The other day I was reading through the  2011 Corporate Responsibility Report  (I know, who does this right?), and found some interesting bits of information inside.

Also, DeltaPoints readers are a unique group and I make no secret I am slanted to the “Pro” Delta side and will tend to give Delta the benefit of the doubt when issues are not black & white. I will call Delta out when they are in the wrong or I feel they are not responding to proper concerns. So what about the aforementioned report?

• Did you know that many times when you call a Delta rep, they may be at home? Check out page 10 that says:

“The Work@Home program permits eligible employees who work in a call center environment to set up a virtual office with the appropriate computer and telephonic equipment and work at home 100% of the time.”

So if you ever hear in the background a child, dog or cat and think it was bring your kid to work day, they may just be working from home today 🙂

• The rules are the rules. As travel  hackers  enthusiasts, we do tend to look for ways to get that free upgrade or better deal or whatever. In the old days there were “ways” to work around certain road blocks if you knew what to ask a rep for. But Delta “IT” has been very efficient at closing many of them down. Also, if reps seem less willing to help out, this may be why on page 14:

“Delta employees are incentivized by overall company performance. Employees earn more when Delta performs well through our annual Profit sharing program and monthly Shared rewards program”…. “Eligible employees can earn a monthly cash bonus when we meet or exceed established goals.”

So as enthusiasts, we need to think about either ways to ask for, or ways they can do things, that will not affect the above or be tracked back to them by the mighty “hand of IT”.

• One of my favorite jokes I tell a bunch is the word you never ever want to hear after a really good nap. That word is “CLEAR“! But on page 17 we see:

“Ground employees, customers and passengers benefit from Delta ground and aircraft automated external defibrillator programs. Flight attendants receive new hire and biennial CPR and automated external defibrillator training. In 2011, fight attendants used automated external defibrillators on more than 60 occasions”

Wow! Next time we see an FA having a hard day, or maybe not as nice as we would like, maybe, just maybe, we can think of the time they spend in training to save our life if need be. Thank you Delta and staff for going the extra mile!

• One little “beef” I have with Delta management is “downsizing” of the “job well done” certs in the Platinum and Diamond packs each year. You know, in the spirit of pay it forward, on page 18 I learned that top employees can earn:

“the Chairman’s Club is Delta’s most prestigious corporate recognition program. This program honors employees who consistently demonstrate dedication and determination to the highest standards of service to Delta customers, coworkers and communities served.”

I have never heard of this award but I bet employees know all about it. So here is what I am going to do. I have made up my own “thank you card” you can download  HERE,  then fold into a card (½ and then ½ again). The corresponding sized envelope is  this size. I tend to buy AMEX gift cards (there are some nice codes to get them FEE FREE if you Google around) to extend the time I have to pay off some of these new uber-spend cards I churn.

I am going to buy a few $25 AMEX thank you cards and when an employee treats me with the “highest standards of service to Delta customers” I am going to give them one! Why not download the thank you card and see what you think.

There were also some other bits like the focus on WiFi, new seats etc. to improve customer satisfaction. I agree we love these improvements, we just want them faster faster faster! I have been up in the air a bunch this year and am impressed with our airline. I think the employees are doing all they can to show off our airline’s best face; let’s hope management does the same and shows they also appreciate us as well! – René

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