BethAnne Algie says she arrived home from a business trip Tuesday night to finally find the piece of mail she had been waiting for since August of last year.
It was a check from Delta Air Lines to compensate her for giving up her seat during a flight from Anchorage, Alaska, last year.
The amount was for $892, which was more than the original $600 promised at the gate. Also included in the envelope: an apology.
In the letter, a paralegal specialist with Delta Air Lines, Inc. thanked Algie for her patience and asked her to accept their sincerest apologies for the delay.
Algie says last summer, Delta promised her $600 to voluntarily give up her seat on an oversold flight. She said the airline not only failed to compensate her in a timely manner, it ignored her numerous emails and calls for help. Algie sued the airlines and was awarded a default judgement back in December but even that did not speed up the process.
Algie said she did not get results until News 6 stepped in.
“Thank you so very much,” Algie wrote. “You did this for me and I am forever grateful to you, your efforts, your diligence, your follow up and the support News 6 gave to me to achieve the deserved outcome. I hope this protects all travelers to Florida."
Algie said she discovered Delta has been fined for failing to compensate passengers in a timely manner before.
In 2013, the Department of Transportation fined Delta $750,000 for doing so - and ordered the airline to cease and desist from further violations. The DOT also fined Delta $375,000 for similar violations in 2009.
According to DOT records, Algie was one of more than 59,000 Delta passengers who voluntarily gave up their seats from January to September of 2018.
Records show that's significantly more than any of the other major carriers listed.