The "Good Things Really Do Happen" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Heading to the airport for our 2:30 PM departure from paradise.  Carol and I have been on the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten for the past 18 days and today is the day we return to real life.  This was the first year we ever flew with Delta airlines.  Our flight almost three weeks ago was a disaster, but I must say it wasn't the airline that was at fault.  The weather was the main culprit, but the late delivery of Carol's suitcase to our villa was all the fault of the airline.  Well, today Delta has one last chance to prove that they deserve another chance next year.  My cousin used to be a pilot and trainer of pilots for Delta, so Carol and I thought it would be good family politics if we used the airline for one of our vacations.  Here's hoping all will go well on our return flight.  We boarded on time and the plane left the terminal on time.  We did have to wait for a few other planes to land, but takeoff went smooth and we were headed to JFK.  Our itinerary called for us to fly to JFK, go through customs and immigrations, then pick up our luggage and head to the connecting flight desk for Delta.  The airline only gave us 90 minutes to complete this task, but I figured they knew what they were doing.  Flight landed "On Time" and we headed to the Delta terminal.  No place to put the plane!  We sat on the tarmac for 20 minutes and then they pulled the plane into a spot that required that we de-plane down the stairs and ride to customs on a bus.  Our seats were in row 42 so there were well over 200 other people who would walk down the steps before we did.  Finally, a spot on the bus.  40 minutes had already passed.  "What's this?" I said to Carol.  The bus wasn't moving.  We had to wait for all the people in wheel chairs were brought down the stairs and loaded on the bus.  Now we're up to 50 minutes killed on the tarmac.  We arrived at customs and as usual the line was huge.  But, it did move quickly and we were finally in line at immigrations.  JFK allows you to use a computer to take your photo, make any claims you may have, and hand the info to a clerk to check.  In no time we were standing at the carousel waiting for our luggage.  I noticed a few suitcases had been stacked at one end of the carousel and I quickly located the red and grey suitcases with the colored bands around them.  Off to the connecting flight terminal with 20 minutes before our connecting flight was due to head to Baltimore.  "We made it," I told Carol.  

Delta's desk was first in line and we put our suitcases on the belt for the clerk to check.  That's when the problems started.  "No way can you make it to the other end of the airport and on the plane in 20 minutes," he said.  "Hey, we sat on the airplane for 20 minutes and then had to wait while just about everyone else on the plane made it down the steps, so we will make it in 20 minutes to the plane," I told him. That's when the girl at the counter told us to forget it.  I could feel my skin redden, but I kept my cool.  "So what do we do?  Can you put us on another plane to Baltimore?" I asked her.  "No more leaving tonight," was my answer.  She typed in some info and told us we would leave at 7:30 AM tomorrow.  "You can find a room tonight at the stand that has all those balloons in front of it," she told us as she pointed to our left.  "It wasn't our fault we didn't make it on time so I think you should get a room for us," I told her.  "The plane was on time," she repeated.  So we found the balloons and paid $150 for a room.  Found the shuttle service and in no time we were in bed, tired from our ordeal.  Well, we made it home by noon the next day and soon after I sent a letter to Delta.  To my amazement I received a response in less than four hours.  Told us how sorry they were for our misfortune and said a check for $150 would be in the mail in a few days.  Also gave both Carol and me a $125 gift card of our choice to one of about a dozen local stores.  Amazing!  I got back on the computer and told them how pleased I was with their prompt customer service and that I would consider flying with them in the future.  Less than five minutes later their response was:

You’re Welcome,  

Every day, our goal is to meet or exceed customer’s expectations. We’re happy to learn that, in this case, we achieved that goal.  We look forward to seeing you on your next Delta flight.

Regards,

Alice

We will definitely give them another chance.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.