A thank you

With the tone of my last few blogs, you’re probably thinking this is

going to be another one haranguing Delta for their continued lack of
response to my concerns. They have yet to respond, but that is a topic
for another time. Today’s blog is a tip of the proverbial hat to a
venue that is very wheelchair friendly.

On Saturday night I found myself with free tickets to the Georgia Force

game at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

I received the tickets as part of a promotional effort and they were
not officially in the handicapped section; naturally I was a bit
worried. To my pleasant surprise the ticket was honored as is and I
was given a seat in the handicapped section with no hassle. This is my
2nd time attending an event at the Gwinnett arena and both times I

have been pleased with my experience. The wheelchair accessible seating

allows for great visibility and access to and from the concessions
couldn’t be easier.   The seats were great but I cannot say enough
about the staff - the ushers were helpful, directing me to the nearest
accessible bathroom to my seat, offering to help me get my food to my
seat and even speaking with me, not to my bipedal date. I know
speaking to me doesn’t sound like a big deal, but often when I'm out
with my friends, service staff speaks with my companions rather then

me.  It’s annoying.  Arena staff seemed to treat me as a human being, not

as a novelty. Thank you for treating your disabled guests as guests
and not as annoyances to be dealt with.

I was also pleased to see two staff members who were in wheelchairs; again a very refreshing thing to see, Now if you only sold Wheeling Chef cookies - that would rock!

The game was fun and even though the Force came up short, I was
impressed with the fan interaction of the Force through the

@GeorgiaForceAFL twitter account and the PA announcer’s attempts to
bring the crowd into the game. You've gained a fan!

Hey next season maybe during the pre-game rush you can have some sword wielding
wheelchair dudes giving a demo!

The Delta saga continues

On July 1st I posted  an open letter to Delta on my blog, detailing my flight experience on June 12th.  A member of the Delta Assist Twitter team contacted me that night and asked for my flight my fight info and claim number.  After I provided the information the Delta Assist Twitterling asked for a contact email, and told me that a file would be created.  A file was going to be created?  A file was created on the day of the flight when I talked to my first customer service representative and then again on the 21st when a letter was sent to corporate customer care.  Ten days after the letter was received by corporate and eighteen days after the flight I had heard nothing from Delta,  not even a “We are looking into this” or  a “Go to hell, this isn't worth our time.”  So I took action by posting my letter.

I didn't expect anything to happen over the holiday weekend so I went on with my weekend, including attempting to practice in my Delta-modified fencing chair. On Sunday I was enjoying the Braves game when I saw a Delta commercial where they claim to have the customer's back; they are not just building a bigger airline but a better one.  My experience indicated that was not true, so I re-posted my letter on Twitter.  Another Delta Assist agent contacted me and asked for my flight information and claim number.  This time when I provided the information I informed the agent that they had already received this information on the 12th of June, 21st of June, the 1st of July and now the 3rd of July. It was at this point that I discovered yet another customer service failure.

When I discovered the damage to fencing wheelchair I reported the damage to the first line customer service representatives at the airport. I was told that I would be contacted the next day by a Delta representative to discuss what they could do to assist in the repair and/or replacement of my mobility device. When I told the Delta Assist agent this they informed me that average turnaround time for a response is thirty days. When one person tells me one thing and another tells me something else, the frustration level understandably rises exponentially. I was promised that my case would be escalated yesterday. I won't hold my breath on this one.

I do have to thank the Delta Assist individual that I communicated with on Sunday; they were the first person to apologize and offer to take action on my case.

I'm starting to wonder if Delta sees its disabled customers as secondary citizens whose safety is not as valuable as those people who have a Delta Sky Miles credit card, whose right to mobility can be compromised for the convenience of gate agents, and who can be given false promises to shut them up.

I wish to thank my friends on Twitter and Facebook who have shared my experience with their friends and family. I will keep you updated on how things progress.

An open letter to delta

Dear Delta Airlines

I'd like to commend you on the professionalism and care of your gate
agents, baggage handlers, and your customer service staff; I'd like to

compliment your staff on how they handled a problem with expediency

and fairness; I'd like to tell you how equitable and reasonable your

fees are. I'd like to compliment you on all of this; but given my

experience on 12 June 2011 and the days following, I cannot.

On 12 June 2011, I was returning to Atlanta Georgia from Oklahoma City
Oklahoma following a wheelchair fencing tournament. I checked my
fencing equipment bag, my secondary wheelchair and my carry on.  I was
traveling alone and would not be able to manage my bag and maneuver my
chair during my scheduled connection. I understand getting charged for
two bags, but individuals who require the use of mobility aids should

be able to check one bag for no charge.  After all, your Delta Air Miles
members get one free bag just for signing up.  I would think as a responsible

corporate citizen you would want to be seen as someone who is
concerned about the needs of your disabled passengers, as well as
those who use your credit card, or has profit overtaken your common
sense?

I have flown extensively in my life and am familiar with airline

policies regarding disabled passengers, specifically those that deal

with the gate checking of mobility devices and those regarding

boarding of those individuals.  Apparently those policies have changed
in the last few months since I last traveled with  Delta, as when I

approached the gate agent in Oklahoma an hour before boarding of my
flight to secure a gate check for my chair and to make the boarding
process easier for the gate agent, an attempt was made to have me
transfer into a seat in the waiting area and have me wait there until

the flight was boarded.  My chair would be placed aside, along with my

mobility until the flight.  Is it now the policy of Delta to limit the
mobility of disabled individuals within its waiting areas?  

 Surely you are not intending to deny a person freedom of movement within a
public area for the convince of your staff?  I did not give up my
chair, as I am sure you would not give up your legs.
I know that statement sounds ludicrous, but my wheelchair is my legs
and to be asked to give up my mobility shows that your staff are not sufficiently

trained and have total a disregard for individuals with disabilities.
Another disturbing policy change that I noticed on my 12 June 2011

flight was in the order of boarding.  It has been my experience that I

am first on the plane and last off, giving me sufficient time to

negotiate the jetway and get to and from my seat, providing a

measure of safety for myself and my fellow passengers. 
 I am fortunate that I can walk the short distance from the cabin door to my seat at
the bulkhead or a just behind it with the aid of the seat-backs and

arm rests  as balance points.  This eliminates the need for an aisle
chair and makes the gate crew’s job a bit easier.

 On this flight I was boarded with general boarding.  I was followed down the jet way by the
rest of the passengers and preceded on my way to my seat by the
passengers ahead of me.  The seat-backs and armrests that I needed as

my handholds were eliminated because the first class passengers had
already been seated. This policy must have been changed to accommodate
the tight scheduling now required in the world of air travel, because
I am sure you would never put scheduling ahead of the safety of any of
your passengers.

After my flight landed, the luggage I had paid $185 for was not to be

found.  This happens; it’s an annoyance of travel and I have had this

happen before so I waited for the flight that my luggage had taken.
When it had arrived I found my secondary wheelchair had been bent

beyond repair, and its wheels had been warped beyond true. 
 Following procedure, I filed a damage claim and was told that I would be

contacted by a Delta representative who would assist in the repair or
replacement of the wheelchair. I waited until 16 June to hear anything
from your customer service department and when I heard nothing, a
registered letter was sent to your corporate office, which I was told
initially did not physically exist, detailing what has been detailed
in this open letter, again I heard nothing, no explanation as to how
you intend to replace the wheelchair that cannot be mended. No
explanation as to why the individuals who sign up for your credit card
get one free bag on Delta flights when a person using a mobility
device cannot have one bag. Nothing regarding the treatment I received
at the hands of your gate agent, and what you as responsible corporate
citizens plan to do to prevent something like this from happening to
disabled individuals in the future. No response was received to the
registered letter so I have now been forced use this forum.  I hope
that we can finally come together and reach a solution to the issues
mentioned above.
Respectfully

Richard F Zengler