A horrible experience flying with Delta Airlines and traveling with a pet:
This story of a horrible Delta Airlines experience, in which Delta actually lies to a passenger so they can look like they’re in the right, comes from a reader (of course, this is assuming the reader’s story is true):
I booked a flight from SFO to Dublin, Ireland by way of Atlanta on Delta. I spoke with the reservations department myself as did the travel agent from Quinn Travel (San Francisco, CA). We were both told that I could bring my small cat as carry-on provided I obtain the proper health certificates. This was noted on my reservation.
I did all that was required and had all paperwork with me but was still refused boarding on the plane. The first “issue” was that the hard-side carrier was too large for carry on with a pet. The size of the carry on was well within the limits of regular carry on but I was made to purchase a soft-side carrier for the trip. After I had done that I was told that Ireland would not accept pets from in the cabin travel and that my cat must travel as cargo. Then I was told that Ireland had an embargo against pets traveling into the country from May to September 15, 2009. I contacted the Irish government and NO SUCH EMBARGO EXISTS. (Padraic Lavin, Animal Health & Welfare http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/pets)
I am out a great deal of expense due to Deltas misinformation and lack of professionalism.
My current out-of-pocket expenses total: $745.62
I am also severely inconvenienced as I am trying to move to Ireland and am currently stuck here. I have no income as I am relocating and this delay is a financial hardship.
**Documents faxed to Delta: My plane “ticket”, my parking receipt, the UPS receipt and the veterinary receipts as well as the soft-side case receipt from the store.
As of 09/01/2009 Diana M. Keller, Coordinator Customer Care has refused any/all compensation.
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- Share and see complaints about Delta Airlines here
- Update: Continental Airlines kills the most pets (but they don’t kill that many) (one was a pet rat) (the other was a dog with a heart problem)
- Got a complaint about United Airlines? Share it (and see others’ complaints) here
- Airplanes and Pets: A guide on how to do it
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- Share and see complaints about Delta Airlines here
- Have something good to say about Delta Airlines?
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October 25th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
there are so many problems with services these days, it almost makes sense to expect this kind of thing- it seems people just don’t care about the jobs they do, the work they produce or what kind of reputation it leaves them with. On the other hand, there are travel and vacation scams all over the place too. http://www.cheatauworld.ca
The whole world is going down the toilet and humans are holding the handle.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:49 am
I would suggest that the best way to travel with your pet is by private jet. Although commercial flights allow for the transport of pets, you cannot travel with them. Chartering a private jet if you have the cash, can solve you the problems listed above. We book flights for pets and their owners and can give you an idea if it can work for you. Thanks, http://www.247jet.com/
November 24th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
This story beats them all.
http://WWW.WhatTheAIRLINESdidToMe.com
When anyone wonders how bad air travel has gotten, just read this.
February 25th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
This is how Delta advertises their pet travel: “Pet Travel from Delta for happy healthy, jet-set pets” BUT this is what happened to me: On 1/22/11 we were having our newest family member, a kitten we named Snickers shipped to us from Utah. We paid for her to be in a climate controlled cargo & even paid an extra $70 for an expedited service called Delta Dash which should have meant she was the first thing off or on the plane. When we got to the airport, we waited, her flight came in at 8:40, they didn’t bring her out to us until 9:30. (50 minutes after the plane landed) She was cold, pale, limp & unresponsive & had blood coming from her nose & mouth. My family rushed her to the emergency vet, but on the drive, she passed. The vet pronounced her DOA, she died from extreme hypothermia, she froze to death. Apparently, what we thought was a warm cargo bin, wasn’t. When a plane lands, climate control is lost & she didn’t stand a chance for 50 minutes in their cargo hold. If for any reason there is a holdup on the tarmac, our animals are trapped, unable to escape the extreme cold or extreme heat in the summer. Our family is devastated & Delta’s response has been disgusting. They valued her life at 50 cents per pound if you can even believe that. Life to them is worth no more then 50 cents a pound — DISTURBING! BUYER BEWARE!
April 28th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Delta Airlines Horror Story!
Although I did not travel with pets (I wouldn’t subject them to understand what I humanly was abused with) I just sent a damning letter to Delta,com and plan to follow-up with Hotels.com tomorrow and let them know just what they are partnering with. On earlier today on a flight from SAT to DTW, a return flight, I was subjected to the most boorish, horrifying rudeness I have seen in a flight attendant, though the whole incident lasted out a few minutes, I was told that after volunteering for overhead bag to be stored away from my seating because the airline had overbooked the flight and some cretins were as usual in violation of stretching the one bag rule to its obcessive limit that I was told to find something in my area or check it. This after I booked nearly a month ago and these illegitimate people had the use of my advance money to platform the other latecomers who rudely tried to marginalize me. Time would fail me of retelling what a pleasure it is to fly in this police state-ridden era of post security let alone being subjected to this kind of rudeness after running that gauntlet. I was considering Southwest and I doubt that First Class would warrant civiltiy but I suspect I will never fly Delta again after this incident and I also suspect that the terminally cheap and corrosive Northwest Orient has ruined a once promising franchise that Delta once was. If you are reading this, take Amtrak or charter private…these peolpe have lost all humanity while they squeeze the customer out of their just service.