Delta Airlines Charges US Soldiers Returning Home For 'Extra' Bag

• imex99

  

  [video=youtube;_borufk9RTc][/video]
  
  Swyped from my HTC Evo with Eternal Prophecy 6.0 ROM.
• Nate

  Big fucking deal...
• Nate

  Why do people get the assumption because they are in the military they should be given handouts?
• Tiger2003

  

  Nate;794341 wrote:Why do people get the assumption because they are in the military they should be given handouts?

  
  It is a big deal. Because these soldiers just got home from War. There flight is supposed to be totally free. You are allowed 4 bags per person. I would understand if they were going somewhere on there own but they are flying back to the base or if they had 5 bags.
  
  They spent almost $3000 out of their own pocket.
• Jawbreaker

  I have noticed that most airlines go out of their way to acknowledge troops on their flights.
  
  Is this Army protocol on how to report the issue? Cellphone camera and Youtube?
• enigmaax

  Tiger2003;794369 wrote:It is a big deal. Because these soldiers just got home from War. There flight is supposed to be totally free. You are allowed 4 bags per person. I would understand if they were going somewhere on there own but they are flying back to the base or if they had 5 bags.
  
  They spent almost $3000 out of their own pocket.

  
  I thought it was funny when the dudes were talking about "the contract". Their flight is NOT "supposed to be totally free". And here's the baggage policy straight from Delta:
  
  "U.S. Military personnel on active duty with travel orders may check in 3 bags in Economy Class and up to 4 checked bags in First/Business on Delta aircraft or Delta Connection® carriers, at no additional charge."
• Jawbreaker

  Active duty U.S. military personnel traveling on orders to or from duty stations are allowed up to three checked bags in Economy Class and up to four checked bags in First and Business Class on Delta and Delta Connection® carriers at no charge. Each bag may weigh up to 70 lbs. (32 kg) and measure up to 80 linear inches (203 cm).
  
  http://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/baggage/checked/index.jsp
  
  Edit: Beat me to it enigmaax.
• dwccrew

  

  Tiger2003;794369 wrote:It is a big deal. Because these soldiers just got home from War. There flight is supposed to be totally free. You are allowed 4 bags per person. I would understand if they were going somewhere on there own but they are flying back to the base or if they had 5 bags.
  
  They spent almost $3000 out of their own pocket.

  
  I don't think Delta was wrong and this is coming from an Iraqi Veteran. Delta has to be concerned with how much luggage will weigh the plane down and burn more fuel, which costs Delta more money. In turn, Delta HAS to charge extra, otherwise they lose money.
  
  If these soldiers were halfway smart they'd just used their government issued credit card (which we all had in the military, at least my unit did) and charge it to that. This would be an authorized charge. If the military wanted to dispute it it would be their problem, not the individual soldiers.
• Tiger2003

  

  Delta is looking at the policy. I believe some things will be changed. All I know is when I returned from Iraq and Afghan I had 4 bags each time and was never charged.
• Tiger2003

  

  dwccrew;794385 wrote:
  If these soldiers were halfway smart they'd just used their government issued credit card (which we all had in the military, at least my unit did) and charge it to that. This would be an authorized charge. If the military wanted to dispute it it would be their problem, not the individual soldiers.

  
  Don't know what unit you were in but I never had a government issues credit card.
• Tiger2003

  

  Also the Soldiers orders could have been different. I'm pretty sure 2 Staff Sgt would have read the order. If Delta had a problem they should have took it up with the government.
• dwccrew

  

  Tiger2003;794389 wrote:Don't know what unit you were in but I never had a government issues credit card.

  
  I was in the Air Force, not sure if the Marines had the same policy or not. But when I returned from deployment I charged everything (food, gas, hotel stay for layover) all to my issued charge card without incident.
• areyoukiddingme

  First - to Nate...Move to Canada!
  
  Delta will make things right, I'm sure.
• Tiger2003

  

  dwccrew;794400 wrote:I was in the Air Force, not sure if the Marines had the same policy or not. But when I returned from deployment I charged everything (food, gas, hotel stay for layover) all to my issued charge card without incident.

  
  No the Marines don't have the same money the Chair Force does. It is totally different when we fly home we don't get any of the high life that all of you get. 90% of the time we fly back to our base we are on a C-130.
• ts1227

  

  Nate;794341 wrote:Why do people get the assumption because they are in the military they should be given handouts?

  
  That's what it has mutated into since 2003. I understand some perks as a way of showing gratitude, but it's turned into an assumed free pass through life.
  
  Obviously everyone thanks soldiers for their service, but you signed up for the job on your own volition, thus making it an expectation to receive preferential treatment kind of peculiar.
• dwccrew

  

  Tiger2003;794403 wrote:No the Marines don't have the same money the Chair Force does. It is totally different when we fly home we don't get any of the high life that all of you get.

  
  That's because Air power reigns supreme.
• Tiger2003

  

  dwccrew;794415 wrote:That's because Air power reigns supreme.

  
  Oh yah you guys do so much. Where would we be without you guys. GTFO
• enigmaax

  Tiger2003;794399 wrote:Also the Soldiers orders could have been different. I'm pretty sure 2 Staff Sgt would have read the order. If Delta had a problem they should have took it up with the government.

  
  I'm pretty sure the 2 Staff Sgts didn't know what the hell they were talking about, so Delta didn't have the problem.
• Curly J

  

  Tiger2003;794417 wrote:Oh yah you guys do so much. Where would we be without you guys. GTFO

  You wouldn't get to fly in those nice C-130's. You'd be stuck taking a Navy ship over seas...
• FatHobbit

  

  http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/06/08/soldiers.bags.delta/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
  
  When I read they had to pay $2800 in bag fees I was a little pissed. And then I kept reading and found out there were 34 soldiers. It seems like there was a miscommunication in how many bags they were allowed to bring, but the govt is reimbursing them so this is really a non story to me.
• j_crazy

  

  Nate;794341 wrote:Why do people get the assumption because they are in the military they should be given handouts?

  
  if you watched the video the issue isn't that they had to pay, it's that they had to pay 200 bucks for a bag that the government contract is supposed have allowed them to transport for free.
  
  i'm with you, i take issue with the guys expecting it and making an issue when it's not presented to them. but having it in writing that you are supposed to be granted that perk and not recieving it would definitely piss me off, and I'm on their side.
• enigmaax

  j_crazy;794677 wrote:if you watched the video the issue isn't that they had to pay, it's that they had to pay 200 bucks for a bag that the government contract is supposed have allowed them to transport for free.
  
  i'm with you, i take issue with the guys expecting it and making an issue when it's not presented to them. but having it in writing that you are supposed to be granted that perk and not recieving it would definitely piss me off, and I'm on their side.

  
  They were wrong about the phantom contract they quoted. Please note, they didn't actually produce anything in writing, yet you can go to Delta's website and read the military policy. In the article above, Delta re-confirmed that they were appropriately charged but now Delta has to deal with the backlash of a misinformed public.
• Nate

  Move to Canada because I don't think the military should get anymore handouts than they already do? Because they are fighting wars oversea that do not benefit America at this point? That's about retarded. I support our armed forces and respect them but how much handouts can we give the troops?
• sleeper

  

  More over glorification of the military. Endless handouts. I'd much rather not have a military, its getting ridiculous how many money these guys make(I'm not just talking salary, but the benefits package is unreal for the work they do).
• thavoice

  sleeper;794848 wrote:More over glorification of the military. Endless handouts. I'd much rather not have a military, its getting ridiculous how many money these guys make(I'm not just talking salary, but the benefits package is unreal for the work they do).

  
  I am hoping you forget to use the sarcasm font