Delta Airlines charges soldiers returning to Fort Polk from Afghanistan for extra bags

[MTK]

Delta Airlines charges soldiers returning to Fort Polk from Afghanistan for extra bags | NOLA.com

[Daseal]

Am I the only one that doesn't have a problem with him getting charged for an extra bag? I get a little sick of the thought that soldiers shouldn't have any of the rules apply to them. It is a career choice, and while it is a tough and challenging career, it is a choice to live with the hardships associated.

Military personnel already get an extra free bag and the weight they're allowed to have in each bag is heavier than the average citizen. I also believe the armed services have effective ways to transfer larger amount of belongings overseas, they just won't be as quick.

This particular case he's transferring military equipment. That equipment should be paid for by the United States Army, not the soldiers themselves. I honestly don't know why they're using civilian transportation for Army equipment anyways.

I know state department each employee deployed overseas gets a container to fill with X amount of weight. This is plenty for cars, furnishings, etc. Granted our diplomatic staff are more entrenched in one particular area than the enlisted military guy; there are still methods to get your bags back without furthur bending already favorable rules.

[mlmdub130]

yeah i don't really get it myself either, when we left to go over we took everything with us on a commercial plane but we loaded it ourselves, that's not an easy job. but when we came back we loaded the bulk of our stuff into crates and had it shipped back. if you are coming back stateside why do you need your equipment with you on your flight? all we brought was our duffles and ruck sacks, everythign else i had went in a foot locker that was shipped.

bottom line is delta should not have to pay for the extra fuel for an overloaded flight, thats the army's problem, but i don't think the soldiers should have to pay it, it should be on the army to ship it back.

[BuckSkin]

There's got to be more to this story than meets the eye. No one should be carrying these weapons through a domestic airport. I'm baffled, under no circumstance should "one Staff Sergeant" be expected to transport weapons. As mlmdub130 said it's all shipped back in a shipping container. Mind numbing. If the other Soldiers have orders authorizing the shipment of 4 bags, all they need to do is claim the cost on a travel voucher and each will be reimbursed.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Am I the only one that doesn't have a problem with him getting charged for an extra bag? I get a little sick of the thought that soldiers shouldn't have any of the rules apply to them. It is a career choice, and while it is a tough and challenging career, it is a choice to live with the hardships associated.

Military personnel already get an extra free bag and the weight they're allowed to have in each bag is heavier than the average citizen. I also believe the armed services have effective ways to transfer larger amount of belongings overseas, they just won't be as quick.

This particular case he's transferring military equipment. That equipment should be paid for by the United States Army, not the soldiers themselves. I honestly don't know why they're using civilian transportation for Army equipment anyways.

I know state department each employee deployed overseas gets a container to fill with X amount of weight. This is plenty for cars, furnishings, etc. Granted our diplomatic staff are more entrenched in one particular area than the enlisted military guy; there are still methods to get your bags back without furthur bending already favorable rules.

Spot on.

[Alvin Walton]

Originally Posted by BuckSkin

There's got to be more to this story than meets the eye. No one should be carrying these weapons through a domestic airport. I'm baffled, under no circumstance should "one Staff Sergeant" be expected to transport weapons. As mlmdub130 said it's all shipped back in a shipping container. Mind numbing. If the other Soldiers have orders authorizing the shipment of 4 bags, all they need to do is claim the cost on a travel voucher and each will be reimbursed.

Yea, I smell some bullshit.
Why are individual soldiers transporting weapons back from the front on airliners when we have a massive military airlift and shipping fleet?