They say a true friend tells you the hard truth—and unfortunately, despite being seen as a dream country by many, the service sector in the U.S., in my opinion, is in decline. Something needs to be done urgently; both the service standards and, from what I’ve been observing, the financial conditions are at rock bottom. I don’t think they can go on like this because many airlines may eventually go bankrupt.
Every time I’ve traveled to the U.S., I’ve faced minor issues. But during this recent 20-day trip, I encountered major problems at every stage. I honestly experienced almost every nightmare a passenger could imagine.
My journey included New York, Washington D.C., Orlando, Las Vegas, and finally San Antonio. The entire trip was related to solar energy and water purification technologies, which I’ve been focusing on recently. I’m now on the plane from San Antonio to New York, en route to Istanbul, and writing this article mid-flight.
My intention is not to slander anyone, but this time, I’m going to name names because I was truly frustrated. I flew with two U.S. airlines: Delta and United. Except for the final flight from San Antonio to New York, all of my flights with both airlines were delayed. By delay, I mean anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours. Each time, they gave the same announcement: “The crew is delayed, we’re waiting on staff, that’s why the flight is late.”
Seriously, what is an airline’s primary responsibility? To operate flights on time, right? How can it be acceptable for pilots and flight attendants to delay hundreds of passengers? This happened to me on five different flights. That means there’s a serious issue with crew management. Once or twice is a coincidence—five times in a row means there’s a systemic problem.
Let me give you another example: I arrived at the gate at 6 PM for a 7 PM flight from New York to Washington D.C. Delta ground staff kept announcing delays: first 40 minutes, then 1.5 hours, then 2.5 hours. Finally, at 9:30 PM, they announced boarding. We boarded the plane, and after sitting inside for 15 minutes, the pilot made this announcement:
“Dear passengers, first, we apologize for the delay. I was called from my home because there were no other pilots available. I came from home and requested clearance to take off. However, since I’m the co-pilot, they won’t grant takeoff permission until the captain arrives. And the captain won’t be here for at least another 2 hours. Since that would exceed the allowed waiting time on board, we’re going to have to ask everyone to deplane and return to the terminal.”
There was a stunned silence at first—nobody understood what was happening. Then I and a few others quickly got up, retrieved our bags, and returned to the terminal. Everyone else followed.
I don’t usually complain in these situations—I go straight to the solution. So, I approached the Delta agents. They said the flight was rescheduled for 11:40 PM, and the displays confirmed it. I explained that I had already waited 2.5 hours and now would have to wait another 2 hours, which seemed unfair. They gave me a coffee voucher and suggested I wait in a café in the next terminal, as everything in ours was closed.
I took the vouchers and went to the café to work on my laptop. When I returned to our terminal around 11 PM, I couldn’t find the flight on the screen. I rushed to ask the gate agent what happened:
Gate Agent: You didn’t fly?
Me: No. Wasn’t the flight scheduled for 11:40? It’s only 11:00 now.
Gate Agent: Sir, since the pilots arrived earlier than expected, we departed 10 minutes ago.
Me: What? I’ve never seen a scheduled flight take off earlier than posted. Delays happen, sure—but leaving ahead of time? That’s a first.
Gate Agent: You’re right, but we made several announcements—didn’t you hear them?
Me: No, ma’am. You gave me the voucher yourself. I went over to the next terminal for coffee. I didn’t hear anything.
Gate Agent: Yes, we only made announcements in this terminal. I’m very sorry. I’ll arrange a hotel and transportation for you right away. We’ll book you on the first flight to Washington D.C. tomorrow.
Me: Unbelievable. First, you kick us off the plane, make us wait 4–4.5 hours, and now the plane leaves without us? Well done!
Gate Agent: I truly apologize. But believe me, I’ve seen worse. Let me finalize your accommodation.
That night, I stayed at a Hilton near the airport. When the front desk clerk saw that I had been sent by Delta, he muttered, “Delta again?” I told him how they ruined my entire schedule and that I had to miss a crucial meeting the next morning. He said he’d been working there for only two weeks and had already seen 15 similar incidents—Delta constantly mistreats its passengers. The next morning, the flight was delayed again due to crew arriving 30 minutes late.
Honestly, JFK in New York is one of my least favorite airports. Even the simplest task can take 2 hours due to crowding, frustration, and lack of organization, especially when it comes to domestic flights.
Now let me tell you about another flight: from Orlando to Las Vegas. I had completed all procedures and showed my boarding pass to the gate agent when she suddenly freaked out:
Gate Agent: Sir, you can’t take two bags on the plane.
Me: No one mentioned that during check-in. I’ve been flying domestic for years; one backpack and one small rolling suitcase have never been a problem.
Gate Agent: I’m sorry, that’s the rule. I’m tagging this bag. Please hand it over at the jet bridge. Don’t remind me of the rules.
I reluctantly went to the jet bridge, but just before boarding, I asked a flight attendant who seemed to be Latina whether this was really necessary. She replied:
“There’s plenty of space. These are both carry-on size. So, you can take both onboard.”
I thanked her and boarded with both bags. It made me realize how subjective these rules can be. Meanwhile, the same gate agent who had scolded me came into the plane to help with a seating mix-up, then left again while the other flight attendants resolved the issue. The flight departed an hour late. The announcement was: “Apologies for the delay. The aircraft was swapped last night, so there were seating issues. We’ve resolved them with your cooperation and will depart shortly.” Can you believe it? Half the plane had to switch seats just to get everyone settled. Boarding passes were basically meaningless at that point.
Just when I thought I’d seen everything, the worst occurred on my Las Vegas–San Antonio flight: they lost my luggage.
We checked in at 4 AM in a nearly empty McCellan International Airport. I even told my colleague, “Wow, I’ve never seen it this quiet—so fast and smooth!” The flight, again, was delayed by an hour and 10 minutes. Since we had a connection in Houston, we were worried about missing it—but managed to make it by sprinting. When we arrived in San Antonio, I had a bad feeling my bag wouldn’t make it—and I was right. After waiting in baggage claim and realizing it wasn’t coming, I went to United’s baggage service. I even gave up my spot in line to a couple with a child, only to be kicked out of the office by the lone staff member, who said, “Please wait outside—we’re only allowing one person at a time.” Completely unnecessary and poor service etiquette. Anyway, I filed my claim, called the office repeatedly the next day, got no answer, and finally went back in person. They still hadn’t located my bag and started sending out notices to all U.S. airports. Thankfully, I had taken my suit for the important San Antonio meeting in my carry-on—just in case. Good call.
On my last travel day, I decided to arrive early at the usually quiet San Antonio Airport. Good thing I did. My flight was at 7:30 AM, and I arrived at 5:20. I have never seen a security line like that in my life. You go through passport and boarding pass check, then another line for bag and body scans—removing laptops, shoes, and entering a full-body scanner with your arms raised.
The line was so long it stretched across one terminal and halfway through another. Absolute chaos. After an hour in line, I barely made it to my flight. Everyone was complaining. A man behind me said, “The flight’s in 10 minutes—we’ve been here 90 minutes—we’re going to miss our domestic connection!” Staff were trying to calm people down.
If patience were a tangible object, it would have shattered on this 20-day trip. Luckily, I’m a calm and composed person by nature.
At the very end, while sitting in Turkish Airlines’ business lounge checking my emails, I got a message that my luggage had been found. That news made boarding a lot easier. Of course, they didn’t say where it was found, but said it would be delivered to my address in Istanbul. Hopefully, it arrives intact. I don’t care about the clothes—but the bag contains many materials related to our company for the Solar Energy Conference & Expo. Fingers crossed.
Tag: memoir
