Perhaps you’ve seen the Twitter updates describing an enduring saga that began on an otherwise uneventful flight from JFK to LAX exactly one week ago today, where my trustworthy and ever reliable Macbook Pro 15” laptop became the victim of a flight attendant mishap. The incident can be described as follows:
I’m sitting there minding my own business, typing away, in an aisle seat. The guy in the middle seat, to my right, holds out his cup for some water. The flight attendant, a fifty something male, comes over and starts pouring water directly above my laptop. Jolted from the flow of my writing, I look up with an expression of unmitigated horror. The passenger, a mild mannered African male, tries to signal for the steward to take the cup and pour in the aisle (like he should have done in the first place), pushing the cup towards him and glancing at the laptop. My neighbor means well, but his efforts only makes things worse-the flight attendant gets flustered and starts missing the cup. I’ve reached up to close the screen and move the computer but I’m too late- he’s already knocked over the half full cup of the passenger, causing the entire contents to spill directly onto my computer’s keyboard.
“Hey!” I cry in a panic.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry.” The steward cries, before yelling down the aisle like a Broadway director to his cast: “Can we get some napkins over hear please?!” Another flight attendant, also male, runs over with some napkins. The two of them are wiping my tray table and computer like a waiters who just spilled soup all over a customer. “I’m so sorry sir, it’s all my fault. Please understand, it was an accident.”
I’m doing everything I can to remain calm.Deep breath. Deep breath. I keep telling myself. Finally I say “I know it was an accident. But listen, this could be really bad. Really, really bad.” He assures me that the incident will be written up and he’ll take full responsibility in the event of any damage. I’m proud of myself for remaining calm, but inside I’m stewing.
I take out my iPhone, put it on ‘Airplane Mode’ and begin typing the following:
You know, I don’t ask for much. I’m pretty much one of those passengers that stays out of everyone’s way. I open my laptop, I do my thing. I just want to be able to do my work, that’s all. And then someone like this come along and ruins it. I was in a great flow, writing some really great stuff. Now I’m so pissed, I can’t even remember what I was working on.
I feel violated.
I’ve got a right mind to scream at him right now, only I don’t know what good it would do. He’s apologizing, bringing me napkins, taking responsibility if there’s any damage. But you know what? It’s still a personal violation. A violation of my space, of my property and my dignity. I know it wasn’t on purpose. It was just negligible, but that’s still inexcusable.
After landing, I checked the computer-it turned on but some of the keys didn’t work. I filed a report with the gate agent, who assured me that the case is going on record as being the fault of the flight attendant.
At the Apple Store the next day I was told that the keyboard was fixable but there could be future problems with other parts of the computer as a result of ‘liquid damage’ (which is the worst possible damage for a computer). My choices were- send out the laptop for repair for seven days and $1200 (with no guarantee against hard drive failure and loss of all my work), or purchase a new machine for a few hundred dollars more. I told them to set me up with a new computer right away, transfer my entire system from the old one (fortunately the data was salvageable- I’d also backed it up onto hard drive before I left) and that I don’t care how much the whole thing costs- just get me up and running again with a new machine and all my files as if this whole thing had never happened.
The total, with new MacBook (13 inch, smaller than the original but just as fast), service plan and data transfer was about $2,000. I’m counting on those in the appropriate department at Delta to do the right thing and cover the entire cost.
The hassle has been burdensome and the required time and energy has cut into many of my projects. There is a lengthy claims process- I’ve had to download, print and fill out a claim form, round up my receipts, damage assessment and proof of ownership and gather copies of my boarding pass, and itinerary and fax it all to Delta. Its a huge pain in the you-know-what. I just want this covered so I can move on with my life.
I included a letter in the fax which points out the following:
Repairing the computer was out of the question for three reasons:
1. Apple is unable to guarantee against a future malfunction and/or loss of data from the damage.
2. A repair would have left me without the laptop for the entire
week, defeating the purpose of the business trip.
3. The cost of repairing the computer is comparable to the cost of replacing the computer
As a loyal Delta flyer and Silver Medallion member with thousands of miles flown each year, it is my sincere hope that this matter is resolved in the fair, efficient and timely manner I’ve come to associate with Delta.
So far I’ve received the following automatic e-mail confirming the receipt of my fax:
Dear Mr. Skolnick,
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience resulting from Delta’s recent mishandling of your baggage. We look forward to working with you to resolve this matter and you can expect to receive a substantive response from our office within a maximum of 60 days.
We are working hard to improve our response time to mishandled baggage claims and apologize for the length of time it might take to settle your claim. If at all possible, please refrain from the re-submission of duplicate claim forms if we are slow in responding.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Customer Care Baggage Claims
Delta Air Lines
I plan to post updates on all future developments. And also to be much more cautious around people with liquids.