer commitment goal is to monitor and meet any medical or personal needs of our customers. I apologize if we did not live up to your expectations," wrote Valerie Henry, Delta's director of customer care.

Despite the letters, the airline says it complied with its customer commitment, the voluntary customer service guidelines it adopted in 1999 to head off a federal law on customer service. The commitment consists of 12 items covering a variety of situations, everything from reservations to refunds.

The ninth commitment deals with extreme delays after boarding or after a plane has landed. In those situations, Delta promises to provide "full and timely information" regarding the status of the flight as well as such basics as food, water, heat, air conditioning, and restroom facilities.

"We met the customer commitment in spite of the storm, although there may be some areas where we were not compliant 100 percent," said Peggy Estes, a Delta spokeswoman.

The Kubiaks, who had their harrowing night topped off with the news that their luggage had been temporarily lost, don't agree. "The consumer is not heard at all," said Allison Gilbert-Kubiak.

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Crazy airline pricing

My recent column about going to Orbitz and American Airlines and finding a dramatic difference in price for the same seat apparently wasn't unique. Mark Whitfield said a $767 fare to London on Northwest's Web site cost $407 on Orbitz, which is partly owned by American.

Ace Marchant of Belchertown has had many similar experiences, but often it's his travel agent (Erin Travel of Westfield) who comes up with the best price. "I have no idea why, but the moral is clear," he said. Shop around.

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Drop me a line

I'm researching the best way to make calls when you're away on vacation, both here in the States and abroad. Let me know what you've found, both good and bad.

Bruce Mohl's e-mail address is mohl@globe.com.