Delta is dropping service to my airport in Sept. - UPDATE post #20!!

[NancyIL]

Definitely annoyed here! The headline on the front page of my local paper says "Delta dropping local service" in September, and I'm using Delta miles to fly to Orlando Thanksgiving day! I called Delta...they were no help, as apparently THEY don't know they won't be flying here any more! I called back....woman said they have arrangements with other carriers, and they'd put me on something else. Yeah, when...a month from now when American and Northworst are full? Grrrrr!!! I know I could have them put the miles back in my account and buy a ticket on another airline - but what good are 25,000 Delta miles if they don't fly from my hometown? Any suggestions from those with cooler heads?

**See post #20 for an update!

 

[justplaingoofy]

Definitely annoyed here! The headline on the front page of my local paper says "Delta dropping local service" in September, and I'm using Delta miles to fly to Orlando Thanksgiving day! I called Delta...they were no help, as apparently THEY don't know they won't be flying here any more! I called back....woman said they have arrangements with other carriers, and they'd put me on something else. Yeah, when...a month from now when American and Northworst are full? Grrrrr!!! I know I could have them put the miles back in my account and buy a ticket on another airline - but what good are 25,000 Delta miles if they don't fly from my hometown? Any suggestions from those with cooler heads?

Can you "gift" them to somebody? maybe in exchange the "gift recipient" would like to then give you a "gift" of some cash to put towards an airline of your choice.

 

[bicker]

This is not surprising. Delta, while recovering, is far from out-of-the-woods, and the whole airline industry needs to focus a lot harder on becoming profitable, and that means cutting less profitable operations and services.

 

[NancyIL]

Can you "gift" them to somebody? maybe in exchange the "gift recipient" would like to then give you a "gift" of some cash to put towards an airline of your choice.

Thanks for the suggestion, but the airlines don't look too kindly on those kinds of "gift" exchanges!

I'm mainly wondering if I should wait and see what Delta will do for me, once they are aware they aren't flying this route any more, or buy a ticket on another carrier and when Delta gets around to notifying me...have them put the miles back in my account.

 

[justplaingoofy]

Thanks for the suggestion, but the airlines don't look too kindly on those kinds of "gift" exchanges!

I'm mainly wondering if I should wait and see what Delta will do for me, once they are aware they aren't flying this route any more, or buy a ticket on another carrier and when Delta gets around to notifying me...have them put the miles back in my account.

I probably should've clarified this.. I didn't mean to put them on ebay... maybe a friend or family member could use them and in return help you out..

 

[Simba's Mom]

Definitely annoyed here! The headline on the front page of my local paper says "Delta dropping local service" in September, and I'm using Delta miles to fly to Orlando Thanksgiving day! I called Delta...they were no help, as apparently THEY don't know they won't be flying here any more! I called back....woman said they have arrangements with other carriers, and they'd put me on something else. Yeah, when...a month from now when American and Northworst are full? Grrrrr!!! I know I could have them put the miles back in my account and buy a ticket on another airline - but what good are 25,000 Delta miles if they don't fly from my hometown? Any suggestions from those with cooler heads?

Sorry, no suggestions-just empathy-been there, done that! I was using FF miles on American one year (the week before Thanksgiving) when they decided in September to pull out of our local airport. All they'd do for me was send me to the next closest airport, and change my flight time by 6 hours! And when I told them I couldn't leave work 6 hours earlier, they were as nasty to me as I felt towards them! Finally, they offered me my miles back, but of course, by then, it was nearly impossible to get another flight at a decent price. I ended up pleading with my employer, taking that earlier flight. I would have preferred the option of a different carrier out of my original airport, but it was prohibitively expensive.

 

[CarolA]

1 Go to Delta.com and attempt to book the flight on your travel dates. Does it still show? If not, call Delta and ask again to be rebooked.

2. If it does show call DURING a weekday, try your request again. If they say they are still flying ask for a supervisor and see if she/he can help. I say weekday because you tend to have a better chance of not getting the outsourced people who your tend to get on weekends and evenings.

3. DL can rebook you on NW using your FF miles, have you tried that?

4. If worse come to worse and you can't get anyplace in the next week and you are flying the Wed/Sun of Thanksgiving I would probably buy a ticket on someone soon.

 

[NancyIL]

1 Go to Delta.com and attempt to book the flight on your travel dates. Does it still show? If not, call Delta and ask again to be rebooked.

2. If it does show call DURING a weekday, try your request again. If they say they are still flying ask for a supervisor and see if she/he can help. I say weekday because you tend to have a better chance of not getting the outsourced people who your tend to get on weekends and evenings.

3. DL can rebook you on NW using your FF miles, have you tried that?

4. If worse come to worse and you can't get anyplace in the next week and you are flying the Wed/Sun of Thanksgiving I would probably buy a ticket on someone soon.

Thanks, Carol. I checked my reservation online and it still shows me as confirmed on my original Delta flights. But when I tried to book just now for the same dates, it shows flights with a "codeshare partner" through Detroit - so I know those are Northwest flights. I'll give Delta a call again on Monday, if one more call tonight gets nowhere!

**Just talked to the re-issue desk...they can't help me yet because they can't even see the Northwest flight I see online! If I were to rebook, I'd be on Northwest to Detroit, then 2 Delta flights to Orlando getting in at 6:38 p.m. at the earliest on Thanksgiving Day, and that is unacceptable. Will try again Monday.

 

[OntFamily]

Just a suggestion, but you may want to wait a day or two before hitting the panic button. If Delta only announced the change in the last 24 hours, it probably hasn't worked it's way through their system yet (nor would they have had time to inform everyone internally in their company).

Also, since Delta has advised they would protect you on another airline, it sounds like you are in the clear. Give them a few days to sort out the details (why give up a free flight?????).

 

[seashoreCM]

If you find seats on Delta's other flights you like including codeshares, although not flights purely on other airlines, Delta should book the seats for you at no extra charge even if your current tickets are Skysaver or U or T fare.

 

[NancyIL]

If you find seats on Delta's other flights you like including codeshares, although not flights purely on other airlines, Delta should book the seats for you at no extra charge even if your current tickets are Skysaver or U or T fare.

I don't like the 3 flights it will now take - according to Delta's web site. And get this...it said there are no flights from MCO to CMI (my home airport)!! I will ask to be put on Northwest flights the day before Thanksgiving, because my original flights had me arriving at 1:30 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, and Northwest's flights would get me there 4+ hours later.

 

[bicker]

CMI has been on the chopping block for a while, because of its limited market.

Since your airline tickets were paid with FF miles, what you've been offered is practically-speaking pretty close to the best I expect you'll be offered. As a revenue passenger, you might fare better.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Since your airline tickets were paid with FF miles, what you've been offered is practically-speaking pretty close to the best I expect you'll be offered. As a revenue passenger, you might fare better

I disagree. Delta dropped my evening flight when they changed our route from BGM to ATL rather than CVG. The early morning flight to ATL had no availability for skymiles seats (the early flight never had skysaver seats and I started looking 331 days out). They over ran the system and let me have the am flight rather than the 2:30pm flight (the only other choice) when I mentioned that I would now have to take another day off of work due to the schedule change. I was surprised that using a "free" ticket I had such good service and that they made the change work for me.

Give them a few days to sort out their schedules, and then be insistent on getting what you want.

 

[bicker]

I didn't say that they'll always ignore all non-revs. With a revenue passenger, you can expect that the airline will bend over backwards to satisfy the passenger much more so than with a non-rev.

In this case, I think the biggest difference is that Delta continues to offer service from BGM. That's not the case with CMI. Delta is simply no longer serving that airport, so the level of service a passenger can expect to get is simply less.

 

[seashoreCM]

We're not talking about bending over backwards.

If your flight is cancelled and there are seats on another flight or flights you can use, it is really a no-brainer to put you on that flight(s). It's a one way street. If you don't want to go to another airport and there are no other flights you like, you are entitled to a refund.

If your flights have not yet been cancelled, even though the newspaper said that service is going to end, you may have to wait for a rescheduling.

 

[cjnix29]

No suggestions for you either...just empathy. Last September the airline we were flying to Orlando packed up in the middle of the night, and left town! Employees didn't even know it was happening and they left a note on the counter. This was 2 days before we were supposed to fly!! We loaded up our car and ended up driving. So...at least you have some time to figure out what you are going to do!

 

[bicker]

We're not talking about bending over backwards.

Paying another airline to carry a non-rev passenger for you is unquestionably bending over backwards. The airline gets no cash money, and yet they have to give cash money to someone else. That's pretty extreme.

The service has been terminated. There are no DL flights between CMI and MCO listed for Thanksgiving-time in the reservations systems any longer.

OP: Sorry this has happened to you. Best of luck with your arrangements.

 

[NancyIL]

CMI has been on the chopping block for a while, because of its limited market.

Since your airline tickets were paid with FF miles, what you've been offered is practically-speaking pretty close to the best I expect you'll be offered. As a revenue passenger, you might fare better.

I haven't been offered anything yet, because Delta still isn't acknowledging that my original flights have changed. The 3 flights are what shows up online if I check flights for the same dates I have now.

 

[NancyIL]

Paying another airline to carry a non-rev passenger for you is unquestionably bending over backwards. The airline gets no cash money, and yet they have to give cash money to someone else. That's pretty extreme.

The service has been terminated. There are no DL flights between CMI and MCO listed for Thanksgiving-time in the reservations systems any longer.

OP: Sorry this has happened to you. Best of luck with your arrangements.

Worst case scenario - I ask them to refund my miles and I buy a ticket elsewhere. But I need to know sooner rather than later, since it's holiday travel.

 

[NancyIL]

On Wednesday I finally got someone at Delta to acknowledge that they would indeed cease service at my airport Oct. 1st, and was told to call back today. I talked to a nice woman in the Ticket Reissue department. My options were to rebook on Northwest flights out of my home airport using ONLY available FF seats, which would not be easy to find for Thanksgiving at this late date. OR - I could fly on any Delta flight originating in a nearby city - and that's what I chose to do. When I said I would be meeting my daughter, who will arrive at MCO at 10:15 a.m. on Thanksgiving, and I didn't want her to have to wait there all day for my flight to arrive, I asked for either an early morning departure out of Bloomington, IL or a flight the day before. I was given an evening flight the day before Thanksgiving that arrives at MCO at 10:04 p.m. That's fine with me, as I can stay at a hotel that night and meet my daughter's flight the next morning. I also got an afternoon departure from Orlando on my return flight instead of the original morning flight. So now I'm happy!