Delta Airlines charges soldiers for bags

[Moose242]

I realize the military doesn't pay that great...

Bullllshit. I have a cousin who sits on his ass at the armory and gets 65-70k per year.

[Ruffdaddy]

Have you ever tried to live for a year, with only three bags? You do know that one of those four bags was their weapons, right? You do know that at least two of those bags were uniforms and protective gear, right? That is three bags right there. You would call one bag of small personal items excessive entitlement? When was it you were deployed overseas?

I see now, you're one of the entitled pricks that make the rest look bad. Stop doing that!

[Grimpala]

The issue as I see it is not that the soldiers had to pay it, but that Delta extorted the money because they knew the soldiers would be reimbursed and that they would pay it because they just wanted to get home.

[slowyellow]

Damn you just keep stretching...if a reimbursable 200 made someone coming from duty starve they have bigger problems.

And you better believe that if the government was in fact wrongfully charged for the extra bags...delta will get way more than what's coming to them.

I seriously doubt it.

[slowyellow]

Yeah anybody who says the military doesn't pay good is full of it. Now they might not pay good enough for getting shot at, I can't debate that one, lol.

[Ruffdaddy]

The issue as I see it is not that the soldiers had to pay it, but that Delta extorted the money because they knew the soldiers would be reimbursed and that they would pay it because they just wanted to get home.

Dude You know damn well that IF delta was in the wrong, they will be raped by the government and the 2800 will be the least of their worries.

[Grimpala]

Dude You know damn well that IF delta was in the wrong, they will be raped by the government and the 2800 will be the least of their worries.

Oh, I have no doubt.

[BP]

Bullllshit. I have a cousin who sits on his ass at the armory and gets 65-70k per year.

So what rank is your cousin? These 34 troops were probably all E-5s and below, the absolute most an E-5 is going to make is around $50k and that's figuring with multiple dependents, BAQ, differential pay, food allowances and hostile duty pay. Realistically most of them probably make $35k or so and have a couple of mouths to feed. Not a whole lot of money to dodge bullets and be away from your family 50 weeks out of the year.

[Big A]

Without knowing the specifics of the contract, we can only speculate about the 4 bags or not. I can't see Delta blatantly breaching a government contract like that, other than completely ignorant employees not knowing the full specifics of the contract.

Let's assume that per the contract Delta has only been paid upfront for 3 bags per soldier, it would be well within their rights and good business to collect from the soldiers for the fourth bag. If they didn't the gubment could simply say "sucks to be you" and they'd never see a dime. Collecting up front is the only sure way that the fees would be paid. Delta is already likely heavily discounting the military fares, and being that gas cost money and weight burns gas, they may well be within their rights to charge for the bags.

I guess I'm pulling a "Matt" here, we really do need to know ALL of the specifics of this contract before crying "shame on you Delta!" For all we know this is how the military intentionally set up the contract, to ensure that they aren't paying for 4 bags per soldier up front, when not everybody may need to travel with 4.

[HarrisonTX]

Buncha nancies. I lived for a year with a trunk, and 2 duffles, and flew home with a back pack, and one duffle. The rest of the stuff is in a conex.

And the military pay is fine. I left the army clearing about $3,000 a month after taxes, and having only about $250 in bills. internet, phone, cheap ass insurance. $2,750 a month to spend on WeTF I want was great.

Those guys have conexs, and should have used em. It sucks, and is unexpected, but JOE will bitch about ANYTHING. Hell, they could have got paid $200, and bitched about how it wasnt $250.

[Silverback]

Sounds like someone made a mistake and i'm sure the soldiers will get their 200 bucks back.

Not that Delta the corporation fucked over a bunch of soldiers, and isn't going to do anything about it.

I swear sometimes, people will make a big deal about anything, I bet in the long run Delta makes it up to them, and they probably could have just handled it when they landed with the military.

[BP]

Delta is already likely heavily discounting the military fares, and being that gas cost money and weight burns gas, they may well be within their rights to charge for the bags.

Don't forget that Delta was handed a check from taxpayers for several billion dollars after 9/11, then filed bankruptcy in 2005 and totally raped stock holders. It wouldn't be so bad but United tried to buy the company for a fair price and were blocked by the government.

In my opinion, Delta can suck it. The only reason they still exist is because they were "too big to fail" and we bailed them out. The least they can do is accomadate our troops every once in a while, they sure as hell shouldn't be expecting to make a profit off of them.

[helosailor]

I see now, you're one of the entitled pricks that make the rest look bad. Stop doing that!

Hah, you have no idea. You want to know how many times I ever asked for a military discount? ZERO! Special accommodations? ZERO! How many times I ever thought anybody owed me anything above and beyond what was in my enlistment contract? Take a guess (hint: ZERO!).
Nobody forced me to enlist, or re-enlist twice. I knew what I signed up for. Would I be pissed if the government told me I could bring four bags back from the warzone, and those four bags had better include my basic issue items, only to have some shit-stain at a ticket counter tell me that I had to fork over $200 out of my pocket? You're fucking right I would be pissed. And not from some sense of self-entitlement, but from feeling like the last year+ of fighting for my life didn't mean shit.
It's real easy for you to sit there in your comfy life and point a finger and say that these guys are whiners, but until you sign your name on the dotted line and walk the talk, you don't have anything even close to a valid argument.

And just for the record, when I got out in '06 as an E-6, my take home pay was (at most) about $2600 a month. An E-6 with dependents was getting around $3200 a month. Not many jobs pay that shitty for 12 years experience.

[slowyellow]

Hah, you have no idea. You want to know how many times I ever asked for a military discount? ZERO! Special accommodations? ZERO! How many times I ever thought anybody owed me anything above and beyond what was in my enlistment contract? Take a guess (hint: ZERO!).
Nobody forced me to enlist, or re-enlist twice. I knew what I signed up for. Would I be pissed if the government told me I could bring four bags back from the warzone, and those four bags had better include my basic issue items, only to have some shit-stain at a ticket counter tell me that I had to fork over $200 out of my pocket? You're fucking right I would be pissed. And not from some sense of self-entitlement, but from feeling like the last year+ of fighting for my life didn't mean shit.
It's real easy for you to sit there in your comfy life and point a finger and say that these guys are whiners, but until you sign your name on the dotted line and walk the talk, you don't have anything even close to a valid argument.

And just for the record, when I got out in '06 as an E-6, my take home pay was (at most) about $2600 a month. An E-6 with dependents was getting around $3200 a month. Not many jobs pay that shitty for 12 years experience.

It's only 5 years later and I'm still getting paid for E-5. My pay after taxes is $2075.00 per pay period, and I'm on shore duty, so I don't get sea pay. I think your number is a little short.

[HarrisonTX]

It's only 5 years later and I'm still getting paid for E-5. My pay after taxes is $2075.00 per pay period, and I'm on shore duty, so I don't get sea pay. I think your number is a little short.

Youre kidding? I was making nearly $3k after taxes... airborne pay isnt THAT much.