Delta Air Lines - Cayman Islands

I am working almost 1000 miles away from home. I had the weekend off, so I decided to fly home to spend time with my kids and grandsons. I booked my flight to fly out of Gulfport Mississippi on Friday. My flight was scheduled to leave at 5:50 that evening. I got to the airport at 4:15 that afternoon. When I walked in there was a very long line of people. It was so long that they were standing in front of the door when I walked in. I must have looked very confused because a lady in line asked if I had already checked in. I told her that I had not, that I was just getting there for my flight at 5:50, she looked at me and said, "go up to the kiosk and check in and then get in this line, the flight has been canceled due to bad weather in Atlanta. I can understand bad weather, but the rest of the weekend was beyond belief. When I finally got up to the counter, the agent told me that he could get me on a flight out of Mobile Alabama, to Atlanta, and then on to my final destination of Kansas City, the next morning at 6:00. I agreed to this, although feeling pretty disappointed that by leaving on Saturday, it was going to take away precious time that I had to spend with my family. Got up at 2:30 Saturday morning to get ready and head to the airport in Mobile for my 6:00 a.m. flight. I got checked in, went through security, got to the gate and sat. Closer to time for the flight to leave there came an announcement that due to the bad weather that they had in Atlanta the day before, the flight attendants were running late because they had to have so many hours off. We were told that the pilots were there but would have to wait until the flight attendants arrived around 7:15, and after they got there and checked everything out that they would begin boarding. Needless to say that we did not get to board until 7:45. Got to Atlanta at 10:00 a.m. and had to run from B to A to make my connecting flight at 10:30. When I arrived at my gate the agent told me that they had not started boarding yet so not to worry. I took a seat and waited. About 10:45 they announced that due to the bad weather and all the cancellations and delays that the crew was there but the pilots were not, that they were coming in on another flight so as soon as they arrived we would start boarding. About 20 minutes later came another announcement that the said the pilots were there but the crew was not and that as soon as they arrived we would begin boarding. At 11:45 we finally started boarding the plane. After sitting on the plane for quite some time, the captain made an announcement that we were delayed because he didn't have a co pilot, and that we were waiting on one. He said as soon as he got a co pilot that we would take off. Needless to say, we sat on that plane for 2 and 1/2 hours without moving. Finally we were told to get off the plane and go to the delta counter and talk to them because our flight had been cancelled. Mind you we had sat on the plane not moving all of that time watching plane after plane take off and land. Upon arrival at the delta counter, there was an even longer line than I had seen in Gulfport the day before. By this time is it 3:00 on Saturday afternoon. We all had to scan our boarding passes and it issued new ones. My new flight arrangements that they had chosen for me were to fly out of Atlanta on Sunday morning by way of Minneapolis and back to Kansas City from there. Arriving in Kansas City at 12:39, that afternoon and then my return flight was at 3:49. I called the help line as everyone else was doing and was told that was the best that they could do for me other than putting me back on a plane going back to Mobile without getting my trip home to see my kids, and they would return part of my money. I was appalled at this notion. I had not asked to spend my weekend waiting on a plane, or sitting on a plane not moving from the airport, or sitting in the airport in Atlanta and have them send me back paying for all of that. I overheard a guy a couple of people down from me on the help line confirming his flight for 3:50 that same afternoon to Kansas City, so I asked why they had told me that there was nothing that they could do for me to get home. The guy put me on hold and finally after several minutes came back and told me that the best that he could do was put me on standby for 3 different flights that evening for Kansas City, one at 5:50 one at 7, and one at 10. I finally made it on the flight leaving at 5:50. We were a little late taking off but made it Kansas City at 8:30 that evening. With the drive home from the airport, I got home just in time to go to bed. I got to meet one of my kids for a quick breakfast and stop and see the grandsons and daughter for approximately 2 hours before having to rush back to the airport for my flight back. How did a two day weekend turn in to a few short hours????? DELTA!!!!!
I sent a complaint, and explained that I had lost 3 hours of overtime at work for this flight that was cancelled, numerous hours of sleep and my daughter had made two trips to the airport, which is over an hour from my house, so 4 hours of travel time and the gas for her, my gas and they robbed me of my time with my family plus took my $455.20 for the ticket!! Delta's solution to make me feel better about being screwed over by them, was to give me a $50 gift!!! How does that even come close to making up for this mess????? I will never fly with Delta again.