I do understand that you and your friend were put in extremely distressful situations by ill managed Airline companies
For sure, I would not risk taking Delta.
I would not book a connecting flight with 50 minutes gap between flights, i would not go to the airport 1 hour before the flight
when i have clearly been told that i need to be there 2 hours earlier.
I will make sure i play by the rules of the company whose service i choose, rather than hope that they will be considerate.
I do wish they had airlines have a clearer accountability.

Just that I find it tough to jump to a conclusion that political solution is the best way to tackle this.
I think it is far easier to campaign, atleast among friends and relatives that Delta Sucks.

Especially, given that people in power are no saints, and airlines would have bigger muscle than ordinary people and can lobby better than ordinary people.
And, we don’t vote political leaders based on policy on one issue.
there are a billion issues based on which we elect an official, and that too based on “promises”.
If a political leader goes back on a promise, which they often do.. there is nothing we can do.
you cant even think of suing them.
Semblance of accountability, i don’t think so.
I hope you watched John Stossel’s Politically incorrect guide to politics.
Did you watch how politcal leader pass laws?
Did you see how they tried to help people after Katrina.. with their regulations?
Did you see notice how regulations and the objective of helping people own houses has caused the economic slowdown for innocent people who didnt choose to take any risk other than live in a country that has idiots for leaders?

And, while there are some idiots everywhere, I think there are good examples in a lot of places.
Some of which we take for granted.
My friend slept off at the airport while waiting for a long haul connecting flight and he was allowed to get on the next flight.
I know someone who went to the airport without the tickets and was still allowed to board the flight
All components of technology and convinience right from a screw used in the smallest part of the plane to online check-ins have been realised by capitalism.
And, lesser the regulaltion, the faster has the innovation been.

Consumers are the best feedback for any system.
Capitalims is not a profit only system, the losses and negative feedbacks in terms of bottomline shape policies and innovations.

If delta sucks so much, why do people choose Delta.
may be because it is the cheapest.
There are risks in any activity we do.
If you had wanted a more assured service, you would have to pay a premium
Premium, because offering an assured service would in turn cost something to the airline company
If they didnt cost the airline company, who wouldnt want to attract all travellers by giving them an assured service at a competitive rate?

And, what do you mean by regulation?
How would you regulate?
Please share your ideas on what the airline must be mandated.

I do understand that you and your friend were put in extremely distressful situations by ill managed Airline companies
For sure, I would not risk taking Delta.
I would not book a connecting flight with 50 minutes gap between flights, i would not go to the airport 1 hour before the flight
when i have clearly been told that i need to be there 2 hours earlier.
I will make sure i play by the rules of the company whose service i choose, rather than hope that they will be considerate.
I do wish they had airlines have a clearer accountability.

Just that I find it tough to jump to a conclusion that political solution is the best way to tackle this.
I think it is far easier to campaign, atleast among friends and relatives that Delta Sucks.

Especially, given that people in power are no saints, and airlines would have bigger muscule than ordinary people and can lobby better than ordinary people.
And, we dont vote political leaders based on policy on one issue.
there are a billion issues based on which we elect an official, and that too based on “promises”.
If a political leader goes back on a promise, which they often do.. there is nothing we can do.
you cant even think of suing them.

And, while there are some idiots everywhere, I think there are good examples in a lot of places.
Some of which we take for granted.
My friend slept off at the airport while waiting for a long haul connecting flight and he was allowed to get on the next flight.
I know someone who went to the airport without the tickets and was still allowed to board the flight
All components of technology and convinience right from a screw used in the smallest part of the plane to online check-ins have been realised by capitalism.
And, lesser the regulaltion, the faster has the innovation been.

Consumers are the best feedback for any system.
Capitalims is not a profit only system, the losses and negative feedbacks in terms of bottomline shape policies and innovations.

If delta sucks so much, why do people choose Delta.
may be because it is the cheapest.
There are risks in any activity we do.
If you had wanted a more assured service, you would have to pay a premium
Premium, because offering an assured service would in turn cost something to the airline company
If they didnt cost the airline company, who wouldnt want to attract all travellers by giving them an assured service at a competitive rate?

And, what do you mean by regulation?
How would you regulate?
Please share your ideas on what the airline must be mandated.

@shankar:
To answer your questions first…. I do not have any proof (at least one that is admissible in court) to take an Delta airlines. Even if I did, I will end up bankrupting myself trying to sue Delta. They hire the best lawyers in the business, and they have the money to spend in running my legal fees so high that I can’t afford it.

As for writing Delta management, a friend of mine had a similar incident, except that she was stuck in-transit in Frankfurt. She was given 50 minutes to move from one terminal to another with a security check in-between. By the time she made it to the actual gate of departure, it was too late. And the airlines insisted that it was her fault, and that it was her responsibility to magically expedite everything that was not under her control. They wouldn’t book her on the next flight until she coughed up an additional $300. She didn’t have that kind of money. She used up her last few Euros to let me know of her situation and I had to wire funds to her account so that she could get the next flight home.
After she got back she wrote to the airlines about her experience, and explained how there was little she could have done to make it to the departure gate on time. All she got back was a letter that said we are are sorry, but we can’t do anything about it.

So yeah, writing to the management is useless.

I already tried threatening them and calling the media. Neither the airlines or the media seemed to care.

As for avoiding the airlines, I think its a systemic problem and is not specific to a particular airlines.

With respect to regulation and capitalism:
You asked what is the incentive for the govt to come up with laws that will help the common man. Well, admittedly there may not be much. However, what is the incentive for the airlines to impose such laws on themselves to serve the common man? Their only incentive is if it affects their profits positively. If it doesn’t then they dont care, and thanks to no regulation they aren’t answerable to anyone.
At least with respect the govt. in democracy, there is some (albeit weak) semblance of accountability through the election process.

As to my general opposition to deregulation… that would warrant and entire post. I will post one soon.

As for writing Delta management, a friend of mine had a similar incident, except that she was stuck in-transit in Frankfurt. She was given 50 minutes to move from one terminal to another with a security check in-between. By the time she made it to the actual gate of departure, it was too late. And the airlines insisted that it was her fault, and that it was her responsibility to magically expedite everything that was not under her control. They wouldn’t book her on the next flight until she coughed up an additional $300. She didn’t have that kind of money. She used up her last few Euros to let me know of her situation and I had to wire funds to her account so that she could get the next flight home.
After she got back she wrote to the airlines about her experience, and explained how there was little she could have done to make it to the departure gate on time. All she got back was a letter that said we are are sorry, but we can’t do anything about it.

So yeah, writing to the management is useless.

I already tried threatening them and calling the media. Neither the airlines or the media seemed to care.

As for avoiding the airlines, I think its a systemic problem and is not specific to a particular airlines.

With respect to regulation and capitalism:
You asked what is the incentive for the govt to come up with laws that will help the common man. Well, admittedly there may not be much. However, what is the incentive for the airlines to impose such laws on themselves to serve the common man? Their only incentive is if it affects their profits positively. If it doesn’t then they dont care, and thanks to no regulation they aren’t answerable to anyone.
At least with respect the govt. in democracy, there is some (albeit weak) semblance of accountability through the election process.

As to my general opposition to deregulation… that would warrant and entire post. I will post one soon.

But, laying the blame on unregulated capitalism seems unfair.
“(Behold the glory of deregulated capitalism)”

I gather from the “about me” section that you are a free thinking liberal. Why would a liberal(in the truest sense of the word) want regulation, control of someone’s freedom?
Even if it is the freedom to provide crappy services.

Do you think that a bunch of government officials can come up with a set of laws which are going to be beneficial for the common men like you and me?
What is the incentive for them to do that?
And, do you think that their laws can be so well defined that it helps sort out all our issues?

I am seem to think that most laws only compound the problem for the man on the street.

You probably seen this before, if not, i would like you to watch this <a href =”http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=2hLHneE-yRs” video
one of John Stossel’s programme that came on ABC

If you feel that you were wronged, why don’t you approach the courts? Why don’t you write to the management at Delta?
Why don’t you threaten to them that you’d write to other airlines and media?If nothing works, you would just avoid this airlines, rather than wait a few more years for someone to come along and change the law.