Changing Delta flight to April 16..is this date strike free date?

[phuang]

Hi!

As I have read, the pilots has set a strike date of any day after April 17... I have a delta flight to MCO on April 20. If I change my flight date to April 16 flight time is 10:50pm, is this date and time considered safe enough? or is April 15 safer? Will they strike earlier than April 17?

Please help...TA is giving me until today only to change flight...Help..

Thanks!

 

[lauren0309]

Yes, April 16 would be safe. My flight is April 17 but IF they strike it won't be till after April 17 so I just made it under the wire. Some people are just waiting and not changing their flights to see what happens. If its worth it not to have stress and pay the extra change fee I would do it too.

 

[ducklite]

So you get there--how do you plan on getting home?

Anne

 

[phuang]

If Delta won't switch us to another airline, we will just booked another flight, thinking will cut losses for one-way rather than for the round trip...

 

[ducklite]

If Delta won't switch us to another airline, we will just booked another flight, thinking will cut losses for one-way rather than for the round trip...

So you are planning on buying a one-way ticket at the airport? Do you ahve any idea how much that's going to cost? If you can even get one...

Anne

 

[lauren0309]

I was more worried about getting there. Now that I know I will, I just have to worry about getting home but we have many options. Either find another flight on stand-by, take Amtrak, Greyhound or rent a car for a 2 day drive back to New York.

 

[ducklite]

I was more worried about getting there. Now that I know I will, I just have to worry about getting home but we have many options. Either find another flight on stand-by, take Amtrak, Greyhound or rent a car for a 2 day drive back to New York.

FYI with car rentals. When you return outside of the "zone" you rented in, you are charged a surcharge of $500 per zone. NY is 3-4 "zones" from Orlando, depending on where in NY you are returning, so plan on paying $1500-2000 in drop off fees on the car over and above the rental cost.

Anne

 

[lauren0309]

If it that that expensive, then we would probably do the 2 other options. Greyhouse or Amtrak. I checked their rates already and they are affordable.

 

[magiroux]

FYI with car rentals. When you return outside of the "zone" you rented in, you are charged a surcharge of $500 per zone. NY is 3-4 "zones" from Orlando, depending on where in NY you are returning, so plan on paying $1500-2000 in drop off fees on the car over and above the rental cost.

Anne

Anne, is this stated in the agreement and clearly included in the fees when I confirm a rental?

I am one of the many who may be stuck in Orlando (fly back 4/22) when Delta calls the strike. I just rented a car from Alamo 4/22 to 4/24(minivan MCO to Cambridge, MA for $43.08/tax incl.) thinking that was my best option for a back up plan. I thought that deal was almost too good to be true, and after reading your post, I think I might be right. Would these charges be clearly listed or should I be looking at the fine print with a magnify glass ?

TIA

 

[ducklite]

If it that that expensive, then we would probably do the 2 other options. Greyhouse or Amtrak. I checked their rates already and they are affordable.

Except that you might be competing for tickets on those carriers with thousands of other stranded passengers. While the rates might be affordable, tickets might not be available.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Anne, is this stated in the agreement and clearly included in the fees when I confirm a rental?

I am one of the many who may be stuck in Orlando (fly back 4/22) when Delta calls the strike. I just rented a car from Alamo 4/22 to 4/24(minivan MCO to Cambridge, MA for $43.08/tax incl.) thinking that was my best option for a back up plan. I thought that deal was almost too good to be true, and after reading your post, I think I might be right. Would these charges be clearly listed or should I be looking at the fine print with a magnify glass ?

TIA

I would be very careful to read the fine print. I'd also verify your booking through an agent and make sure they realize the pick up and drop off points are different.

I once picked up a car in Charlotte and when I tried to return it in VA, they wanted an extra $1000. It was cheaper for my company to have me drive the car back to Charlotte and fly back to VA.

Anne

 

[phuang]

So you are planning on buying a one-way ticket at the airport? Do you ahve any idea how much that's going to cost? If you can even get one...

Anne

When delta will go on strike, I will immediately purchase one way UA ticket via internet, rates are about 300 dollars.

Are on way tickets really very expensive? Even if you booked earlier?

 

[ducklite]

When delta will go on strike, I will immediately purchase one way UA ticket via internet, rates are about 300 dollars.

Are on way tickets really very expensive? Even if you booked earlier?

I'm assuming you are booking o/w MCO/SFO on UAL. It's very possible that only full price tickets will be available by then, and you might not be able to secure seats for your entire party on a single flight. Remember--there were 200 other people on your flight who will be looking for other options--some of whom might have already booked refundable tickets just in case--that will jack up ticket prices.

I just took a look at full fare tickets, and they are $600+ per person, o/w. There are a limited number of non-full rev tickets available on any flight, and there's a better chance that you will have to pay full fare than not. As the plane fills, open seats will become more and more expensive. Almost every flight I've been on lately has been 95% or more full. The carriers are flying with very few open seats, and it could be several days after your return before seats are available to you on a flight.

Anne

 

[magiroux]

I would be very careful to read the fine print. I'd also verify your booking through an agent and make sure they realize the pick up and drop off points are different.

I once picked up a car in Charlotte and when I tried to return it in VA, they wanted an extra $1000. It was cheaper for my company to have me drive the car back to Charlotte and fly back to VA.

Anne

Well, I called Alamo and they said right now they are having the, "Florida, pick Up and Drive Out Special", or something to that effect. So while these crazy charges may have been charged in the past it seems due to this special they are waiving whatever fees would have been applied. I actually remember getting an email special last week about this. Thanks for the heads up though, Anne.

 

[ducklite]

Well, I called Alamo and they said right now they are having the, "Florida, pick Up and Drive Out Special", or something to that effect. So while these crazy charges may have been charged in the past it seems due to this special they are waiving whatever fees would have been applied. I actually remember getting an email special last week about this. Thanks for the heads up though, Anne.

You lucked out! Congrats!

I would strongly advise anyone who is using a rental car as a back up plan to get hom checks carefully on all costs, because this will probably not apply across the board, only to certain destinations and for a limited number of cars. My guess is that right now they need to move cars up to the Cape Cod area for the summer. But if you are planning on driving to Dayton you might not have the same luck.

Anne

 

[lauren0309]

People are trying to work things out to their advantage and all I hear on this thread is negativity. People shouldn't be discourgaged.

 

[roadtripper]

So you get there--how do you plan on getting home?

Anne

Home? Who needs to go home?? Isn't this what we've all dreamed of? Getting STRANDED at WDW! (We'll be at Vero, but same thing)

Actually, we will just jump in our rent a car and head north-- verrrrrrrrrry
sloooooowly....

 

[ducklite]

People are trying to work things out to their advantage and all I hear on this thread is negativity. People shouldn't be discourgaged.

There's a big difference between negative and realistic. I'm trying to point out to people the realism of the situation. You and 10,000 other people will be trying to fly out of MCO on any given day on Delta flights. If Delta cancels all flights, there is no way that all of these people will be absorbed by other carriers, including ground transportation options. Day of travel purchase tickets are extremely expensive, Amtrack doens't have unlimited seating, neither does Greyhound. The car agencies are only going to allow just so many cars to leave the area.

It's quite possible that a good half of the people grounded by Delta will have to wait several days to get hime, and even at that will likely have their party split up onto different flights and not seated together if you do all get on one flight. Other carriers are going to take care of "their" customers first.

Be prepared, and have cash, time, and patience for an extended stay in Orlando and a lot of hours waiting around on standby lists at the airport.

Anne

 

[bicker]

I agree with Anne. Unreliable optimism is counter-productive. People need the most reliable information to help them get the soundest view of reality they can, so they can make the best decisions for their family. People need to be prepared. People need to have contingency plans.

 

[plutospup]

Car rental companies are now in a time frame where they are moving their stock. (From 'snow bird' season to family travel season/south to north)

I just received an email from Avis announcing special one way fares from either Arizona, or Florida to points north. There doesn't appear to be any additional "zone fee" during this time frame. For more info check this link http://avis.com/AvisWeb/JSP/US/en/deals/onewayfl06.jsp?IID=DL_oneway_florida: