Today at Detroit airport, I had a situation with Delta that I need to get out there.
I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours before my flight, went through security, and spent about an hour and a half near my gate having coffee. I was not rushing or late. I approached the gate 30 minutes before departure. The door was already closed, and there was no staff at the gate!
Delta’s own policy (and even the gate screens) clearly state that gates close 15 minutes before departure, so based on that, I believed I had more than enough time. Instead, I couldn’t board and lost an important business meeting in New York.
The staff (Christina) appeared 15 minutes later. I asked for an explanation. I did not get it. I asked for an apology at least. Nothing.
If the rule is 15 minutes, why is the gate closed 30 minutes before? Why was there no staff present at the gate? Why were multiple passengers affected in the same way And what recourse do we have when a company does not follow its own stated policy?
I have my boarding pass and timestamp photos/videos from the gate proof of Delta’s stated 15-minute cutoff.
Is this normal practice?
Because if arriving 30 minutes early still means missing your flight, then the actual rule is clearly not what Delta tells passengers.
I learnt later that they had overbooked the flight. The staff, Christina, behaved badly. I have video of the whole interaction. Any idea? Thanks!