As initially posted by View from the Wing, and live updates from this Flyertalk Thread, Delta Medallion members have and still are experiencing extensive phone wait times due to massive staffing shortage with Delta’s reservations sales teams.

It’s not uncommon to call in Delta as a top tier Diamond or Platinum Medallion member and now have to wait 3+ hours to speak with a representative. If you’re lucky you may get an option for Delta to call you back, but there isn’t always a callback option.

Here’s how Delta explains the extensive hold times,

Reservations and Customer Care has handled record-breaking customer volumes all year, reaching 96 percent of 2019 levels as more leisure travelers return to the skies and need assistance. With staffing that was diminished by 50 percent when Delta people took voluntary early retirement or separation packages that helped the airline survive pandemic-driven challenges in 2020, call wait times have caused customer frustration. The Res & Care team is working quickly to return to service excellence levels that customers expect.

Res & Care will have 1,300 Reservation specialists trained and ready to serve customers by fall. The division will also welcome back about 200 Delta alumni in short-term contractor roles by the end of July to deliver the Delta Difference, as only Delta people can. The team has also contracted with a trusted travel agency partner to assist with customer service messaging over the next several months. Res & Care continues to partner with teams across the company to quickly diagnose tech issues and find real-time solutions to optimize the customer experience.

Bottom Line

As a Diamond Medallion, it’s truly infuriating having to wait 3+ hours every time calling in. Delta’s staffing shortage is a huge challenge, and I can’t help but feel they aren’t doing more to solve this. According to Delta, new agents will be trained by the fall, but that’s still several months away.

Delta used to have a great Twitter customer service option, however they no longer respond to customers via Twitter, (also due to staffing), so this is no longer a viable option for customers, though I hope they bring it back asap.

One temporary solution is to call Delta’s Singapore call center at +65-6336-3371 which you can dial if you download Skype, and calls are 1 cent per minute. However, this isn’t an elite call center, so the agents aren’t as knowledgeable when it comes to simple requests such as making a Same Day Confirm or applying a Regional Upgrade Certificate.

Have you been a victim of Delta’s extensive wait times in the past several months? Feel free to share your stories in the comments below.