How angry would you be? Delta Airlines

[rainkingjr]

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/college-golf-team-puts-delta-blast-handling-golf-clubs-before-ncaa-championship-viral-video

 

I'm glad this college team put Delta on blast for this. I would have completely lost my mind if this were my golf equipment being handled this way.

[klebs01]

1 minute ago, rainkingjr said:

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/college-golf-team-puts-delta-blast-handling-golf-clubs-before-ncaa-championship-viral-video

 

I'm glad this college team put Delta on blast for this. I would have completely lost my mind if this were my golf equipment being handled this way.

pretty much expected and how most luggage is treated. It’s why I use a hard case when I fly. 

[McMunch]

32 minutes ago, klebs01 said:

pretty much expected and how most luggage is treated. It’s why I use a hard case when I fly. 

 

Same here. and its not just Delta. I once saw a United crew do pretty much the same and that was out in the open like this. What's done when you cant see is probably worse. This doesn't shock me at all.

I use a hard case and do all the overkill (heads off, bubble wrap etc) because luggage is handled this way everywhere.

 

Once had a boss that said "the good thing about overkill is you know its dead"

Pack it up best you can and fingers crossed.

[Llortamaisey]

I saw the video. I’m going to give Delta a pass. It feels like that’s probably the best you could hope for. Can’t imagine any other airline handling them softer. It seems like most of the time they’re abused much worse. Clubs aren’t going to break themselves. If someone is concerned about their clubs, fly private. 

Edited May 24 by Llortamaisey

[alittleoverpar]

1 hour ago, McMunch said:

 

Same here. and its not just Delta. I once saw a United crew do pretty much the same and that was out in the open like this. What's done when you cant see is probably worse. This doesn't shock me at all.

I use a hard case and do all the overkill (heads off, bubble wrap etc) because luggage is handled this way everywhere.

 

Once had a boss that said "the good thing about overkill is you know its dead"

Pack it up best you can and fingers crossed.

 

I love that line!  I will need to remember that one.

[tad950]

Not surprised. That’s pretty much how I imagine ALL luggage is handled. What I don’t understand is how is that news. I would probably do the same thing if my job was to handle thousands of pounds of dead weight every day.

I would be outraged if they did that to someone’s Laberdoodle, though.

Edited May 24 by tad950

[dfeldss]

I think if you're flying with clubs at this point, you just need to assume this how they're handled and plan accordingly.

 

Sucks, but it is what it is. 

[Dpavs]

I'm taking a bit of a different line. I am not shocked at all but this handling of what they had to know to be the teams golf clubs is unacceptable. Sorry but IMO no one should be treated or provided service like they were cattle and then expect them to accept it. To me, acceptance in such cases just opens the door to even worse customer service. The more we accept this nonsense the more companies will try to get away with even worse stuff to save a bit of time, increase the bottom, charge more and do less, etc.

[Roody]

As someone who actually had this happen to him on one flight, I watched through the plane window as the baggage handlers chucked my golf bag as high into the air as they could. It appeared (at least to me) that they were not even trying to be careful. Almost deliberate. 

Luckily, no damage. My carry case did its job. But I agree with @Dpavs, the more we normalize this behavior, the worse it will get. As Joey Swoll always says: "You need to do better!"

[klebs01]

29 minutes ago, Dpavs said:

I'm taking a bit of a different line. I am not shocked at all but this handling of what they had to know to be the teams golf clubs is unacceptable. Sorry but IMO no one should be treated or provided service like they were cattle and then expect them to accept it. To me, acceptance in such cases just opens the door to even worse customer service. The more we accept this nonsense the more companies will try to get away with even worse stuff to save a bit of time, increase the bottom, charge more and do less, etc.

golf clubs sure, some special team’s clubs? No way. They are loading and unloading planes all day. Probably have no clue who is on the plane. 

[mshills]

It’s not OK and not funny, but not surprising either. 
 

What is funny is people thinking one airline is better in this area than any other. No…Southwest does not treat your bags any differently than United or American. 
 

I don’t really know what recourse is available other than the faux outrage posts all over Twitter. 😕

 

I am fairly surprised as much as I’ve flown my clubs that I’ve never had an issue. I don’t go to enormous lengths, all I do is remove D head, wrap a towel through and around the heads, use a stiff arm, and put the bag in a Club Glove. 0% chance I’m willing to hump a hard side case around. 

[Soloman1]

people suck nowadays.

[vandyfan]

The customer experience for commercial airlines is one where I don't know where I have paid more money to then be treated like an inconvenience/nuisance. Not sure what the tipping point was but it feels like prison transport at this point. 

[becoh]

Hardcase is a mandatory thing imo. Sure they're bulky and annoying to use but I have zero confidence otherwise.

 

Hell I have zero confidence my clubs will end up at my destination. Flew a direct flight from Vancouver > Toronto, clubs ended up in Phoenix. Got them delivered about 2 weeks later.

[Velcade]

Not angry at all.  I would expect someone to handle my luggage and packages this way.  They're doing a job as quickly as possible.  Would you want to sit for an extra hour or two while someone hand places every bag? 

 

I hard case anything delicate. 

[JohnnyCashForever]

OK, we take off our shoes, belts, and jackets as we wait in long lines to get through TSA. Once we get to the metal detector, we have to unload out laptops, empty our pockets, and gingerly walk through the portal in the superstitious hopes that by doing so the metal detector will not go off.  We then have to find a place to put on our coats, belts, and shoes that won't interfere with the flow of pedestrian traffic and with a modicum of dignity.  Once to the gate, we are pitted against one another in a petty competition to be first in line so we may have an overhead bin for our carryon bag(s).  And then finally, we are forced to sit in incredibly narrow seats with no legroom, three abreast, hoping beyond hope that the people in front of us do not recline their seats into our laps. 

 

Why should we expect our luggage to be treated any better or worse than we are? 

 

Flying is one of the most degrading/dehumanizing experiences that all of us willingly put up with.

[bellken]

Baggage handlers treat all bags the same. They toss them, and, it is amazing more stuff does not get broken.

[kiawah]

This is why I always remove all of my adjustable heads on my woods, put them in their headcovers and bring them in my carry on bag. I also flip all of my irons/wedges/putters upside down and wrap a towel in between the grips sticking out before packing them in my travel bag with some clothes around my golf bag for added cushion. This kind of thing is more the norm than the exception. Also probably worth the priority tag if you really invested a lot of money into your clubs and have gear that can't be easily replaced.

[MattM97]

If you're expecting white glove service from baggage handlers you need a wake up call on reality. Assume the worst is going to happen and pack your clubs accordingly. 

[sloansav62]

Count me as another victim. Delta broke my properly packed driver shaft coming home from SC.

Travel bag looked like a pack of silver back guerillas played rugby with it.

Edited May 24 by sloansav62

[Dpavs]

1 hour ago, klebs01 said:

golf clubs sure, some special team’s clubs? No way. They are loading and unloading planes all day. Probably have no clue who is on the plane. 

When you see that many golf clubs on one plane... I think it's a pretty easy assumption is a special traveling team of some sort. Beyond that... why does it matter anyway. No cargo should be treated with level of wrecklessness IMO.

[Dpavs]

37 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

If you're expecting white glove service from baggage handlers you need a wake up call on reality. Assume the worst is going to happen and pack your clubs accordingly. 

 

There is a big difference between white glove handling and ordinary, due or reasonable care, which is probably a standard that should be adhered to here. To be clear also, the term ordinary care does mean the usual garbage handling of something that a particular worker exercises. Due care or the like, is the standard of care a reasonable person would exercise in the same situation or under similar circumstances. Haphazardly chucking stuff to the ground, while expedient, is not something I think that you will be able to convince me is actually taking any care at all.

[tocino]

9 minutes ago, Dpavs said:

When you see that many golf clubs on one plane... I think it's a pretty easy assumption is a special traveling team of some sort. Beyond that... why does it matter anyway. No cargo should be treated with level of wrecklessness IMO.

You would have to assume the baggage handers know more about golf then just loading/unloading a bunch of bags all day. I could maybe see a handler might pause if they saw multiples of the exact same design/scheme/color way come through but if they were chucking ordinary ones in then they're probably doing the same for team bags

[Dpavs]

3 minutes ago, tocino said:

You would have to assume the baggage handers know more about golf then just loading/unloading a bunch of bags all day. I could maybe see a handler might pause if they saw multiples of the exact same design/scheme/color way come through but if they were chucking ordinary ones in then they're probably doing the same for team bags

 

I'll disagree that anyone who has been doing this job for any length of time would not recognize the look, weight and feel of golf club travel bags. New guys maybe but not guys who have been doing for a bit.

 

That said, and as to the rest, sadly I am sure you are right about this. The real truth very likely is that they simply do not care. After all it's just a pay check right?

[Ty_Webb]

21 minutes ago, Dpavs said:

The real truth very likely is that they simply do not care.

 

Watching the video of this, it looked like more than just not caring to me. He could have spent less effort just putting them down rather than lobbing them up in the air. I thought it looked malicious.

[tocino]

18 minutes ago, Dpavs said:

 

I'll disagree that anyone who has been doing this job for any length of time would not recognize the look, weight and feel of golf club travel bags. New guys maybe but not guys who have been doing for a bit.

 

That said, and as to the rest, sadly I am sure you are right about this. The real truth very likely is that they simply do not care. After all it's just a pay check right?

I think we know as golfers how much our equipment costs and why we believe it should be treated a little more carefully. The rest probably have only seen a $200 set at walmart or maybe even a $500 set at costco. For instance, I just got one of my co-workers into golfing and he couldn't believe my driver/shaft combo brand-new cost almost twice as much his entire bag. If i'm a handler and i knew that that golf bag might cost $2k+ maybe i try and be a little more gentle. But you're right, i dont' think those guys get paid enough to prioritize which piece of luggage deserves more care than others.

[Jeff58]

Note  -  ex AirForce. Some idea what I’m seeing.

 

There are 2 baggage handlers and two carts. The cart behind him is for standard luggage. The overall goal is to unload the aircraft as quickly as possible. 

 

The handler at the belt must clear it as quickly as items are offloaded. He has no choice but to clear the area to his right by throwing the bags. To not do so could and likely would cause a very unsafe and catastrophic cascade effect. The fault here lies with the handler inside the aircraft. They should be leaving 2 second gaps between the bags. The overloaded handler’s exasperation isn’t directed at the bags, rather his coworkers.

[DLiver]

Honestly, I don't see anything particularly egregious about this. I wish bags were handled better, but I doubt they ever are. Which is why I pack my bags in a hefty padded case and take other precautions. Same thing with my luggage.

Edited May 24 by DLiver

[DoughBack18]

Not surprised by the treatment but disappointed. You don’t have to treat luggage like s~~~ as a baggage handler, but these folks chose too. I’m sure there are others that are worse, but i’ve watched others who are definitely better.

 

Thing that makes me laugh about it is all the extra effort the guy makes by tossing them around. Taking out his frustrations by doing harder work I guess🤷🏻‍♂️

[MysteryV]

The amount of acceptance in this thread is disturbing.

 

If they simply set the oversized bags on the ground, and then reversed the cart 5 feet at the end, they would save the energy and damage.  

 

This is an example of what happens which companies grow too large and bureaucracy replaces customer service and innovation.  The barrier to entry is too high, and margins too low for large scale disruption to be of much interest.  The airlines know there are only a handful of options, so they continue funnel money into C-Suite salaries (Delta CEO Ed Bastian was the highest-paid U.S. airline CEO in 2023 bringing in $34,214,328) and avoid reinvesting to improve an aging product.