Traveling with a dog? Don't fly Delta Airlines
This is not my story, but the original poster encouraged crossposting, and I'm just horrified what this airline/airport did.
Quote:
From: Marcia Deugan
[email protected]
Subject: Major Airline screw up
Last Friday had to be one of the very most frustrating days of my entire life. Never have I encountered, all at once, such a group of un-co-operative uncaring people all working at the same company. The company is Delta Airlines.
Looking back, I should have realized that something was different. I have shipped puppies with Delta for over 30 years. This time, when I called the Pets First desk to make the reservation, at about 6 am one morning I got a recording telling me that it was closed and that I should call back during office hours. The recording did not say what those office hours were.
When I finally did get through to them later in the day after being on hold "waiting for the next available representative" for 25 minutes I made a reservation for last Friday, Feb. 3, 2006 for a puppy to go "Pets First" from Ft. Myers FL to Bloomington, Illinois, with a change of planes in Atlanta. I specifically asked them to check that the planes were big enough for a 200 crate, and was assured that both were full size Delta jets.
I went up to the airport cargo on Thurs. Feb. 2 to do the paper work, surrender the health certificates, etc. since the flight was at 6:55 on Friday morning and this would simplify . On Friday morning, I took puppy, crate, newspaper, towel, stuffed toy, baby blanket, an unopened bottle of water , dry food in a zip lock bag, and plastic dishes attached to the door of the shipping crate. Every inch of the crate and all items were examined, approved , and placed in or taped to the crate. This was at 5:30 in the morning.
My name and number, owner to be's name and number, were on at least 3 pieces of paperwork attached to the crate. My name, address, and telephone number are on the crate side in black laundry marker.
Puppy was to arrive in Bloomington at 11:30. At that time the new owner called me. The puppy was not on the plane. She was frantic. No one had called either of us. The airline did not know where he was. An hour later he was located in Atlanta. They informed us that he was not on the plane because they had used a different plane that did not allow dogs. So they just let him sit there. THEY NEVER CALLED TO LET US KNOW!.
No other flight with appropriate plane was scheduled that day. It was then arranged that he would fly (at 2:40 pm) to Peoria, Illinois and arrive there at 3:20 (change of time zones). OK - things happen. Not happy, but puppy would get there and new owner would drive to get him in Peoria. Then 3:20 arrived, so did the plane, and THE PUPPY WAS NOT ON THE PLANE. THEY NEVER CALLED EITHER ONE OF US TO SAY THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ON THE PLANE. I had called the Pet First Desk and been on hold for 60 minutes one time before giving up and 50 minutes another to make sure he was on the plane and never contacted a real person. The tracking site on the Delta web site would not show anything. A real person told us later that they DO NOT TRACK DOG SHIPMENTS, ONLY PLANES.
It took two hours for them to find him, still at the Atlanta airport. I was FRANTIC - I am 10 hours away from Atlanta. The new owner (at the airport in Peoria) was frantic. Once they located him (I am going, "has he been out to potty, has he got water, was he offered food?" - oh yes, he is fine, right here in front of me wagging tail.)
Arrangements made to put him on a plane at 8:40 pm. Got through to the pet desk at 9:00 - NO - THE PUPPY WAS NOT ON THAT FLIGHT - HE WAS STILL IN ATLANTA. Told to call a "logistics" number I found that he had not been put on that flight because it was carrying dry ice. BUT THEY NEVER CALLED EITHER OF US TO TELL US-------------WHY WHY WHY------------silence. Now, they told me, he would have to go to a kennel as they couldn't keep him at the airport for over four hours. I am to the screaming stage - he has already BEEN at the D------ airport for over 12 hours. Is the puppy OK, is he dehydrated? Has he been allowed out of the crate, does he have water? Puppy, they said, is fine. Will go to a kennel. I will be billed. They have no idea when puppy will fly to Illinois. ALSO TELL ME NOW THAT HE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SHIPPED OUT WITHOUT A FAX FROM ME CHANGING HIS DESTINATION. NEVER EVER MENTIONED THIS BEFORE ALL DAY LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tell them to hold - using cell phone I call Kitty Cahoon who is at dog shows in Atlanta. Kitty immediately agrees to go and get the puppy - I convey this to the idiot that I am talking to who then transfers me to another idiot who says that they won't release the puppy to anyone without a FAX. I stop trying to reason with them and scream that it is now 11:30 at night and I don't have a bloody FAX machine. No budging them. A rule. A contract that I signed that morning giving them jurisdiction over the puppy. I tell them that the contract has already been broken by THEM - that it was to deliver the puppy to Bloomington 12 hours earlier. I finally told them I would find a FAX machine if I had to drive 100 miles to do that - to not send the dog to a kennel. I am terrified that I will never see this puppy alive again. Finally my daughter gets hold of someone in the newpaper office that she knows and a FAX is sent.
Kitty picks up the puppy. He is, thank God, alive. He is also dehydrated, un- watered, un-fed and in a kennel with urine and stool, dirty paper, bedding, and toys. To her it seems he has never been taken out or fed or watered. In that shipping crate for 18 hours.
They go back to the show grounds to her RV and I sink to the floor crying and threatening to sue Delta for the inhumane and callous way they have managed to lose this pup and cause trauma to us all.
This is Sunday. Puppy was not in good enough shape to try to fly him yesterday. Fluids have helped and he is now back to acting good. Delta wants to "start over" to get him to Peoria. They also want me to pay another $200 to do so. Guess what - I have called my credit card company and that charge already there will be disputed until the day I die. I WILL NEVER USE DELTA TO SHIP A PUPPY AGAIN. I will tell everyone I know of the horrible way we were treated. I will contact every Delta official that I can get a name/address for. Any other suggestions? I WILL FOLLOW THROUGH.
All through this whole thing not one employee of Delta ever apologised for the problems. Not once did anyone, except for one ticket agent in Bloomington, even express sympathy. I told the last person I talked to at the Atlanta airport that if that puppy died that "heads would roll". Well, the puppy has survived. Kitty has him safe with her. We don't know at this time if he will continue his trip or what.
Right now we are just glad that he is alive. But heads are still going to roll.
Please feel free to post to any and all lists and concerned people so they can't do this to anyone else.
Marcia Deugan
ZIYADAH Sussex Spaniels
