Greg might be the new Karen. (No offense, Frequent Miler.)
A letter purportedly authored by a Delta Air Lines passenger named “Greg” was posted to Reddit. And Greg was pretty upset that a flight attendant didn’t recognize his Diamond Medallion status with a written note despite a fellow passenger getting the special treatment.
Notes From Delta Crew Members
Delta passengers — usually Medallion elite status members — occasionally receive handwritten “thank you for your business” notes from their trip’s flight attendants. I’ve seen instances when the pilots sign their names, too. (In all my years of flying Delta and holding all levels of Medallion status, I’ve never received a note — much to my wife’s relief! I’m kind of a packrat collector and undoubtedly would hold on to such a keepsake until I die. 🙂 )
From what I’ve read and heard, flight attendants are asked (or instructed?) to acknowledge certain Medallion members at some point during a flight. One Delta source told me that it’s random which elites get special recognition; the flight attendants are provided that information on their company-issued electronic devices.
Redditor Dowino- explains, “It’s literally just a “thank you for being a (tier member) with us”. If the FA is feeling snazzy they’ll write a note SAYING THE SAME THING. Sometimes it’s not even the Crew doing it but the out station…On their app, it’ll have a layout of who is sitting where and wether they have been recognized or not. If not it’ll say to… Up to whoever is working. Just a comment of (acknowledgment) is required. Anyone doing notes is going beyond.”
(Perhaps a Delta cabin crew member can share a little bit about this in the Comments section.)
But, man, there’s a dark side to the world of thank you notes.
“Maybe you did not notice that I am a Diamond Medallion…”
This is so cringe.
Redditor Dowino- apparently reposted something they saw elsewhere. (Just a warning: there’s plenty of profanity in the thread.)
A Delta flight attendant allegedly wrote:
So I tried to be a good Flight Attendant and do the recognitions that the company asks us to do. I wrote a thank you note to everyone on the list and the ones who weren’t I still verbally thanked them. He wasn’t on the list to be recognized on this particular flight. Even though I verbally thanked him he was so mad that he wrote me a letter and gave it to me as he got off!
The poison pen letter read:
Dear Sir —
It’s quite interesting to me that you would thank the passenger next to me with a hand written personal note. While this is a nice touch, I am surprised that one was not offered to me as well.
I noticed as I boarded the plane in Atlanta that the man next to me was a Platinum Medallion. Maybe you did not notice that I am a Diamond Medallion and have been for many years. I am also a Million Miler so I suspect that I am one of a few flying this morning with this status.
Again, not sure what triggered the personal thank you, however I feel somewhat off put by the lack of similar gesture.
Greg [Last name redacted]
5C
Diamond (Medallion)
(Million Miler)
Gross.
(“… not sure what triggered the personal thank you..” Well, Greg was surely triggered by something.)
People getting their little feelings hurt because they didn’t receive a hand-written thank you note acknowledging their airline elite status is, apparently, not uncommon.
Here are some reactions from Redditors (who appear to be Delta or Delta Connection crew members, based on their posting history):
Amelia_Pond: “And that’s why I don’t do recognitions anymore. You’re damned if you do, and you’re damned if you don’t.”
Pep1ta responded to the above comment with: “Same!! I’ll do a verbal one and that’s it. Have been burned by notes/letters multiple times.”
Extreme-Cod890: “We can’t even surprise and delight other people sporadically without the next person throwing a temper tantrum. I’m sure he’s gotten his fair share of notes or something that the PM did not get as an incentive.”
Dowino-: “I’ve seen people get one and become ERRATIC because of x or y thing that FA didn’t have control over. Crew can never win.”
Pep1ta: “I’m a flight attendant who works Delta Connection flights and this exact thing has happened to me so I don’t do personal letters anymore. There’s always someone that feels missed, and god forbid I mistake a Diamond for a Platinum (probably bc I’ve written about 13 letters for one flight during my unpaid 30 minute turn time, also because my app doesn’t always update as quickly as they gain status levels). Then they’ve got my mistake in writing and can complain about it to Delta. I appreciate my status members but the whole personal letter recognition thing really puts me under a microscope sometimes when I have a million other flight duties I need to complete. I’d rather just thank verbally and provide good service.”
Does Greg Have a Point?
I get that it may seem strange that some people get thank you notes while others don’t. Losing time and getting angry about it, though…sheesh.
But there are appropriate and political ways to handle this, my egomaniacal dude.
Quietly and politely asking the flight attendant in private what process dictates who gets thank you notes is one way to go about it. Then again, I don’t think “quietly” and “politely” are words associated with this guy.
Greg: the next time you take a flight, give a thank you note to a flight attendant.
Calm Down, People
I don’t know why I’m surprised people complain about things like thank you notes. Frankly, nothing about rudeness should be shocking anymore.
This comment was sad: “(God) forbid I mistake a Diamond for a Platinum (probably bc I’ve written about 13 letters for one flight during my unpaid 30 minute turn time, also because my app doesn’t always update as quickly as they gain status levels). Then they’ve got my mistake in writing and can complain about it to Delta.” — Pep1ta
Like, who makes a concerted effort to complain to Delta about an innocent mistake like that?
And if you’re someone who does, please explain your reasoning in the below Comments section. Please tell me what I’m missing.
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I’ve received a couple of these, it’s a lovely gesture.
*I! Have! Status! And! I! Demand! To! Be! Recognized!*
I’ve been platinum for a couple of years and haven’t been expressly recognized. Even got missed when all other people who had status when they were called out by name. But I didn’t make a stink about it.
Sure, it would have been nice, but honestly the only person who cares about being recognized about their status is that person. Nobody else gives a (insert your word here).
I got one a few years ago as Silver. Since then, I’ve been Gold and now Platinum and I haven’t gotten one. I don’t know. Neiman Marcus used to send me handwritten thank yous, too.
Last year as a Gold I was forgotten while the Silver next to me was acknowledged. I admit to feeling tense about that.
I received a note once. As I recall it was CMH-LAX (oh how I miss that nonstop) on the flight that pushed me to PM the first time. Haven’t received any since and that’s ok. However, I have noticed that I’m rarely thanked for being a PM by either gate agents or flight attendants anymore. My last flights the gate agents were only thanking DM’s as they scanned boarding passes and I’m not going to lie it irked me a bit. I would never say or especially write something, but it seemed a bit silly to me when the passengers before and after me were thanked and I wasn’t. I guess I just need to spend more…
I am sorry, I do not see any offence here. What Greg did was just the “private remark” in writing instead of vocal. He obviously did not understand why he did not get a written note with his higher status than the person next to him. He was neither unpolite nor offensive. So take it please for what it is, the written question of a passenger to understand something. For me the offence is the publication by the FA, sorry. And to make things clear, I do not expect a written note nor would I “insist” on getting one.
I know they have lists but I still feel a touch of creepiness when I am addressed by name.
I think it shows class when they do that. Airlines have to know who is flying with them.
It’s pretty common for me to have a personally addressed note at my first-class seat at the San Jose airport if I am taking the first flight of the day and the plane was there overnight. However, I think the ground crew does this. Typically, the note mentions that they are striving for 5, so I think they are soliciting a good survey score. It probably works!
Same experience on most flights out of SJC no matter the time-you’re correct that it’s the gate agents.
I bet Greg is divorced.
I don’t see why he’s upset? As a D/MM I’ve received the notes and the Porsche ride several times. When I see another person get a note I think it’s great. FA’s and ground crew please keep up the great work!
Safe travels everyone.
Rand
Who ever Greg is he needs to get a life.
First world problems.
Something similar happened many decades ago when traveling on China Airlines 1st Class [which they had at the time] and was sitting next to a young passenger. My status was Diamond Million Miler; was sitting next to the window in ‘then’ a double seating configuration.
Before and after take-off the attendants brought my neighbor little gifts, notes, and momentos; and tended to his every need. I did remark as the lunch service began and I was overlooked… “Do you think I get some lunch too?” Ouch! Didn’t complain beyond that and the attendant apologized… I said, ‘No problem’ politely… and enjoyed talking with my young neighbor. Apparently his dad was a super frequent flyer out of Taiwan.
But to this topic… it goes both ways… and every passenger deserves appropriate service in the class of travel booked.
Above all, politeness & respect to employees will always bring a better flight… even if they are having a bad day; and never never write a derogatory note while in flight.
God bless Greg!
I was on a flight with my daughter and the FA walked around thanked the people sitting around us. My daughter, a high schooler, looked at me and said, “Dad, your a million miles and a diamond and they totally ignored you”.
I didn’t complain but I understand why people are upset when they aren’t included. The other day I got on the plane and there was a hand written but saying “congrats for reaching 2 million miles”, but it wasn’t for me (I should reach it next year). I thought it was nice but also reminded that when I reached 1 million the only thing I got was an email from Delta after the flight.
I like that Delta is trying but I don’t think most people have any idea it is random and then they feel excluded, especially when there is very little benefit left to being diamond.
My most unexpected thank you was when a Virgin Atlantic FA thanked me for being Diamond Medallion.
I have gotten 3 of them in the last few years. An especially nice note was on a flight to Hawaii along with a special cocktail…. I also got an overhead Thank You announcement JFK-SFO as I had given the FA’s a goody bags.
I’ll never make it to Diamond Medallion status, but when we finally got to take our Delta One flight from LAX to Boston in 2021, we’d read so many stories about horrible travelers that we had extra appreciation for the flight attendants. I made little drawstring bags, filled them with mini sanitizer, lotion, chapstick, & Dove chocolates for all of the FAs on our flight. Got a lovely thank you note from the Delta One FA, Stephanie, saying that she’d been nervous to come back to work after covid, & really appreciated it. Nice to make someone else’s day sweeter.
I often think it’s the people in the back who should be thanked. The people sitting up front already drank the kool-aid and likely will fly Delta again without being thanked. It’s the rest of the people you want to try to win over. Like the ones who almost have status and need some incentive.
But, but, but, but, the people in back are thanked on the PA announcements 🙂 .
OMG. The “everybody gets a trophy” fallout.
I frequently get a note as I am Diamond. The note is very nice, but hardly essential. At times, the writing style doesn’t sound real sincere and sounds a bit contrived. It won’t sway my Decision when booking a reservation. Good inflight service means my much more.
I know this is a Delta-related thread, but as an Executive Platinum 2MM miler on American ALL I need is a friendly smile and hello from the FA’s. They have enough to worry about. That said, I have been thoughtfully acknowledged many times. Also, on a United rewards Business Class flight to Europe and back, my husband and I received cards acknowledging our anniversary AND my birthday, signed by the entire flight crew, along with a bottle of wine. I find when you treat the crew with respect, good things happen. I love flying and I guess it shows. Never once had a rude or surly FA, although many times I had to admire their graciousness under fire. By the way, I am NOT the Delta Greg!
Comment of the Week right here.
I left a very decent and appropriate comment but it was rejected… I don’t understand the protocols involved to participate in the conversation.
Weird. I just checked the spam folder (we get about a thousand spams a day) and didn’t see it. But maybe it was a victim of a spam-dumping. Would you mind please resubmitting your comment, if you’re still interested?