Delta is one of two US airlines, or I guess, air lines, that guarantees that your checked bag will be in your hands within 20 minutes of your flight’s arrival at the gate. If it doesn’t, you’re entitled to 2,500 SkyMiles. Alaska is the only other US airline that offers this sort of thing.
It’s been rumored that Delta was fixing to ditch that 20-minute guarantee. The good news is that it’s sticking around, but you’d better be quick if you want those miles. Passengers have traditionally had 72 hours to complete the online form to request 2,500 miles for a tardy bag, but Delta has decided to shorten that period slightly. And by slightly, I mean by 70 hours.
Now, passengers have just 2 hours from gate arrival to request compensation for a delayed bag:
This does bring Delta in line with Alaska, and at least it still allows you to submit a claim online, unlike its Seattle competitor, which requires affected passengers to submit a claim in person with a customer service rep.
The dodgy part is that, as far as I know, there was no real announcement about this rule change; I found out about it from this FlyerTalk thread that’s been shared around the interwebs. That’s a crappy way to do things; Delta wants to continue advertising its bag guarantee but wants to compensate as few people as possible.
I suppose the bright side is that it still has a guarantee, and it remains a better policy than any other US carrier. Heck, most American Airlines or Southwest passengers would be thrilled to just have a guarantee that their bag would show up on the same day that they arrive. Once, when I checked in a bag on an AA flight, the desk agent told me to buy a lottery ticket, because I must feel lucky. I think she was joking?
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Calling Alaska’s Customer Care gets the reimbursement. I have done this at my home airport, IAH, which does not have a luggage office, and at several other airports including PDX and SEA.
This shouldn’t really affect too much. If the bags are taking this long I usually have the app open while waiting for the carousel to start, so I submit the claim as soon as the 20-min mark hits.
They’re assuming we’ll be too tired and hassled to bother. OTOH, I fly DL all the time and can’t remember the last time my bags took over 20 min.
The Alaska policy is so crappy. Who wants to wait in a 30 minute line with other pissed off delayed people after having just waited 30 minutes for bags? Delta’s is way better just by virtue of being able to do it while in line for the rental car place or in your taxi.
And at my little home airport they don’t have a baggage office. They direct people with bag issues to the ticket counter, and guess what you usually don’t find there at 10pm or 11pm when many flights arrive? You got it – agents. They are all busy putting bags on the belt or cleaning the aircraft for the morning departures.
My home airport isn’t SEA but I fly into SEA often on AS and my bags get out on the belts after the 20 min deadline with good frequency there. The 3-4 times in the past couple years I’ve had bags delayed, the line was 15 deep at least to speak with an agent and the line was not quick moving. I guess that’s obviously the point in making the policy live agent only – to discourage as many people as possible.