Let me relay my recent experience and you can decide.

Every time I’ve flown Northwest, the crew has worked really hard to provide a good
customer experience. I cannot say the same for Delta. Recently I’ve had a few trips
where half of the journey is on Northwest and half is on Delta, which has amplified
the differences. What I want to know is: Which airline’s
employee performance expectations and systems are going to win out in the merger?

On a recent Sunday, I boarded a Northwest flight and was greeted by the pilot accompanied
by smiling, attentive flight attendants. After we all boarded and got situated prior
to take off, the pilot came over the intercom to welcome us and give updates about
our destination and the weather. During the flight, he came on a few more times with
quick, to-the-point announcements letting us know how the flight was going and what
to expect. Upon landing, pilot and flight attendants thanked us for flying Northwest,
saying they appreciate our business and hope we had a good experience. They even handed
out customer comment cards for providing feedback. (Funny enough, the header on the
comment card was for Delta!)

Within forty-eight hours I was on a Delta flight, which I can’t help but label Customer
Service Stupidity. As we boarded the plane, maintenance workers were visibly working
outside of the plane and a few were actually inside the cockpit. So boarding set an
uneasy tone with passengers, but to top it off, we sat in our seats for over thirty
minutes before one of the workers tapped the pilot on the shoulder and said, “Maybe
you want to tell them what’s going on.”

Only then did we learn that a part needed to be changed and the workers were simply
following SOP to make sure everything was in working order. We were delayed more than
an hour overall, but those thirty minutes of silence fueled my anxiety and disappointment
with the Delta experience. I know I wasn’t the only one wondering if there was something
wrong with the plane or if the delay was going to make me miss my connecting flight.
And the pilot did not think to give us an update until he was prompted to do so by
someone else!

It only got worse from there.

After giving us the initial update on what the maintenance was about, the pilot only
spoke five more words the entire flight: “Flight attendants prepare for takeoff.”

The weather was bad and the flight was turbulent. The flight attendants were grumpy
and dour. As passengers, we want to have basic comfort knowing the pilot is thinking
of us as more than cargo; yet this pilot did not utter another sound the whole time,
neglecting to even notify the flight attendants of landing.

Delta apparently does not have nonnegotiable behaviors or protocol in place for pilots
to follow, and if they do then shame on this flight crew for not following it. I used
my “Northwest” comment card to express my incredible dissatisfaction with Delta’s
customer experience and plan on sending additional correspondence expressing my distaste.
I sincerely believe Delta hates customers and Northwest wants to love you. I hope
Northwest’s processes and systems win out.