I’m amazed by how fast Delta delivered our checked bags yesterday… yet we’re still entitled to compensation, which almost seems wrong?
In this post:
Delta delivered our checked bags really fast at JFK
Yesterday we flew Delta from Fort Lauderdale to New York, and arrived at JFK Terminal 4, at gate B42. Perhaps with the exception of the Midfield Satellite Concourse at LAX, Terminal 4 at JFK must be one of the terminals in the United States where you have to walk the longest distance to exit.
Admittedly we had a stroller, but walking at a pretty fast pace without using the moving sidewalks, it took us 20 minutes from our official arrival time to reach baggage claim. Literally one minute later, our checked bags appeared, just 21 minutes after our arrival time.
To be precise, we arrived at 1:49PM…
…and our bags were delivered at 2:10PM.
If you ask me, that’s really impressive. If a checked bag can get to baggage claim as fast as I can when being seated toward the front of the plane (so it’s not like we were waiting 10 minutes to get off the plane), that’s pretty tough to beat.
Delta failed to deliver on its checked bag guarantee
Here’s where it gets interesting. By my standards, Delta did a great job delivering our bags. By Delta’s standards, the airline failed. You see, Delta has a 20-minute checked bag guarantee. With this, if your bag doesn’t arrive at the carousel within 20 minutes of your official arrival time, you’re eligible for 2,500 bonus SkyMiles.
Now, I’m kind of conflicted. I very much appreciate that this guarantee exists, because it means that Delta consistently puts effort into delivering bags in a timely manner. Are bags always delivered within 20 minutes? No. But this guarantee means that Delta will do better than American, where I can often wait more than double as long for a checked bag.
The guarantee is kind of silly, in the sense that it doesn’t account for operational considerations. For example, delivering a bag at JFK within 20 minutes when you’re at a gate far from baggage claim during a busy period seems harder than delivering a bag within 20 minutes at a small airport with only one Delta flight at a time. But of course if you’re going to have a guarantee like this, you just have to pick a number and go with it. “Delta’s variable baggage guarantee” doesn’t exactly have the same ring to it.
So, I’m a bit conflicted. On the one hand, Delta couldn’t have done a better job delivering our checked bags. On the other hand, per the promise that Delta makes, we should be requesting 2,500 SkyMiles each, even if I don’t feel we were inconvenienced. I’d almost feel guilty, except Delta is a huge, publicly traded, for-profit company, and 2,500 SkyMiles is hardly going to break the bank for them. Furthermore, the airline uses this promise to market its operational superiority, which is one of the ways that Delta is able to command a revenue premium.
Bottom line
Delta’s 20-minute checked bag guarantee is kind of funny. I love it because it causes the airline to consistently do a great job delivering checked bags, even if it isn’t quite within 20 minutes. In yesterday’s case, the airline delivered our checked bags at JFK within 21 minutes, which I thought was lightning fast, given how far our gate was from baggage claim.
So while that was impressive, it wasn’t within 20 minutes, as Delta promises.
I’m curious — would you collect the 2,500 bonus SkyMiles checked bag guarantee in this situation?
Claim it! I hate flying Delta at JFK T4 for the exact same reason. It is endless walking starting from security. Even getting on to the plane requires you to get on an incredibly long wrapping jetway. The designer was like, Hey if you walked this far, we need to build a jetway to match the long walk.
I would not, and do not feel guilty when it happens. I do is every time I can!
Remember, 2K sky miles are worth maybe 5 cents at most.
On the other hand, at departure, airlines won't wait to close the doors 1-2 extra minutes to account for a late arriving passenger that is caught off guard with the massive walk to the gate.
Time cutoffs are time cutoffs and I would have no hesitation requesting the compensation. It goes both ways.
I'm Gold Medallion with Delta. In 2022, most of my trips were from Atlanta to the Northeast. I think I earned more miles with late bags than I did actual miles flown.
The more claims they get, the more effort they will do to have all bags delivered in time
No, the more likely they just end the guarantee. I'm guessing they've forgotten such a guarantee even exists. It's not advertised anywhere.
Ben should take the compensation but not write a post about it.
Hmm, isn't this kind of like filling your bags with cans & bottles of soda & other beverages in the lounge because you can??? And that there's no explicit rule against it so you are within your "rights'???
Isn't that the reason why they are served in cans instead of a fountain machine? You are supposed to take them.
No….I’d be thrilled at getting them fast & tbh…too lazy to submit a claim for that one minute. I’m used to American, which is almost always 45min or more
hilarious..i live in Atlanta as a delta captive. i miss air tran. But, no doubt it's a well run company with employees that on balance put the other American carriers to shame. yes, skymiles are worthless---but deals pop sometimes. if 2500 miles "make your day" go for it
The comments reflect the exact reason that Delta is doing the guarantee. Not everyone will collect. That is why you are not automatically awarded. Further not everyone collects their points on Delta when flying Delta.
Alaska has the same guarantee, but JFK and several major airports from this guarantee. Honestly, I would try to claim compensation, but I wouldn’t necessarily “push it.” In most cases, the front line employees probably wouldn’t care. It’s not like the Skymiles are coming out of their accounts.
You sat in the front of the plane but were not one of the last ones off the plane with an infant and stroller? Either you are efficient at deplaning or you went anyway.
I would request the points just because Delta offers it. Consider it like a welcome gift at a hotel. If the other options were not as good as the points, you would take the points and you would not say that you don't care for 1,000 points.
There are only two valid considerations when seeking compensation you are indisputably entitled to under a corporate policy: (1) Is it worth the effort? (2) Will anyone get in trouble who shouldn’t?
Yep, because it's not personal, just business. Charging 100,000 for transat economy takes away the incentive to be "fair". They overcharge, we compensate by squeezing every bit of juice. Rinse, repeat.
Delta might count the time the baggage truck operator 'enters' (somewhere) or 'scan' (something) what time he arrived at the door to unload them. So that might be a minute sooner, ie 20 min than it took for the passenger to notice the bag on the carousel. I would still try for it as I think it is fast and easy to do on the website. However if they denied the claim cause they said their clocks said 20 min I wouldn't be aggrieved.
I can't believe you're even asking this question... YES! DO IT!
"More than double as long"? Or, how to rape the English language.
Word “rape” a bit strong for the situation
I actively root for my bags to take longer than 20 min on Delta! You get more miles that way versus paying for a revenue ticket.
It's not like you're one of those people deliberately gaming it in hopes of a delayed bag
If United offered a 20 minute bag guarantee, they would have to pay every customer at IAD every time.
Yes, you should file a claim.
BTW, thanks to you alerting me to the Canadian flight delay compensation, I got $1000 CAD (in the form of a check in USD) from Air Canada.
I feel like the bigger question here is why you flew out of FLL?? You have written posts about how the drivers on I-95 scare the heck out of you.
Delta would have you soil yourself from heat exhaustion.
Yeah. That’s relevant
It’s a win-win. It pushes Delta to improve their operations, even if it’s technically impossible for them to meet their own expectations. A small minority of people even bother claiming it, so it costs them virtually nothing.
Writing this post is a surefire way to get the guarantee removed.
Of course you should use the guarantee. Do it for Miles. I mean, for the miles. ;-)
To me what matters is the back-end. If you tap a button to submit a claim and the system automatically gives you 2500 SkyPesos, great. You were technically entitled to them and the technology fulfilled that obligation. Life goes on.
Now, if this claim or others triggers some kind of ground ops scrutiny where a baggage handling crew or ramp workers working in the heat and humidity get their chops busted over nothing, that...
To me what matters is the back-end. If you tap a button to submit a claim and the system automatically gives you 2500 SkyPesos, great. You were technically entitled to them and the technology fulfilled that obligation. Life goes on.
Now, if this claim or others triggers some kind of ground ops scrutiny where a baggage handling crew or ramp workers working in the heat and humidity get their chops busted over nothing, that would be less than ideal. Any other airline, I wouldn't count on it but I actually admire DL's sensibility and forethought when it comes to integrating their systems and their people.
I have stood at Baggage Claim and filed a claim against that guarantee many times. I never feel guilty. If Delta makes a promise then they should fulfill it.
BTW you can only claim once on a roundtrip itinerary which is one reason I book one way Delta tickets when the price is the same as a RT.
Delta no doubt has the automation to automatically award you 2500 points if they wanted to do so. I'm thinking the real intent is to allow you to claim 2500 points if you think they did you wrong. Your post indicates that clearly was not the case so I would not make a claim.
To all the the others who told you to grab the miles because a policy is a policy, I wonder...
Delta no doubt has the automation to automatically award you 2500 points if they wanted to do so. I'm thinking the real intent is to allow you to claim 2500 points if you think they did you wrong. Your post indicates that clearly was not the case so I would not make a claim.
To all the the others who told you to grab the miles because a policy is a policy, I wonder how many of them have ever considered asking Delta to bend or overrule a policy in a special situation. Can't have it both ways.
Your first sentence is correct. The remainder is idiotic and straight out of "how to be a doormat in life."
What you think "the real intent" is cannot be ascertained nor does it matter. This blog post clearly says Delta did in fact fail to deliver a bag within 20 minutes -- not that the timestamps on the bag tracker were inaccurate, but that the bag actually wasn't delivered within 20 minutes. While the inconvenience...
Your first sentence is correct. The remainder is idiotic and straight out of "how to be a doormat in life."
What you think "the real intent" is cannot be ascertained nor does it matter. This blog post clearly says Delta did in fact fail to deliver a bag within 20 minutes -- not that the timestamps on the bag tracker were inaccurate, but that the bag actually wasn't delivered within 20 minutes. While the inconvenience suffered may have been minimal to zero (this is subjective) the very simple agreement is that bags not delivered within 20 minutes get 2500 points. It's not 2500 points if you feel that you were wronged. It's 2500 points if your bags were not delivered within 20 minutes.
I dislike sayings such as "a policy is a policy" but I've also never asked Delta to bend any rule for me. I always check in well before the cut-offs, my carry-on bag sizes are within the published maximums, I stay out of the boarding lane until my group is called, I comply with FA instructions to lower/raise the shades, I comply with the seatbelt sign even when the captain obviously forgot to turn it off. I don't ask for extra privileges in the Sky Club, and I give cash tips to anyone serving me at the bar or cleaning up after me in the shower. Would I ever consider asking Delta to bend a rule? Yes, if the circumstances called for it I may make a polite request, I won't demand anything that isn't an entitlement.
If the DL bag guarantee involved going to a human being and there was a polite request for me not to claim 2500 points for whatever reason, I would assess the situation. If there was a snarky comment about how the bag was only 1 minute late, I would continue to press for the 2500 points.
More generally though--
Lose this attitude -- Delta is the provider, I'm the customer. Delta's market cap is $29 billion, my net worth is only about $800 million. There is simply not an equal playing field and the "both ways" logic is immaterial.
@Husch Blackwell
Your first sentence is correct. Thank you for sharing an additional 359 words on why you disagree with my thinking. Sorry but it didn't change my thinking. Now go back to managing your $800 million net worth.
Yep - exactly this. If I have enough time to 1) realize it may be more than 20 mins 2) remember the guarantee and then 3) make the claim while waiting on my bags, then I’ll do it. I end up claiming the miles basically every time I fly into CHO.
I always request the bag guarantee even after 21 minutes at big airports and it adds up after multiple flights. One of the only reaons I have the Delta AMEX Gold card and check bags on Delta is because of the 20 min guarantee
If it is offered, go for it! Not going to hurt Delta.
The philosophical discussion about what your rights are and what your conscience will allow you to do is interesting. I would generally be on the 'I wasn't inconvenienced so I won't claim' side of this (to be clear that is not to judge anyone who did). That said, Delta is playing on people's sense of fair play in whether they decide to claim, when simply having the policy brings them a commercial benefit even if...
The philosophical discussion about what your rights are and what your conscience will allow you to do is interesting. I would generally be on the 'I wasn't inconvenienced so I won't claim' side of this (to be clear that is not to judge anyone who did). That said, Delta is playing on people's sense of fair play in whether they decide to claim, when simply having the policy brings them a commercial benefit even if customers don't use it, and the cost to them if it is used is next to nothing.
As @ben demonstrated in the article, Delta have done everything to facilitate claims, telling you that they have or haven't met the 20 minutes cut-off. Doing so reinforces their claim that they are industry leaders (most of the time, at least on this metric). The only thing they don't do is automatically credit the points when they fail. Which they easily could. Having the policy and telling you that they have met it (when they do) is what their aim is here. They make giving you the points an issue for you to pursue not for them to initiate.
Now, consider this, if the airline had a 30 minute before departure cut-off for checking a bag and you arrived at the 29 minute mark, would the agent (or the airline's IT system) allow you to check your bag? If you think they would, by all means don't claim if your bag fails their arrival guarantee by one minute! Despite judical rulings to the contrary, corporations aren't people, they don't have feelings you will hurt if you require them to act according to their publicly stated policies.
Dear Delta, tell us that you're serious about your 20 minute bag guarantee by crediting the points automatically. (Disclosure: I am not a Delta FF member.)
This is coming from a person that lets politics on blog and won’t detail how he uses airline credits. Same way United told him stay away years ago. 1 minute when flying first at jfk is nothing. Now if it was 1 minute past in Louisville, I understand. Pathetic. They do great job. Check urself.
Sorry, Ben, but companies play us way too often for us to be nice anymore. You have 2,500 points waiting for you. Please claim them…
I’m totally amazed that you received your bags so quickly as this has been the biggest issue with JFK. They were notoriously horrible.
From my POV, I’d take advantage of their policy as it would help offset the countless hours I’ve spent in the past waiting almost as long as my flight, for my luggage!
If insurance companies can deny life or death claims on a technicality, I don't think we need to have any morality when dealing with companies and exercising our rights under contracts. Corporations have eroded goodwill, not people.
I’ve always claimed the 2500 skymiles even when it takes them 21 mins to deliver my bag at larger airports and it adds up across many flights. Delta is the one airline I’ll usually always check a bag because it takes 20 mins anyway to exit big airports so I lose almost no time and don’t have to drag a carry on around especially since I love walking around airports
Most of your readers obviously don't have a conscience, you still seem to. Is 2500 skydong really worth doing something against what you think is right? You probably got more value out of the blog post than the miles are worth anyway.
Wold be fun to make a claim and run the gauntlet of excuses and bare faced lies why they won't pay out
You must have missed that this about Delta, not American.
What are you feeling conflicted about? You are happy with the service Delta provided so stop thinking about it and just move on with your life. Its pretty simple, really.
It's Delta's policy, so who am I to question it? It's not like Domino's that once had a "30 minutes or free" delivery guarantee (although wouldn't that be great for flights!). 2,500 SM is nothing to them, but can add up over time for me. I have no shame in checking every time I travel. Sometimes, I'm denied, but most of the time, I end up getting the miles.
Always.
Few people actually know about or redeem this offer.
20 mins doable in Big + small airports. JFK has much more automation than regional airports. 20, was chosen likely based on analysis of what was already happening most of the time. Further, Delta only does this in the US. 20 mins may be impossible in airports (although not all) outside the USA.
100% do it.
I wonder what incentives or penalties the baggage handlers get in these circumstances. At 21 minutes, the hassle to get the miles is not worth it for me. I figure 25 minutes in general, but that is more about my time then impact to the company. I don’t typically check bags and when I do it is on AS. They seem good at getting the bags through under 20 min most of the times I have checked even at SEA on busy days.
@ David -- Keep in mind it takes a matter of seconds to request the miles. You just have to go to the website, enter your name and record locator, and then the miles automatically post if you're eligible. So it's not like Alaska, where you have to see a representative.
David's first sentence is more important-- are baggage handlers getting dinged for a 21-minute claim? I hope DL gives them at least a 1-min grace period. On the other hand DL has screwed me with skymiles so many times I'd have to take it.
You can claim the miles from AS via their text service, even the next day.
I’m surprised the deposit of miles isn’t automatic. Delta clearly knows when your plane arrived and when bags were delivered at the belt. for any travellers who have their FF number attached the deposit should be automatic, with a note on the status screen confirming as such.
I can’t imagine the baggage team gets dinged for whether a passenger makes a claim. They’ll get dinged because they missed the target, which Delta knows without anyone making a claim.
I wouldn’t. I fly Delta regularly for work and Delta accommodates me when I need to change flights last minute, my upgrades regularly clear (platinum medallion going into and out of a lot of regional airports), in flight service is generally good (or at least not bad), etc. So I try to be a good customer back and I wouldn’t ding them over a couple minute slip.
I feel like you have no issues claiming the compensation, you just want enough people in the comments section agreeing with you to justify your decision.
Well, that and ideas for clickable blog posts don’t grow on trees.
Absolutely. Free miles. Never leave any on the table. Also - It’s a company not a person so try not to feel too guilty about it, you’re holding them to a brand promise.
A domestic, economy ticket.
¡SkyPesos! -- ¡Felicidades!
For sure. You only need late bags 100 more times for enough miles for a one way delta ticket!
If your confident enough to state it knowing everything you just said, you better deliver on it. Delta didn’t, so take the free money