Airline changed my flight - will they help with hotel?

[sdjen]

Hello! I have a situation that i am asking advice on. I have a trip booked for Feb coming home from Orlando. Because we are getting off a cruise, there was only one flight option for us coming home. We were supposed to leave MCO at 6 PM and connect through Minneapolis and home about 10 PM. Now the second leg of that trip has been cancelled and the flight that Delta put us on leaves MSP about 4 hours before we get there! That obviously will not work

the only other option for us was to change our flight to the next day. We now leave about 10 AM and get home about 3 PM which is great. However, the more that I think about it, I am thinking that Delta should pay for my hotel since we now have to stay for an extra night.

Is there any chance they will do that?? I will ask anyway but I am curious if anyone has had this happen. Wondering what my chances are

Thanks.

 

[ancestry]

You can ask but I think your chances are slim to none. I think you stand a better chance of getting Delta to refund your money so you can book on another airline than you do of getting them to pay for a night's hotel stay.

 

[TDC Nala]

I would say no, they won't pay for you to stay in a hotel. All you can do is ask, but they probably won't do it.

 

[luckyfin]

You can ask but I think your chances are slim to none. I think you stand a better chance of getting Delta to refund your money so you can book on another airline than you do of getting them to pay for a night's hotel stay.

I agree with this. I have had good luck with airlines refunding my money completely when this happens. I just don't see the airline paying for your hotel. They can sell your seats to someone else.

 

[mousefan1972]

If I were in your position, I would check other airlines to see if there is an acceptable option to fly home the day your cruise ends. If there is, I would tell Delta I want a refund of the return leg and then book on another carrier. I agree with PPs that getting Delta to pay for your hotel is highly unlikely to happen.

 

[DebbieB]

The only time they help with a hotel is if they cancel a flight while you are traveling (same day) and it was within their control. They don't have to pay for a hotel for weather cancellations.

 

[GirlDreamer]

I'll agree with what everyone else has said. Unfortunately, the airline is within their full right to change the flights, so they won't pay any extra expenses you might have because of it. It's probably mentioned somewhere in the small print.

 

[Captain Blue Sky]

Delta will likely not pay for your hotel under these circumstances. The airline flight schedules are set to optimize aircraft utilization, crew utilization, customer demand, and lower operating costs. Under your circumstance they might, at best, refund your money but that is probably all they will do. That does free you to look elsewhere, though, which is always a good thing.

 

[goofy4tink]

Airlines change flights all the time. 'If' the change is more than a few hours difference, the airlines will usually refund your money so you can rebook with another airline. But pay for a hotel? Not likely.
What time do you get off the ship??? It looks like you're cruising with Disney, which means you're off the ship no later than 9am. And that gets you to MCO by 11am....so, not sure why you have only one flight out available. But, there could be extenuating circumstances here. Perhaps no other flights are available due to already being booked. Don't know. But you should be able to be back at MCO by 11am which should open up some other flights.

 

[sdjen]

Thanks everyone. There are not a lot of options for us because of the limited flights that fly into South Dakota. We can use Delta or United. I am flying United on the way out and Delta on the way home. The only other option I have on Delta the day we get off the ship leaves at 10 AM which we couldnt safely make from the ship. United only has one flight that works on that afternoon but it is a several hour layover which when travelling alone with a 6 year old isnt a good option for us.

I do have enough points to get a free hotel night for Saturday but i just think it stinks they can just cancel. I guess i should be grateful I know about it already instead of on the day of the trip, right