- A soldier and his family drove all night after a Delta delay meant they missed a connecting flight.
- Rashad Ross and his family were on their way to his eldest daughter's graduation ceremony.
A US soldier was forced to drive overnight to ensure he did not miss his eldest daughter's university graduation after a delayed Delta flight meant he failed to make a connection.
Rashad T. Ross is among thousands of other passengers who have been affected by this summer's travel chaos. Airlines are struggling to cope with demand, losing passengers' luggage, canceling numerous flights, and even separating families when rebooking them.
Air Canada flew two cats without its owner, while Qantas booked a 13-month-old baby on a separate flight from its parents.
Ross, who has served in the US Army for 22 years, was flying with his family from El Paso to Jacksonville on June 2, with a connection in Atlanta.
The flight from El Paso was due to depart at 6am, but mechanical problems meant the flight was delayed until the afternoon.
"There was over a six-hour delay and when we landed in Atlanta, there was only 10 minutes before our rebooked connecting flight to Jacksonville was to take off," Ross told Insider.
"There was absolutely no way to rebook after that for the same day and were forced to abandon the remainder of our itinerary."
After calling Delta's customer service, Ross and his family had no choice but to rent a car and drive 10 hours from Atlanta to Jacksonville to ensure they made it on time to his eldest daughter's graduation.
Flight tickets, a Hertz invoice for $950, and screenshots of a conversation with Delta's customer service have been viewed by Insider.
Ross said: "I know it may seem trivial, but we've exhausted all of our finances trying to get to Jacksonville on time. We absolutely did not expect to pay for a rental car for this trip."
He drove from Atlanta to the University of South Florida in Tampa – a journey of about 450 miles – for the ceremony, before driving back to Jacksonville International Airport.
Delta did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
According to Delta's compensation claims, Ross said, he had to wait 30 days before asking to be reimbursed for the missed flight, car rental costs, and interest charges on his credit card.
Once that time had elapsed, Ross contacted Delta again but was asked to resubmit the claim. "To say we are upset is an understatement."
He emailed the CEO and Delta's customer service again but received an auto reply telling him to go to the Delta website and submit it once more.
Ross made it to his daughter's graduation, but he said: "At this point we just want some type of acknowledgement that screwing us over meant nothing to them."