Delta Changing Flights!

[jenpooh]

Hey all...

Just got a huge heads up today and wanted to share. We're flying Delta, leaving this friday. We were supposed to leave at 2:30pm, then they changed our flight to 6:50pm. That would have put us into Orlando at 11pm! We opted to call the airline and switch to an earlier flight. When I asked the reservation person about the change, she said they're cancelling the flights that weren't full, and forcing people to keep the flights full that are running to save money.

Now, I know the airlines are hurting, and people aren't flying as much. But cancelling convenient flight times doesn't seem like a practical solution to me either.

Just my 2 cents. But you might want to call and double check your flights when they get close. The girl I spoke to said Delta isn't the only airline doing this.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Actually, all the airlines do change their flight schedules routinely. It's not necessarily just due to recent events and/or less people travelling. It has been my experience that most airlines will call you and notify you of a major schedule change if you have given them your contact info when you make your flight plans. But you are correct. It is ALWAYS a smart thing to do to check on your flights within a week or so of your travel - even then, though, flights have been known to change overnight! Good thing you checked...I hope you got a more acceptable flight time!

 

[lindaso]

I have never seen this many scheduling changes before and I fly to Florida a lot. We've been cancelled twice now for our upcoming trip and both times I found out here as opposed to Delta calling me. The first time they rescheduled us connecting all over the place. This time they just left us in limbo without a flight at all. The flight we were originally scheduled on was almost full with only 2 rows left open.

I find it completely frustrating that the airline industry and the government are begging us to fly and they're making it impossible for us to keep our plans by switching our flights around. It's like they're making it too easy for us to cancel. I know with every flight change, I think about whether or not we should go.

 

[jenpooh]

Lindaso:

I didn't find out from Delta either. Thankfully, my agent at Dreams Unlimited checked our flights and let me know about it.

I used to fly constantly for business, and I've had flights rescheduled or changed. But never to the extent that it's going on now. The sad part is, the girl I spoke to at Delta sounded really kind of "ho-hum" about the whole thing.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

jenpooh,
And the country has never been attacked before and grounded for days. There was a huge loss to the airline industry, they are trying to rebalance.
Ho humm, no, maybe just exhausted at hearing the same laments over and over again.
Think about it. What would you do if in that position? Me, I would last about 5 mins.

 

[seashoreCM]

You mean to say that airlines are nowadays summarily cancelling flights at the last minute if they are far from full? Isn't that illegal?

They should still give you the ultimate choice of going earlier or later (but not necessarily the choice of how much earlier or how much later if your second choice is completely sold out) than your cancelled flight. Call again to see if you get a different agent and ask again.

More Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[ducklite]

It is NOT illegal, but it is also seldom the reason for a last minute schedule change. There was recently a really good explanation of why carriers don't cancel flights last minute on this baord...maybe Gail or beverly posted it. One of the air guru's. At any rate, each airline has a written policy that they have to provide you with if you are bumped or cancelled due to reasons not beyond their control, like overbooking. If your flight is cancelled last minute, and they tell you it's because of low sales, in that case they have to offer you compensation, which varies depending on how late they get you to your final destination.

Anne

 

[jenpooh]

They allowed us to change our tickets to a 7AM flight. And the "official" term they're using is consolidation, not cancellation.. guess that gets them off the hook.

Bad thing is, we'll spend all week at Disney wondering if our return flight will be changed too.

Ah well, at least we get to go

3 days and counting!!!!

 

[travelcoupons]

Originally posted by ducklite
At any rate, each airline has a written policy that they have to provide you with if you are bumped or cancelled due to reasons not beyond their control, like overbooking.
Anne

That's called "RULE 240".

 

[flyingcircus]

I DON"T GET IT!!!

I am getting sooo upset at hearing these stories!! I work for an airline, and I would never treat people this way. People are getting laid off left and right, and people are treating you this way?
The ressie agent at Delta should NOT have said that- she has no idea WHY a flight is cancelled! The only reason she would have is if it was a mechanical problem, and that would not be known this far in advance!
In another thread, I spoke of reasons why flights are not cancelled. The load is really not the number 1 reason. For example, one time 5 of us were flown in on a Lear jet from DEN to OKC to work a flight. It wasn't for the psgr. load- it was to ensure that the plane got to DEN on time because of US mail!!!
I am really sorry that all of you have been having so many problems. There is no excuse!