Dear Delta,

Dear Delta,

It wasn't that I missed my flight (well just a little bit), it was that you just didn't listen to me when I did. I am a customer. I paid money for this flight. I paid extra to fly from MSP to LSE. When I missed my flight, I ran to the next gate to ask if you could page someone to get me on the plane. The gate attendant just pointed to the phones and told me to get in line. I saw the plane drive away. When I spoke to someone on the phone, she said the only flight I could get on was the next morning. No help with a hotel and no help with a car due to bad weather. Bad weather? It is Winter in the Midwest. That is not an excuse. No snow, no ice.

Next I went to baggage to get my luggage. I mean I didn't make the flight so there was no way my luggage did. No bag. I stood in line and the people at the counter told me it would be a two hour wait for someone to find my bag and bring it out. So I took a shuttle to my hotel, which I paid for, and waited. Then I took the shuttle back to get my bag. I gave them three hours (an extra hour just in case). I looked around and no bag. I stood in line and they said it would be four hours. Picture me getting bright red angry! They said to come back. I said I already had. So I went to go get a beer but everything was closed. So I went back and got my overnight kit from them.

Inside the Skyteam overnight kit is an XL t-shirt, a toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, razor and shaving gel and deodorant. What the kit should have is dark chocolate, a couple bottles of beer, wine or liquor, socks, some Advil, playing cards, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a voucher for free luggage on your next flight.

So I had the shuttle driver drop me off at the hotel next door which has a bar. I had a beer and got some to go beers and cheesecake. I am used to delayed flights, emergency landings, missing flights, but what I am not used to nor do I put up with is bad customer service. Today there are too many options to choose from to be just normal. All I wanted was for someone to listen to me and make me feel like they were helping me out. The first person to do that today was the shuttle driver and the bartender.

A few years ago I had a similar experience with Delta and had not flown with them since. Looks like I am a United customer for life. Even if I have to drive a few extra hours I know it will be worth it in the end.

Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people - your family, friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way. --Barbara Bush