Yesterday I had my first experience with Delta’s 20 minute checked bag guarantee, and I was impressed by how seamless the whole process was.
What is Delta’s checked bag guarantee?
In order to make passengers feel at ease about checking bags, Delta has a 20 minute checked bag guarantee. This means that if your checked bag doesn’t arrive at the carousel within 20 minutes of your flight’s arrival, you are eligible to receive 2,500 bonus Delta SkyMiles (which I value at ~$28). As you’d expect, there are some terms to be aware of:
- This only applies to domestic flights (the US 50 and Puerto Rico) that are marketed and operated by Delta
- Itineraries that include codeshare flights are eligible, as long as the final leg is marketed and operated by Delta
- You have to complete a form within three days of your flight’s arrival to request the SkyMiles
- You must be a SkyMiles member at the time of travel to be eligible
- Each passenger is limited to one request per passenger per direction of travel, regardless of the number of checked bags
- It can take up to two weeks after submitting the request for bonus miles to post, though typically they post instantly
- 20 minutes is calculated between the time the aircraft door opens and when bags are delivered to the belt
- All paid and published fares (including SkyMiles award tickets are eligible), though those traveling with employee pass privileges or on industry discounted tickets don’t qualify
My experience claiming Delta’s checked bag guarantee
Yesterday we flew from New York to Tampa on Delta, and arrived at 6:48PM.
We headed down to baggage claim, and it was a zoo. Delta flights from Raleigh, Atlanta, Detroit, and New York, were all using the same belt.
Not a single bag arrived from our flight within 20 minutes of arrival. In the end, our bags arrived at 7:20PM, 32 minutes after arrival.
So, what was the process of requesting the SkyMiles…