Airline baggage fees ran into more trouble when Delta charged U.S. military personnel returning from Afghanistan $2,800 for excess baggage. As many as 34 soldiers were involved according to media reports when a Delta agent said the troops would have to pay for a fourth bag. The returning troops paid, but an online posting about the high fee caught fire and left Delta under fire.
Delta quickly offered its online apology with a blog post. “We realize many of you have questions regarding members of the U.S. Military traveling with us on active duty today from BWI, and we want to take this opportunity to answer some of the recurring questions we’ve been hearing in our social media channels, as well as share some insight into our policies and procedures.”
“First and foremost we want you, our customers, to know how deeply Delta respects and admires the men and women who fight every day for our country. On a personal level, we as a company have very strong ties to the armed forces, with countless employees, family, friends and loved ones serving actively or on reserve, and many more who are retired from military service. I myself am the proud wife of an Army reservist here in Georgia. We at Delta understand what it takes to travel as an active duty member of the military, which is why we worked hard to ensure our policies allow active duty U.S. Military Personnel traveling with us additional flexibility.” Delta said.
“Currently, Active Duty U.S. Military Personnel traveling on orders may check up to 4 bags in First/Business class and 3 bags in Coach for free both domestically and internationally. Additionally, to help with the travel process, we allow each bag to weight an extra 20 pounds over the standard allowance.”
“In the case of today’s situation, we would like to publicly apologize to those service men and women for any miscommunication regarding our current policies as well as any inconvenience we may have caused. We are currently looking further into the situation, and will be reaching out to each of them personally to address their concerns and work to correct any issues they have faced.”
The Delta blog post was signed by Rachael R, Manager, Delta Social Media.
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