Can Delta do this? Can I get a refund?

LandChildWorldAdult

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
165
I booked and paid for a direct flight in September. Yesterday, I got an email and my flights are now going through Atlanta and getting us home at *midnight*. I haven't looked yet to see if pricing or flights have changed with other carriers, but this seems very unfair. :mad:

Does anyone know if this sort of change makes my non refundable tickets refundable? I feel like I bought a direct flight and a change in time would be reasonable (small change), but to go from direct to indirect seems a very substantial change in terms. :eek:

Thanks! :surfweb:
 
I've read that others have been able to change to a more acceptable flight without having to pay the change fee....and I also believe that you can get a refund in this instance. It varies by carrier.

But be aware that by accepting a refund means you would now have to pay today's prices for a replacement ticket, and that could mean significantly more $$ than you originally spent.
 
I have had Delta do this to me before but it was because the non stop flights from the airport we were flying from had been eliminated all together. Our change wasn't too drastic though. My best advice would be to call Delta and see what your options are. Any time we have had drastic schedule changes with them(too numerous to count) they have always been very accomodating in finding flights that better suited our needs. I always have a list of available flights in front of me before I call them so I am one step ahead. Good Luck!
 
This happened to my sister a few years ago (on Delta) and she was able to change to a flight time that was more acceptable for her and they waived the change fee but it was still a connecting flight (they eliminated the late afternoon/early evening non-stops).

This happened to us on AirTran last year and we were able to get a full refund. And we bought new tickets on SWA.

I think the policy varies by airline and also (IMHO) possibly how accomodating the agent you talk to is -- seems to me some are more willing to help than others.
 

So I can probably get a refund, or a change without a change fee, but with whatever price they have on their direct flights? :rolleyes1

That sort of stinks, but, I've been toying around with our schedule and we were going to pay baggage fees and stay the night before off site to get the cheap direct flight. Sort of a pain, really.

It looks like I can get a direct flight from a nearby airport which is cheaper to park at for our actual days and it won't end up costing me more. :banana:

I think I will be waving goodbye to Delta ...

Thanks so much for the information everyone :worship:
 
Delta is well-known for making changes to their flights. When I fly with Delta, I am always going online to double check the status of my flights...drives me nuts. I remember one time I was flying from Boston to MCO..by myself. There was a flight I really wanted, but it was just too much money, so I booked a much earlier flight, at half the cost. Well...about a month before my departure, I saw that my flight had been cancelled! Now, that flight was about 3/4 full....I can't imagine what they were thinking. Especially when they put us all on another flight, leaving much later that day (actually closer to evening) that was also 3/4 full...at least by looking at the available seating. So, I called Delta and told them that I had to be in Florida well before that 'assigned' flight would get me there..that I, in fact, had to be there before the flight even left! They asked if any other flights that day would work. I told her when I had to be in Florida....she asked about one particular flight. It turned out that the flight I had originally wanted, but it was too expensive, was the flight they could put me on....at the same fare that I was already paying...so no change fee, no paying for the addtl cost since the price had gone down. I was thrilled but didn't let that CS rep know it.
 
So I can probably get a refund, or a change without a change fee, but with whatever price they have on their direct flights? :rolleyes1

That sort of stinks, but, I've been toying around with our schedule and we were going to pay baggage fees and stay the night before off site to get the cheap direct flight. Sort of a pain, really.

It looks like I can get a direct flight from a nearby airport which is cheaper to park at for our actual days and it won't end up costing me more. :banana:

I think I will be waving goodbye to Delta ...

Thanks so much for the information everyone :worship:

They usually do not charge you the extra fare if it was because of their schedule change.
 
I feel like I bought a direct flight and a change in time would be reasonable (small change), but to go from direct to indirect seems a very substantial change in terms.

You actually bought a ticket that would transfer you from one airport to another on a specific date, you did not purchase a ticket that would guarantee a specific time, aircraft, seat or connection.

That said, as others have said, most airlines will allow a change for a significant change in your flight times (connections don't usually play a part directly, but in directly through additional time). Some airlines consider 90 minute or longer (others are beyond 4 hours though). In this case most likely Delta will have no issues changing you as it sounds like ultimately this was a fairly large change.
 
Please let us know what happens when you call Delta. I could definately see them offering to change you to another available flight at no cost, but I would be surprised if they give you a refund at no cost to you. Hopefully you will find a good solution.
 
Quietly hand pick alternate flights you could use and ask for a change. There should not be any additional charge either for fees or differing fares.

WHile you did not purchase a ticket for a specific time, if there is still something on the schedule for roughly the time you originally booked and on the desired side of the time (before or after) if applicable to you, then you should be able to have that.
 
I'm still trying to decide ... I'm so glad I didn't book a hotel room for the "extra" time yet.

What they've done is eliminate any non stop flights in the afternoon/evening on both legs. This means we will have to do a very early morning starting out and must decide how to return -- losing a day of vacation to catch a mid morning return doesn't seem like a good way to go. :rolleyes:

Trying to decide now whether to move to the "free" baggage of Southwest and more convenient airport and suck up lost time (about 3 hours on the first day and 2 hours on the last) or stick with the less convenient airport and get the time, but have the hassle of arranging transportation and hotel for the return. :surfweb: The difference (after accounting for baggage fees) in prices *now* is about $170, which is probably about what a decent room for 5 and the transfer will cost. :surfweb:

I had a choice with the first rep of getting a refund or changing flights without any penalty or upcharge (including shifting dates over one day on each end). We'll see what my box of cracker jacks has in it when I decide. :rotfl2:

I wonder if I can get a day added to my reservation ... probably cost me a fortune. So many variables ... :confused3
 
I know that Delta routinely has two non-stop flights from BOS to MCO daily and that's pretty much it....around 7am and then again around 3pm. Those are the two flights that stay pretty much the same.
What airport are you flying out of? And where would you take SW out of? We fly SW out of TF Green all the time and it's wonderful. 3 hrs of lost time just isn't that big a deal, but if you have something you have to do, then it may be worth it for you to not miss those three hours.
 
I'm still trying to decide ... I'm so glad I didn't book a hotel room for the "extra" time yet.

What they've done is eliminate any non stop flights in the afternoon/evening on both legs. This means we will have to do a very early morning starting out and must decide how to return -- losing a day of vacation to catch a mid morning return doesn't seem like a good way to go. :rolleyes:

Trying to decide now whether to move to the "free" baggage of Southwest and more convenient airport and suck up lost time (about 3 hours on the first day and 2 hours on the last) or stick with the less convenient airport and get the time, but have the hassle of arranging transportation and hotel for the return. :surfweb: The difference (after accounting for baggage fees) in prices *now* is about $170, which is probably about what a decent room for 5 and the transfer will cost. :surfweb:

I had a choice with the first rep of getting a refund or changing flights without any penalty or upcharge (including shifting dates over one day on each end). We'll see what my box of cracker jacks has in it when I decide. :rotfl2:

I wonder if I can get a day added to my reservation ... probably cost me a fortune. So many variables ... :confused3

Is your trip in Dec? If so, you might not want to dither on this for long. My advice-make a decision you're comfortable with, and phone. Flights fill up, options change.
I was somewhat surprised an agent offered you a flat out refund. The shift of flights (of course without upcharge) was more usual.
 
The afternoon/evening flights in mid december are gone from Delta's schedule in both directions BOS to MCO mid-week. They are there for like Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun, but not Mon, Tues & Wed. Sigh.

I have made the call and got the refund. Extended a day ... not sure how I talked DH into that ... :thumbsup2. No fun taking cranky kids home. Can't imagine having to put them on a plane in the morning to go home ... not good. :rotfl2:

We are closer to Manchester than TF Green and parking is cheaper. That and baggage charges plus the hassle of staying off site to come in late night a day early pushed me over the edge.

Thanks everyone :banana:, off to book the new flights before they disappear. :surfweb:
 








Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE


New Posts







DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom