Delta Change of Flights!

[ttfn3]

Delta is at it again. We are due to fly to Orlando for Spring Break in March. I received a call from Delta regarding our direct flight home. Our flight was cancelled. I asked about the flight down and it was changed also. Delta offered me $150 flight voucher per person - because the flight back they rebooked us on was way overbooked. I have never been offered this deal 3 months before a flight. The flight rep was wonderful. We had a bit of a difficult time finding seats so DS would be with at least one parent. Luckily, I was able to rebook us on earlier flight down, and a flight back that was only 2hours earlier. Now, I hope that our flights stay - and there aren't any more changes.

So - if you get a call from Delta make sure you check ALL your flights - and double check your seat assignments!

 

[StregaNona]

At least Delta called you. We have had reservations on Delta & didn't find about changes until we got to the gate - no one told us at check in either . Needless to say we are not fans of Delta.

 

[JacobsMommy11002]

I to,am no fan of delta. They completely reaaranged all our flights for this week with no notice. Although when I called and complained loud enough, they did fully refund our nonrefundable tickets, and we rebooked with another carrier.

 

[rie'smom]

I got a refund from Delta last year because of numerous changes. That's one airline we will not book. Another airline,I believe, is supposed to buy them. When and if that happens,I might reconsider.

 

[rparmfamily]

To the OP, I am glad they were friendly too you and glad that they gave you some compensation. Can't say that other Carriers would be so willing. Here is a question, why do people feel the need to yell or raise their voice when talking to the airline employees or to any other employee around the world? What are you accomplishing? Do you not realize that crap happens and there is only so much an employee can do?

 

[Jacksmom99]

Thanks to everyones who posts here I knew Delta was notorious for changing flights/times/seats, so I've been checking my Feb reservation every week or so. Lo and behold, last night I checked and noticed the times were changed on both flights and our seat assignments were 'unassigned'. 45 minutes of on hold and talking to 3 different people, I got my original seats confirmed and a new itinerary sent via email. I was stressing about the seats. We like to sit 2x2 and put DD (AKA "the kicker") behind DS. I emphasized that point several times on the phone

So, thanks for all the great advice I get here on the DIS!!!

Kim

 

[disprincesspatty]

I was just getting ready to book Delta for our May trip, but now I am scared. Has anybody NOT had problems with Delta? We will be leaving from BWI, connecting through Atlanta, is this one of the routes that seems to change alot?

 

[Alexander]

The further in advance you book your flights, the more likely you are to have changes to your flight schedule. We are booked on Delta for President's week. I booked last April. I knew there would be changes as we booked anticipated flights, not actually scheduled flights.

There were as many as 9 schedule changes. I simply made a phone call and the representative gladly rearranged the flights to meet our needs. She even changed times on our departing flight so we wouldn't have to wait in Altanta too long for the next flight.

If you are polite and don't demand they give you something, they are more than willing to accomodate you as best they can. rparmfamily is exactly right....they reps on the phone have nothing to do with flight changes, so why yell at them?

We have to book Delta as they are the only airline that will take us into Melbourne. There are usually schedule changes, but I just make a phone call and rearrange things. It usually ends up being better flight times than I originally booked because I book the cheapest flights and when something needs to be changed, they book us on what ever they can (not first class of course!).

 

[kaytieeldr]

First, I gotta agree with the posters above who point out that raising one's voice, complaining loudly, etc., to a telephone Customer Service Rep is unnecessary. This person did NOT make the changes or set the policies or sell out the item after your order was finalized but before it was selected/shipped... CSRs are all human beings, just like us. They'll do what they can, but none of them cancelled a particular flight causing ALL the passengers on that flight to be redirected through Philadelphia...

I got a refund from Delta last year because of numerous changes. That's one airline we will not book. Another airline,I believe, is supposed to buy them. When and if that happens,I might reconsider.

No airline is "supposed" to buy Delta. US Airways has made an offer, and is not backing down - but do you REALLY want an airline monopoly (which it appears is US Airlines' goal - given that they already purchased America West and codeshare with United and don't forget their absolutely HORRIBLE luggage handling)? At any rate, Delta officials are not interested in the offer - they're still working their way out of bankruptcy protection, and are likely on goal.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We have to book Delta as they are the only airline that will take us into Melbourne.

Is this worth it to you to deal with all of Delta's problems?
I think it would be worth it to use a reliable carrier and drive to Melbourne. Just MHO.
All of that unpredictability would make me ill!

 

[ttfn3]

It's so interesting to see everyone's comments. We usually fly either Southwest or Delta to Florida. I actually prefer Delta because we get assigned seats. I'm not a big fan of the "cattle call" of Southwest. I booked our airfare May 2006 for our March 2007 flights. The direct flights are always so expensive during Spring break and I wanted to makes sure I got a good price. Plus, Southwest never discounts flights from Ohio to Florida in March. I knew the flights on Delta would probably change. In fact, the flights have changed twice. I think the only reason I got a call was because the return flight they bumped us to was WAY overbooked. I'm also wondering if they call the people that are members of the frequent flyer/Skymiles first. The customer service people that called me were very nice. In fact, I got a call yesterday afternoon. I was so sick I couldn't think straight. They offered to call me back this morning at 9:30. They were so nice and helpful in making the changes.

I wouldn't hesitate to fly Delta again. I think all airlines are having adjustments/changes to flights these days.

As for the airline that was attempting to buy Delta - that was US Air. US Air is horrible for us for flights to Florida. I definitely DO NOT want them to succeed in their takeover attempt.

 

[GEM]

We pretty much only fly Delta when we fly into Orlando. From our airport (Little Rock) Delta is usually the cheapest, even cheaper than Southwest. We've probably flown with them 12 or so times over the last five years and we've NEVER had a single problem. We have had a FEW (very few) minor time adjustments (like just a few minutes or so) but never anything major. Getting our assigned seats back has never been a problem. We have great luck with them.

 

[tbrenk]

We are booked on Delta for our upcoming trip in April. We have 11 tickets booked. I have had over 10 schedule changes so far (never a phone call either). I always call right away and get seats reassigned and there is always a problem. Right now, for our return flight they have my husband in 24F, me in 31F and my 5 year old son in 34F. They said they cannot change the seats and I have to do tha at the aiport and hope that people will chang their seats (and you kow how people love that).

The part that gets me is first you have to call the main 800 number and are connected to someone at a call center that barely speaks English and you cannot understand a word they are saying. You have to go through all the info only to be connected yet again to another person. Each call I am on hold more than 15 minutes with each person. I understand a change is possible, but this is crazy. If the flight number and plane remains the same and only the time changes by a few minutes, then why do they rearrange all the seats again? We start off sitting as a family and then get scattered throughout the plan and when you call they say that they cannot change them.

We usually fly Continental but Delta's fares were considerably less. If I knew then what I know now, I would gladly have paid more to fly Continental. It is worth the savings.

 

[ducklite]

To the OP, I am glad they were friendly too you and glad that they gave you some compensation. Can't say that other Carriers would be so willing. Here is a question, why do people feel the need to yell or raise their voice when talking to the airline employees or to any other employee around the world? What are you accomplishing? Do you not realize that crap happens and there is only so much an employee can do?

I think it depends on the airline employees attitude. If I call about a change they've made and the person on the other end of the line is aplogetic and offers various options, of course I'm not going to yell. But if the person says something like "Well that's the way we operate and I don't know what you expect me to do about it" I'm going to get pissed and probably raise my voice. At that point it is personal with the jerk of an employee, not with the airline.

Anne

 

[bicker]

Has anybody NOT had problems with Delta?

Over the years, I've had numerous flights on Delta (and many other carriers). With the exception of a period last year, when Delta was reincorporating Song Airlines in the main line, Delta doesn't mess with schedules substantially more than any other airline that releases their flight schedules 11 months prior to flight date.

 

[bicker]

First, I gotta agree with the posters above who point out that raising one's voice, complaining loudly, etc., to a telephone Customer Service Rep is unnecessary. This person did NOT make the changes or set the policies or sell out the item after your order was finalized but before it was selected/shipped... CSRs are all human beings, just like us. They'll do what they can

This is a critical point. Arguing with or generally making trouble for the person in the best position to help you isn't a good plan.

No airline is "supposed" to buy Delta. US Airways has made an offer, and is not backing down - but do you REALLY want an airline monopoly (which it appears is US Airlines' goal - given that they already purchased America West and codeshare with United

US Airways goal is to reach a sustainable size. Smaller airlines won't survive in this insanely competitive and low-margin industry, unless they radically reduce the number of cities they serve, aiming at only the most profitable cities (which will really mess up smaller cities that rely on these airlines for service or for affordable service).

Industry experts are clear: There are simply too many airlines. Who pays for that imbalance? So far, we all have, as our taxes have been used to prop-up failing airlines, and in some cases we taxpayers have even assumed their pension liabilities. It is not in the taxpayer's best interest to have so many airlines, to have such a competitive environment, to have such a low-margin industry. And I'm a taxpayer much more than I'm an airline passenger!

As it is, it isn't clear to me if US Airways took over America West or America West took over US Airways. It was as even a merger as we've seen in the airline industry in decades -- two airlines coming together because alone they wouldn't have survived. The code-share with United doesn't constitute much of anything, really (especially in terms of accusations such as "monopoly"), and if anything, United has the upper-hand in that relationship. Furthermore, a Delta-US Airways merger would bring an end to the United code-share agreement.

In the end, there is probably enough room for about five or six major airlines (over 30 million passengers per year) in the United States: American, United, Delta (with or without US Airways) and Southwest, for sure. So that leaves one or two slots for Northwest, US Airways, and Continental. And give it time, and airlines like JetBlue and AirTran will make the situation even murkier. Something has got to give.

 

[tbrenk]

Over the years, I've had numerous flights on Delta (and many other carriers). With the exception of a period last year, when Delta was reincorporating Song Airlines in the main line, Delta doesn't mess with schedules substantially more than any other airline that releases their flight schedules 11 months prior to flight date.

Not true with my experience. We always fly Continental into Sarasota. We book the flights the day they come out because we travel with 3 families. We have gone the past 5 years and never had one change.

 

[bicker]

I don't fly Continental much anymore, but we did have one flight in the last few years, and indeed there was a schedule change about five months prior to the flight -- just about two hours.

 

[cindym]

My Delta flights have changed twice since booking. We now leave for Florida 5 hours earlier and 3 hours later on the return flight. I could call and ask for something different but....I got the tickets for $138 round trip and they are direct flights. So I'm not changing a thing. Also gives us 8 extra hours in sunny Florida in February!!!

 

[DebbieB]

We are booked on Delta for our upcoming trip in April. We have 11 tickets booked. I have had over 10 schedule changes so far (never a phone call either). I always call right away and get seats reassigned and there is always a problem. Right now, for our return flight they have my husband in 24F, me in 31F and my 5 year old son in 34F. They said they cannot change the seats and I have to do tha at the aiport and hope that people will chang their seats (and you kow how people love that).

This is why I don't understand why people are afraid of Southwest's open seating. This sounds worse.