BillP
Senior Member
Hi All:
As you may know, many airlines have an official policy to charge scuba divers an extra $80 each way ($160 round trip) if they have any scuba gear in their luggage- even if their luggage otherwise meets the airlines' free baggage allowance. I wrote an article about these silly policies that was published in the October 2000 Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine. In researching that article I contacted the airlines to confirm their policies and to be sure that my interpretation of their policies was correct. Delta's Baggage Services Center, for example, told me that "Scuba diving equipment will not be included in determining the free baggage allowance and will always be subject to a charge of USD $50.00 per item (since raised to $80), whether or not presented as a single piece". You carry a snorkel in your bag, you owe an extra $160. And according to their policy as it is written, if you carry a spare mask (like I do), you now have two items of scuba gear and owe $320 extra to fly Delta. Fly with your spouse and their spare mask?- You now owe $640 extra on Delta. Even if all of your luggage otherwise meets their free baggage allowance. Their policy is typical of many (but not all) airlines, and the policy is stupid.
It is true that divers hardly ever (if ever) actually have to pay the extra fees, but that doesn't change the fact that the policy is discriminatory and unfair. The only reason divers don't pay the extra fees is because they either conceal the truth (or even lie) about what's in their bags, or the gate agent is a reasonable person and ignores the airline's official policy. And it doesn't change the fact that the gate agent could enforce the policy any time they please and charge divers. Instead of just trying to just get around a crazy policy, why not do what you can to actually change it?
In response to an inquiry on RSD (see http://www.scubadiving.com/talk/read.php?f=1&i=594104&t=594104), I contacted Delta's Customer Service department about this issue. I finally got to a supervisor who agreed that the policy as written is ridiculous and no one in their right mind would enforce it. Her solution, however, was to forward my complaint to the Delta webmaster so he could change the policy wording on the website. (See http://www.delta.com/travel/trav_serv/bag_info/sp_handling/sporting/index.jsp#Scuba for the policy). I pointed out to her that the policy as stated on the website is correct and the webmaster isn't going to have any more power to change the policy than she is- so she needs to forward the "problem" to whoever sets Delta excess baggage charge policy- not the webmaster. I'm not certain that she understood that little point. I'm sure that she just thinks that I'm a loon (as you probably think too, well, because I am a loon ;-), but my lunacy doesn't invalidate my point. The policy needs to change.
I urge you all to contact Delta's Customer Service department at:
http://www.delta.com/care/email/index.jsp
and let them know that you think that the policy is unfair too. I believe that the more divers that contact them, the more "important" they'll consider the issue. If you leave a real name, email address, and/or phone number, they'll get back to you. With a little luck, maybe we'll finally get out of the customer service department and get the attention of someone with the authority to affect change this time!
TIA,
Bill
BTW, Continental had a policy very similar to Delta's but they changed it after the readers of Rodale's Scuba Diving's message board contacted them.
As you may know, many airlines have an official policy to charge scuba divers an extra $80 each way ($160 round trip) if they have any scuba gear in their luggage- even if their luggage otherwise meets the airlines' free baggage allowance. I wrote an article about these silly policies that was published in the October 2000 Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine. In researching that article I contacted the airlines to confirm their policies and to be sure that my interpretation of their policies was correct. Delta's Baggage Services Center, for example, told me that "Scuba diving equipment will not be included in determining the free baggage allowance and will always be subject to a charge of USD $50.00 per item (since raised to $80), whether or not presented as a single piece". You carry a snorkel in your bag, you owe an extra $160. And according to their policy as it is written, if you carry a spare mask (like I do), you now have two items of scuba gear and owe $320 extra to fly Delta. Fly with your spouse and their spare mask?- You now owe $640 extra on Delta. Even if all of your luggage otherwise meets their free baggage allowance. Their policy is typical of many (but not all) airlines, and the policy is stupid.
It is true that divers hardly ever (if ever) actually have to pay the extra fees, but that doesn't change the fact that the policy is discriminatory and unfair. The only reason divers don't pay the extra fees is because they either conceal the truth (or even lie) about what's in their bags, or the gate agent is a reasonable person and ignores the airline's official policy. And it doesn't change the fact that the gate agent could enforce the policy any time they please and charge divers. Instead of just trying to just get around a crazy policy, why not do what you can to actually change it?
In response to an inquiry on RSD (see http://www.scubadiving.com/talk/read.php?f=1&i=594104&t=594104), I contacted Delta's Customer Service department about this issue. I finally got to a supervisor who agreed that the policy as written is ridiculous and no one in their right mind would enforce it. Her solution, however, was to forward my complaint to the Delta webmaster so he could change the policy wording on the website. (See http://www.delta.com/travel/trav_serv/bag_info/sp_handling/sporting/index.jsp#Scuba for the policy). I pointed out to her that the policy as stated on the website is correct and the webmaster isn't going to have any more power to change the policy than she is- so she needs to forward the "problem" to whoever sets Delta excess baggage charge policy- not the webmaster. I'm not certain that she understood that little point. I'm sure that she just thinks that I'm a loon (as you probably think too, well, because I am a loon ;-), but my lunacy doesn't invalidate my point. The policy needs to change.
I urge you all to contact Delta's Customer Service department at:
http://www.delta.com/care/email/index.jsp
and let them know that you think that the policy is unfair too. I believe that the more divers that contact them, the more "important" they'll consider the issue. If you leave a real name, email address, and/or phone number, they'll get back to you. With a little luck, maybe we'll finally get out of the customer service department and get the attention of someone with the authority to affect change this time!
TIA,
Bill
BTW, Continental had a policy very similar to Delta's but they changed it after the readers of Rodale's Scuba Diving's message board contacted them.
