These people were waiting for seating assignments that should have been given to them in Tennessee, but as Delta s bumbling is a nationwide phenomenon, they were stuck in the same interminable line in front of us. Finally, we shambled up to the counter. At the main ticket counter, my wife and I were placed on a later flight. At least this one was for real, but it still robbed us of four hours in Athens, so we asked about an upgrade. The ticket agent shrugged and referred us to the people who wander around Hartsfield in red jackets.
Delta claims the jackets indicate some special authority.
What that authority is I m still not sure. Personally, I believe I ve found a new species of wildlife, the Delta terminal red-coated loafer. These creatures are captured by Delta and allowed to wander free in the terminal. Like flamingoes, they re also very decorative, but unlike many birds don t require as much newspaper on the floor. We wound up on the late flight to Paris flying coach.