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Problems w PreCheck, Faster wi-fi, Delta devalues miles, fall season outlook

September 19, 2012

Delta introduced Economy Comfort on domestic flights this time last year, and by June of this year it was on all two-class aircraft. Does that make you happy…or sad? Please leave your comments about EC below. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

PROBLEMS WITH PRECHECK? We are hearing from an increasing number of travelers frustrated that they are not being chosen for PreCheck, the TSA’s new trusted traveler fast lanes at ATL and elsewhere. While the TSA will not reveal why or why not travelers are chosen, we are now hearing about some patterns… for example, those who are NOT chosen have made their reservation within 24 hours of flight time. Others report that they are never chosen if they are flying on the domestic leg of an international trip. I’ve found that using the Delta mobile app, which displays my boarding pass on my smartphone, nearly always gets me the “three beeps” and into the fast lane. What about you? Are you noticing any other patterns in the TSA’s “random” selection process? Leave your comments below.

BETTER, FASTER INFLIGHT WI-FI. Canadian regulators have given the greelight to Gogo, the popular in-flight wi-fi provider, to get started on extending its ground-based network north of the US border. Service should be available starting in 2013. Also, JetBlue now says that it will (finally) offer a faster new satellite-based inflight wi-fi product—for free—starting in early 2013. JetBlue says that the new service is fast enough to allow streaming of movies in-flight—something you cannot do on the current version of Gogo. Maybe this competition will force Gogo to temper its recent price increases—now running at $18 for transcon flights. Not to be outdone by JetBlue, its largest competitor in the key NYC market, Delta now says that using new technology, it, too will offer the option of streaming movies and TV shows using inflight wi-fi on all 800 of its domestic two-class aircraft “by the end of 2013.”

WI-FI SURPRISE. With Delta and AirTran leading the industry with in-flight wi-fi on nearly every flight, we in Atlanta are pretty spoiled. Such ubiquity is not the case elsewhere, and in fact, only 31% of domestic flights (1,165 aircraft) in the US have it. At Southwest, 35% of planes have it, just 22% of American Airlines planes have it, and at United, the world’s largest carrier, only 1% of its flights have it.  Another big surprise: Usage of inflight wi-fi on the planes that offer it it miniscule—just 5.4% for the first half of 2012. I think that number is quite low due to the fact that most flights are so short that it does not make sense to log on in-flight— but I have witnessed a much higher usage rate on those 3-5 hour transcons out west. As a matter of fact, the availability of wi-fi is THE main factor when I’m chosing an airline for flights longer than three hours. What about you? How important is in-flight wi-fi in your airline decision? Please leave your comments below.

TOUGHER TO TRACK SKYMILES. Customers who keep track of their mileage program balances on sites like AwardWallet.com or TripIt Pro are losing the ability to track their Sky Miles. Delta is cutting off these sites from accessing our frequent flyer program data and frustrating members in the process. According to a cease and desist letter, Delta feels these sites are performing “computer trespass.” What this means is that Delta is making it tougher for its best, most loyal customers to keep track of multiple programs in one place. In addition to Delta, American and Southwest/AirTran do not participate with third party programs designed to make life a little easier for frequent travelers. To us, that’s short-sighted and frustrating. Frequent flyers, not the airline, should be able to choose with whom they share their program data. Do you agree? Have you used these programs to help monitor your miles? Please leave your comments below.

EASY 500+ SKYMILES BONUS. You gotta park at the airport anyway, so why not help out The TICKET, and our newest sponsor, Peachy Airport Parking, on your next trip? You’ll help yourself, too, since Peachy is offering TICKET readers 500 SkyMiles plus three SkyMiles per dollar spent. If you are tired of worrying about on-airport lot sellouts, long, dark walks to your car or the congested mess that is Camp Creek Parkway, just exit I-85 south at Sylvan Road, one mile north of the airport, and follow the signs to Peachy. Once there, you’ll find extra wide spaces in a secure, climate controlled indoor lot, a free car wash and a short two-minute shuttle ride to the airport. Daily rates are just $6.99 outdoor or $8.99 indoor. COME ON! Help keep The TICKET free by clicking on this link or on the ad to the right to learn more about ATL’s newest parking option. Note: You have to click on the link and print the page to get the SkyMiles! 

SEEING DOUBLE AT SOUTHWEST/AIRTRAN. From now through November 15, Southwest Rapid Rewards and AirTran A+ Reward members earn DOUBLE points on all flights. On Southwest, more expensive Business Select fares earn 24 points per dollar– that’s four times more than the standard six per dollar on its cheapest Wanna Get Away fares. Must register here to get the bonus: Southwest | AirTran

TICKET editor Chris McGinnis discusses his outlook for the fall travel season on national news! If you have plans for trips between now and through the holidays, tune in!

SKY CLUB NUMERO 54. The 54th Delta Sky Club (and third at La Guardia) has opened in the lounge that was formerly the US Airways Club in Terminal C. Now part of the expanded Delta operation there, passengers transfer between the two terminals by shuttle bus, but a bridge is already under construction. The club features the same snazzy look of other renewed clubs around the system and has excellent views of Delta’s new gates and terminal operation. (Stay tuned to The TICKET for a slideshow of Delta’s new Sky Club at ATL’s new Terminal F.)

EASIER CHARGING. Tired of being one of the huddled masses gathered around the single electrical outlet near your gate? Delta is adding new charging stations at gate areas in 13 more airports. For example, in Tokyo, four of Delta’s gates were recently updated with power stations that feature six standard U.S. 110 volt outlets and two powered USB ports. Delta also is adding the popular feature at airports in Anchorage, Alaska; Austin, Texas; Denver; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Houston Intercontinental; Kansas City, Mo.; Milwaukee, Wis.; New Orleans; Ontario, Calif.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; and Syracuse, N.Y.

DC-9’S STILL FLYING. With Comair out of the picture, Delta has reinstated mainline jet service (using its fleet of ancient DC-9s inherited from Northwest) between Atlanta and Chattanooga, and Atlanta and Wilmington, NC.

While there is plenty negative news coming out of ATL’s new Terminal F, here’s a bright spot: The Varsity is there! Have you been? I love to sit back and watch non-English speakers try to understand the “whaddya haves!” (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

SHOOTING THE MESSENGER? Atlanta Airport has fired three long-term PR professionals in the wake of the generally negative reception by travelers and the media of ATL’s new terminal F.  Yep, these were they key contacts who helped The TICKET with our extensive coverage of the new terminal. They have all received stellar employee reviews over the years, but were served termination papers effective this month.  We are vexed by the whole thing…. it just smells funny. What do you think? On our Facebook page, W Evans comments: “It is so political there. From what I understand these three were wonderful employees. Guess someone’s relative needed a job!” Leave your comments below.

DID YOU KNOW… Did you know: That the TSA now allows travelers aged 75 and older to pass through airport security screening with jackets and shoes on?

MUSICAL SEATS ON THE AIRBUS. Delta has quietly removed a row of first class from its Airbus A-319 and A-320 planes. When these were in the Northwest fleet, they offered 16 seats, but now the planes offer just 12. It’s important to understand that Delta did this to add Economy Comfort seats in the main cabin. Since many of these planes are used on routes to Latin America or cross-country, the added space in Economy Comfort when an upgrade doesn’t clear is certainly appreciated. What do you think? Is it better to have more first class… or more Economy Comfort? Leave your comments below.

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STEALTHY SKYMILES AWARD CHANGE. Earlier this month, Delta quietly raised the award redemption levels for a few mid- and high-tier mileage awards by 5,000 miles—with no advance warning. These include economy class awards to and from the Caribbean, Mexico, deep South America, and Europe where, for example, the mid-tier redemption increased from 90,000 miles to 95,000 miles. Luckily, travelers willing to pay the exorbitant high-tier mileage for a business class ticket to Southeast Asia can save 20,000 miles since Delta dropped the redemption level on that lone award. Surprisingly, many travelers do redeem their SkyMiles for these mid- and high-tier awards despite being a very poor redemption value. For now, at least, none of the low level awards were affected. Hmm. This does not bode well for the future…as airlines have consolidated and competition is reduced, I’m afraid we’ll see more high-handed and troubling moves on the part of Delta…and all the remaining legacy leviathans. What do you think? Is it time to start dumping those miles before they are devalued out of existence? Please leave your comments below.

B-A-A-A. Did you hear that ATL, like a handful of other airports in the country, is considering using a herd of sheep and goats to help keep plant growth near runways trimmed back? WXIA reports that these goats would be the same ones that have helped clear kudzu and other growth at City of Atlanta parks like Chastain. Apparently the herbivores do a better job than humans, and help avoid the use of harmful herbicides.

Coming soon to The TICKET! Our slideshow of images and our take on Delta’s newest Sky Club at ATL’s Terminal F (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

EASIER ORDERING AT MSP. Flyers used to ordering a meal on the built-in iPads in the New York Delta gate areas can now enjoy the same service when flying through Delta’s Minneapolis/St. Paul hub. The concept has proven quite popular and Delta is now working with restaurant operators to distribute 250 iPads to restaurants in Concourse G: , MinniBar, an upscale “sandwich bar;” Mimosa, a French country restaurant and raw bar; and Shoyu, a Japanese eatery. The iPads will be placed inside the restaurants at each seat so diners can order from a visual menu. While waiting for their meals, customers can use the iPads to surf the Internet, check email, or visit social media sites. Plans call for expanding the program with 4,500 iPads to other Delta hub airports.

HOLA ARGENTINA. Aerolineas Argentinas, Delta’s first full South American partner is now officially a part of SkyTeam. However, the full roster of reciprocal benefits does not begin until the end of 2012. Between now and then, travelers can earn and burn miles on the Argentine carrier and make use of its lounges, but Sky Priority benefits will not be extended until the end of the year at their hubs. From the US, Aerolineas Argentinas flies nonstop from Miami to its hub in Buenos Aires only. Have you ever flown Aerolineas Argentinas? If so, what did you think?

FREE WI-FI AT LAX. On your next visit to LAX, be sure to take advantage of their new, free-of-charge wireless Internet service. The airport is dropping its expensive fees to use its signal and joins numerous other major airports like San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, and Orlando in easing the strain of waiting for a flight. Hello, Atlanta Airport?? Hello?

TICKET readers see a lot of gross things on the plane such as barefeet on the bulkhead. What do you think? Should travelers be allowed to prop their feet (bare or shod) on the bulkhead? Please leave your comments below. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

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  • http://Www.michaeljdaugherty.com Mike Daugherty

    I have Global Entry, Nexus, and pre-flight. I am Diamond and a four million miler. Nevertheless I have cleared through preflight only twice out of the last SIXTEEN flights. I hate that “too bad so sad” look on the face of the TSA person. The TSA manager says call Delta, the Delta people say call the TSA. The TSA manager in Atlanta went and got me a comment card to mail in . A Delta phone agent on the Diamond desk said her last day was two days from our call so she might as well tell me she hears this all the time What a crock of bull that program is. I pretend it doesn’t exist anymore. More false marketing from a bunch of buffoons. They don’t look a any issues. They just call it a security precaution. I was a fool to believe Delta and the TSA in the dirst place, two organizations where truth goes missing daily. What was I thinking?

  • Bob Sabin

    A few months ago, I signed up for monthly Gogo on Delta for $35/month. I thought I was buying one month, but it’s ongoing until I cancel. With as few as two roundtrips a month, it pays for itself. So even on those 40 minute flights within the southeast, I can fire up and feel OK.

  • http://Www.vacationexpress.com Gantt Cookson

    I have Global Entry that automatically enrolls me into Pre-check. I get the fast lane about 50% of the time in ATL but almost always in other airports that offer it. My partner is less lucky and has been in the fast track maybe 20% of the time. Global Entry is worth having on its own, so I feel like the times I do get the ‘no laptop out – no shoes off’ is a bonus. It does seem like the system is a bit flawed. One should be considered a trusted traveler or not. Doubt I would sign up for it on its own. I always use a printed boarding pass – interesting to hear your comment about the electronic ones.

  • Peter Barth

    I am global entry nexus diamond and 2 million miler enrolled in the trusted TSA traveler program
    I have only been chosen once out of 18 domestic flights boarding out of DTW
    I am a Canadian citizen. Can that be a reason For such a poor % of access to the fast lane?
    As per previous comments here on the Ticket, I have also been told by TSA management to talk to Delta about this and on the diamond line I have been told to talk to the TSA ??? Some game they are playing with us???

  • Greg Schultz

    I am also enrolled in the Global Entry program and am Diamond (only a 1 million miler, though!). I’ve gotten the TSA pre-check lane almost every time I’ve gone out in the past year. The only time I haven’t been given the pre-check lane was as I was leaving for an international flight or returning from an international flight (in terminal E). I’ve also never been “selected” in an airport other than ATL.

  • http://www.dailysalesthoughts.com Phil Bush

    I am a Diamond with 4.5 Million Skymiles and Global Entry. Maybe that is the ticket, as I am cleared on Pre-Check nearly every time. I have other issues with Delta, starting with last night’s flight from SFO to JFK. I was in a Middle Seat for 4 and 1/2 hours. I would like to shoot the idiot that replaced the regular 757 First Class Seats with a SMALLER number of Business Elite Seats. It is better to have a regular First Class Seat than Economy Comfort, in my view.

  • DL Platinum

    I too am a Diamond and three million miler and have only once out of 6 attempts been “approved” (3 beeps) to use pre-check. And yes, I have Nexus, Global Entry, and Can Pass. And the only time I was approved was in LAX and they didn’t use the pre-check system, but still allowed people to keep laptops and liquids in the bags, and footwear on?!

    I have been told that if you make any changes to your reservation including seat changes in the 24 hour window prior to flight, it will dis-allow you. I have also been told that your name in the ticket PNR must EXACTLY match your global entry name.

  • George Nathan

    Pre-Check is a great concept, but not when you never know if you are a “chosen” person. At first, I was always cleared. Then, it stopped. (I am Diamond with over 2 million miles.)
    I discovered that my Global Entry info was different from my Delta info (full middle name versus middle initial). I deleted the Global Entry info from the “Trusted Traveler” section and now everything seemsto be OK. My last 2 round trips, I have been cleared for Pre-Check.

  • prudur

    It is not time to dump the miles but certainly time to dump Delta altogether. Their Skymiles Program has been reduced to nothing, all that was good about it and served as an incentive to fly with Delta was abolished. Service is below standard. There is no reason to fly Delta anymore.

  • http://www.ProgressiveVoices.com Jon Sinton

    Two comments:
    First, I find the onboard GoGo wifi to be a useless waste of time. Embarrassingly slow speeds, but at least it’s overpriced.

    Second, I’ve given up on Pre-Check. I’m lifetime Gold with 3.5 million miles and rarely get chosen even though I also have Global Entry and Nexus (they’re more than worthwhile as standalone products). I park in North Gold at ATL, so it’s a long walk to South security, generally for naught. The “test” phase has gone too long. Obviously, they have issues they can’t sort out. I’ll let them do that on someone else’s time.

  • Bill

    I retired recently after 12 years of 5-9 international and 2-3 domestic trips on DL yearly ending up with over 2 million miles. I’ve been told that that just makes me a lifetime silver which as we all know is worthless. I was a charter platinum for 3 years and an executive partner in ’06-’07. I was told, when I switched from AA in ’98 that 2 million was worth lifetime Gold. Now I’m told that the rules have changed. My wife and I still do 1 International and 2-3 domestics yearly, but my flying on DL will now be over.

  • Chris Walker

    The feet on the bulkhead position has always bothered me, whether those feet are clothed in shoes, the ubiquitous flip flops, socks, sandals, stockings or just bare. I often wonder if those people who do this disgusting act in public also put their feet on the walls of their homes? Has it gotten so bad nowadays that people feel as though they are entitled to make any public place they are occupying for a temporary time their own nest and feel free to be as messy and nasty as they are at home? Oh, how nice it would be to return to those days of dressing up before we traveled, especially on an airplane, before the Greyhound terminal was moved to the airport! I, for one, feel that the level of civility between travelers is affected by the attitudes which are, in turn, reflected in the manner of dress and behaviors in public.

  • Gregg Shafer

    No feet on the bulkhead – bare or shod. Why should we have to look at someone’s ugly feet. T-shirts and flip flops are bad enough.

  • Bob Grossman

    I, too, am a Million Miler with Delta, a Diamond Medallion since that level’s inception and someone with Pre-Check and Global Entry. When the Pre-Check program was initiated in Atlanta, I was clearing it roughly 80% of my flights out of ATL during the first month. Since then, I have not been cleared a single time and I have flown more than 45 flights out of Atlanta since that time. I realize that it is a “random” process, but it’s hard to believe that I haven’t had it once in 45 times! I’ve inquired of both Delta and TSA and each one seems to point in the other’s direction. I enjoyed having it that first month, but something clearly seems awry with the program.

  • Stephen G

    The feet on the bulkhead walls is right up there with passengers passing greasy, stinky food to one another in flight and parents placing used baby diapers on the floor. Sometimes I feel like I’m flying in a port-a-potty with wings.

  • Edward

    re: feet on bulkhead, I get it as far as complaints stemming from the “manner” angle. I don’t get it when people complaint SO STRONGLY about it, considering that the people who are disgusted by it, are likely the same people who wear their shoes into their own home or others’, into their bedrooms and closets.

  • Joe

    I was selected the first 10 times Pre-Check was available – have not been chosen since – 12 tries. Not sure but once I enrolled in Global entry I have not gotten through pre-check again. Another person I work with has had the same experience.

    and as other above have noted – TSA says its Delta’s fault and Delta says it is TSA’s fault. Overall the program sucks.

  • Mike Power

    Not only did I watch my selection disappear this summer (although to be fair I went from batting about .100 in July and August to about .600 this month), but I was asked by the agent if I was even enrolled in the program this past week. Here’s the rub: I don’t have anything official that says I’m in the program and when I ask I don’t get any confirmation from Delta or TSA other than an email from from Delta saying I was eligible as a Diamond.

    I have noticed that my likihood falls on tickets I book through our corporate travel agent as opposed to booking through Delta.com. I have also noticed that I have a higher percentage when I don’t check-n at the counter (am batting a big .000 after counter check-in).

  • Mike

    Barefeet on the bulkhead is so gross and rude. Imagine visiting a friend’s house and putting your feet on their wall. Why do people’s manors change on an aircraft?

  • Alba

    I am Platinum with Delta and have had Global Entry for 4 yrs. Never once have I been selected for Pre-check. I recently reached the 1 million mark and Delta sent me a very nice gift (jewelry from Tiffany’s). I love my bracelet and appreciate the gesture. Would like for Delta to offer services like other airlines… recently flew Air France’s equivalent of Economy Comfort… had great seats, great service: better food and amenities. Just flew Delta’s Econ. Comfort adn the only thing Delta offers is more leg room – big, big difference! Delta needs to get with it.

  • Les Faulk

    For me, it’s been smooth sailing since Pre-Check inception until being declined the last 4-5 flights in DECEMBER.

    Since the NEW Delta Website had recently been launched, I double-checked my PROFILE and noticed that my Global Entry # was missing. Maybe it was dropped when the data transfer occurred to the new website design.

    This worked for the next couple of flights until a few weeks ago. I went back into my PROFILE and it was missing again. However, this time the Delta Website prompted me to revise my Profile Name since it did not “match” my Global Entry NAME using full MIDDLE name and no initials.

    Pre-Check worked last flight the other day but we’ll see if it sticks for the next flight(s).stays