So do ya wanna hear about my trip to Idaho Falls? well here it goes 
(this is part of the letter I am sending to delta airlines - if I were you I would stay away from that airline - they truly don't have their customers needs in mind)
PART 1
My trip started on 7/1 at LAX flight number 1835 LAX to Salt Lake City, UT. I arrived at the airport three (3) hours early checked in and was told that I had to go to the gate to get my seat assignment, due to the flight being so overbooked. I immediately went to my gate to try to get my seat assignment and no one was there. I waited until someone arrived at the counter and I asked them for my seat assignment and I was told very rudely We know you are confirmed on this flight we will call you 15 to 25 minutes prior to take off. Stay in the area and we will call you shortly So I sit and wait, and wait. They call other people and I wait. They never called me until a final boarding call for and I was given the very last seat on the plane (Last Row Middle) Of course by this time the overhead compartments are full so a very nice flight attendant tells me that I need to check my bag. I ask her if I can have the bag back when we land in Salt Lake City instead of having it go on my connection flight and she tells me no but she assures me that she will *personally* be sure that my bag gets on the flight and is checked all the way through to Idaho Falls. She has me walk off the plane with her with my bag to check it. She gave me the claim check and then I walk back on the plane and sit down. In my last row middle seat. We sat there for a while (with no air) and then the pilot came over the speaker apparently there is damage to the baggage compartment and they have to fix it before we can take off. So we sit longer with NO AIR. Finally the plane took off and they started handing out drinks & snacks by the time they got back to us (last row) all the good stuff was gone and we in the back row were stuck with what no one else wanted. (An understandable incident but it didnt help the way my experience with Delta was going at this point). We got to Salt Lake City and had to wait on the plane because the pilot didnt pull up to the gate far enough. I had a connection (or so I thought) in 15 minutes so the stress started again. I finally got off the plane and ran to my connection gate.
PART 2
Flight number 3821 Salt Lake City, UT to Idaho Falls, ID
I check the screen at my connection gate when I get there and the sign states On Time 8:20PM I sit down to wait for them to start boarding the flight and nothing is happening so I look up at the sign again and now it says On Time 8:45PM and then a little later On Time 8:55PM It was starting to become comical wondering if you think your flights are still considered on time if you just change the time of departure. Then the announcement comes over the loud speaker Ladies & Gentlemen there are some mechanical issues with the plane and they just took it back to the hanger to try to fix it. We are currently looking for a replacement plane to get you to Idaho Falls as soon as possible please bear with us. Thank you So we wait and wait it is now about 9:15PM and we get the The flight has been canceled please come to the ticket counter and we will give you your options announcement. I get up to the ticket counter first and my options were a partial refund for this flight OR a flight to a different city and once we get to this different city we are on your own to find your way the rest of the way Delta can not get us to Idaho Falls until the following night I explain to the man that neither of those options will work for me being as I am from California, not Utah (cant just go home) and I need to get to Idaho falls not just some different city and I am told I am sorry miss there is nothing else I can do for you. My hands are tied Ok wrong answer! I must say this angered me AND everyone else that was on this flight behind me waiting for their turn to get their options. I advised him to get a shuttle to get us to Idaho Falls if they were not going to fly us there and he said that was not an option. He did not offer hotel rooms and he did not give us any other option just partial refund and flying to a different city. So the passengers started renting cars and hitching rides with total strangers (which is what I ended up doing) I asked Mr. my hands are tied to tell me where I could get that bag that I didnt want to check in LA in the first place and he said to go down to baggage claim to get it. So my perfect stranger ride and I go down to baggage claim. And wait and wait and wait and search as everyone else is getting their bags mine never comes off the turnstile and is NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. I speak to a lady in lost baggage and she goes in the back to check if it is there and it isnt so she tells me to walk around again and see if I can find it. If not go in and file a claim and they will deliver it to my door. I dont find it so I go in to file my claim. I wait in the long like of upset passengers and finally get up to a lady there. I tell her my bag is lost and she insists on going back and looking again so I wait and wait and wait and she finally comes back and says It is not here Hmmmm I think I remember already telling her that but Ok. So I ask her to file a claim and I am instructed by her that I am unable to file my claim in Salt Lake City because it is not my final destination. I have to get to Idaho Falls and go into that airport and file the claim with them. However if I remember correctly Delta airlines and their broken plane made Salt Lake City my final destination so there should have been NO REASON why I could not file my claim there. Instead I must be even more inconvenienced and go to the airport in Idaho Falls to do something she could have very easily done right there. So now that I am to the point of tears I go and get in the car with my total stranger and start the 2 hour drive to Idaho Falls arriving at 12:30AM. He drops me off at the airport so I can go in and file my claim and surprise surprise the airport is closed so I have to wait until morning to try to get my bag. I call in the morning and GUESS WHERE MY BAG IS!!! Thats right! Its at LAX!! Where I was promised and reassured that she would *PERSONALLY* be sure it got on the plane. The lady I spoke to out of Idaho Falls was the 1st helpful person I came across during this nightmare of a trip. She got my bag on a plane and said she would try to get it to me as soon as possible. I wait until about 5:30PM before I have to go buy clothes because we had plans that night and I couldnt wear what I had been wearing for 2 days. I did not get my bag back to me in Idaho Falls until about 8:30PM on 7/2 and now I am able to get on with my vacation.
Once I got to Idaho Falls my weekend was awesome!! I had a great time with my friends and saw an awesome firework show on the 4th! And I'll tell you - It does not get much more beautiful than this...
(this is part of the letter I am sending to delta airlines - if I were you I would stay away from that airline - they truly don't have their customers needs in mind)
PART 1
My trip started on 7/1 at LAX flight number 1835 LAX to Salt Lake City, UT. I arrived at the airport three (3) hours early checked in and was told that I had to go to the gate to get my seat assignment, due to the flight being so overbooked. I immediately went to my gate to try to get my seat assignment and no one was there. I waited until someone arrived at the counter and I asked them for my seat assignment and I was told very rudely We know you are confirmed on this flight we will call you 15 to 25 minutes prior to take off. Stay in the area and we will call you shortly So I sit and wait, and wait. They call other people and I wait. They never called me until a final boarding call for and I was given the very last seat on the plane (Last Row Middle) Of course by this time the overhead compartments are full so a very nice flight attendant tells me that I need to check my bag. I ask her if I can have the bag back when we land in Salt Lake City instead of having it go on my connection flight and she tells me no but she assures me that she will *personally* be sure that my bag gets on the flight and is checked all the way through to Idaho Falls. She has me walk off the plane with her with my bag to check it. She gave me the claim check and then I walk back on the plane and sit down. In my last row middle seat. We sat there for a while (with no air) and then the pilot came over the speaker apparently there is damage to the baggage compartment and they have to fix it before we can take off. So we sit longer with NO AIR. Finally the plane took off and they started handing out drinks & snacks by the time they got back to us (last row) all the good stuff was gone and we in the back row were stuck with what no one else wanted. (An understandable incident but it didnt help the way my experience with Delta was going at this point). We got to Salt Lake City and had to wait on the plane because the pilot didnt pull up to the gate far enough. I had a connection (or so I thought) in 15 minutes so the stress started again. I finally got off the plane and ran to my connection gate.
PART 2
Flight number 3821 Salt Lake City, UT to Idaho Falls, ID
I check the screen at my connection gate when I get there and the sign states On Time 8:20PM I sit down to wait for them to start boarding the flight and nothing is happening so I look up at the sign again and now it says On Time 8:45PM and then a little later On Time 8:55PM It was starting to become comical wondering if you think your flights are still considered on time if you just change the time of departure. Then the announcement comes over the loud speaker Ladies & Gentlemen there are some mechanical issues with the plane and they just took it back to the hanger to try to fix it. We are currently looking for a replacement plane to get you to Idaho Falls as soon as possible please bear with us. Thank you So we wait and wait it is now about 9:15PM and we get the The flight has been canceled please come to the ticket counter and we will give you your options announcement. I get up to the ticket counter first and my options were a partial refund for this flight OR a flight to a different city and once we get to this different city we are on your own to find your way the rest of the way Delta can not get us to Idaho Falls until the following night I explain to the man that neither of those options will work for me being as I am from California, not Utah (cant just go home) and I need to get to Idaho falls not just some different city and I am told I am sorry miss there is nothing else I can do for you. My hands are tied Ok wrong answer! I must say this angered me AND everyone else that was on this flight behind me waiting for their turn to get their options. I advised him to get a shuttle to get us to Idaho Falls if they were not going to fly us there and he said that was not an option. He did not offer hotel rooms and he did not give us any other option just partial refund and flying to a different city. So the passengers started renting cars and hitching rides with total strangers (which is what I ended up doing) I asked Mr. my hands are tied to tell me where I could get that bag that I didnt want to check in LA in the first place and he said to go down to baggage claim to get it. So my perfect stranger ride and I go down to baggage claim. And wait and wait and wait and search as everyone else is getting their bags mine never comes off the turnstile and is NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. I speak to a lady in lost baggage and she goes in the back to check if it is there and it isnt so she tells me to walk around again and see if I can find it. If not go in and file a claim and they will deliver it to my door. I dont find it so I go in to file my claim. I wait in the long like of upset passengers and finally get up to a lady there. I tell her my bag is lost and she insists on going back and looking again so I wait and wait and wait and she finally comes back and says It is not here Hmmmm I think I remember already telling her that but Ok. So I ask her to file a claim and I am instructed by her that I am unable to file my claim in Salt Lake City because it is not my final destination. I have to get to Idaho Falls and go into that airport and file the claim with them. However if I remember correctly Delta airlines and their broken plane made Salt Lake City my final destination so there should have been NO REASON why I could not file my claim there. Instead I must be even more inconvenienced and go to the airport in Idaho Falls to do something she could have very easily done right there. So now that I am to the point of tears I go and get in the car with my total stranger and start the 2 hour drive to Idaho Falls arriving at 12:30AM. He drops me off at the airport so I can go in and file my claim and surprise surprise the airport is closed so I have to wait until morning to try to get my bag. I call in the morning and GUESS WHERE MY BAG IS!!! Thats right! Its at LAX!! Where I was promised and reassured that she would *PERSONALLY* be sure it got on the plane. The lady I spoke to out of Idaho Falls was the 1st helpful person I came across during this nightmare of a trip. She got my bag on a plane and said she would try to get it to me as soon as possible. I wait until about 5:30PM before I have to go buy clothes because we had plans that night and I couldnt wear what I had been wearing for 2 days. I did not get my bag back to me in Idaho Falls until about 8:30PM on 7/2 and now I am able to get on with my vacation.
Once I got to Idaho Falls my weekend was awesome!! I had a great time with my friends and saw an awesome firework show on the 4th! And I'll tell you - It does not get much more beautiful than this...
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[Edited on Jul 12, 2005 9:02PM]