Delta just changed my flight to a later time/problem for me

[scammermom]

So that makes it ok to change this poor woman's flight?

So I'm sure you're very understanding when you have a flight in the morning and the week before they change it to later that day because it's more profitable for the airline and possibly missing your important meeting.

Even through all the smoke and mirrors, for whoever the traveler, it's just plain wrong.

 

[adrock1976]

So that makes it ok to change this poor woman's flight?

So I'm sure you're very understanding when you have a flight in the morning and the week before they change it to later that day because it's more profitable for the airline and possibly missing your important meeting.

Even through all the smoke and mirrors, for whoever the traveler, it's just plain wrong.

Unfortuantely flight changes are inevitable. As long as travellers insist on having 20 flight options to their destination each day, and a $99 fare, the airlines will have to juggle thier flights. We cannot have it both ways; a myriad of options and rock bottom prices. Take a look at the unrestricted economy fare on your next flight...you might be amazed at the price difference between that and the discounted fare you are paying. If everyone was paying full fare economy, there would probably be less need to shuffle flights and make cancellations, and you would definitely be more easily accomodated when it did happen.

Funny you mention flight changes. I am going to Phoenix for business tomorrow. Hawaiian made a schedule change from 3:10pm to 10:20pm...that is a seven hour difference, and makes me get in the next morning. I had to get a ticket on another carrier to make my conference. Hawaiian did refund the outbound leg and sent me a $200 travel credit, however, this change did just happen last week. It has nothing to do with profit, the airlines are juggling schedules trying to stay afloat. The days of $199 roundtrips as the norm are no more.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

To change schedules months ahead of time at their whim is irresponsible. They're provide a service. If they have financial problems, that's their own fault.

I hardly think airlines change their schedules due to "whims."

They are a business out to make a profit. If you get CNBC, look for the program about American Airlines and watch it - you will be shocked at how low the profit (if any) can be for a full transcontinental flight. One they mentioned made a total of $200.00 for the airline!

http://www.aweekinthelife.cnbc.com/main.html

So I'm sure you're very understanding when you have a flight in the morning and the week before they change it to later that day because it's more profitable for the airline and possibly missing your important meeting.

This is just plain silly. Do you honestly think any business is going to lose thousands of dollars because they don't want to inconvenience a few customers? Any business not trying to be profitable is not going to remain in business very long.

I have experienced schedule changes, flight delays, cancellations the day of flight, lost seat assignments, bumps from first class to coach (which totally sucked!), etc., and I understand how maddening air travel can be. What I cannot understand is why so many people think that once they purchase a ticket for a specific flight, that they are guaranteed everything is going to go smoothly. Just as with everything in life, it won't.

 

[CarolA]

On my home computer I have started a file...... It has the posts about about airlines changing thier flights posted in the last few months on the DIS.

It contains posts on AirTran, USAir, AA, NW and Delta... (So far no JetBlue or SW) And if you are flying Spirit out of ATL, the ONE departing flight each day recently changed from 6 am to 1 pm!

I personally think that WE the consumer have dug our own bed.... We want CHEAP airfare and service. We want to pay $150 round trip, we brag about flights that are "cheaper" then driving and then we wonder why service is what it is......

 

[D L and K's Mom]

and I mean HATE them. I have to say the flights are always cheaper than the other airlines. We are using up some free miles we had . I will not use them again as they really have some issues with the way they handle the flights with my son and his wheelchair.
I agree with the previous poster that we look for the cheapest flights. I do and if it were just me flying I would not mind the changes but they keep switching my seats and I have a handicapped son and a 3 year old both of who can't sit in a seat with an emergency exit or in front of or behind an emergency row. They also can not sit withour and adult with them. We have it on the reservation that we are traveling with a wheelchair and will need help boardiing but with every change they change the seats and we have to start from square one. I just would like someone to email me the information about changes and please read the original reservations...thats it.

 

[adrock1976]

and I mean HATE them. I have to say the flights are always cheaper than the other airlines. We are using up some free miles we had . I will not use them again as they really have some issues with the way they handle the flights with my son and his wheelchair.
I agree with the previous poster that we look for the cheapest flights. I do and if it were just me flying I would not mind the changes but they keep switching my seats and I have a handicapped son and a 3 year old both of who can't sit in a seat with an emergency exit or in front of or behind an emergency row. They also can not sit withour and adult with them. We have it on the reservation that we are traveling with a wheelchair and will need help boardiing but with every change they change the seats and we have to start from square one. I just would like someone to email me the information about changes and please read the original reservations...thats it.

With all due respect, you are only speaking of 3 or rows on any given plane that you cannot sit in with small children...and secondly, most airlines reserve exit rows for frequent flyers so you often cannot get them even if you want them. While it would be nice to be notified about every change and "read the original reservation", understand that this is a massive airline with a massive schedule, and computers are making these changes. If you have special needs, as do many other customers, you should speak with special services at the airline...just understand the other problems or restrictions you may inheirt with such a request.

 

[bicker]

So that makes it ok to change this poor woman's flight?

The contract she agreed to makes it okay.

So I'm sure you're very understanding when you have a flight in the morning and the week before they change it to later that day because it's more profitable for the airline and possibly missing your important meeting.

Hey -- it's not me. I'm not an airline. And why cannot you be understanding of all those folks who benefit from how the airlines operate, all the folks who run their bodies into the ground, traveling city to city for work all year long?

Even through all the smoke and mirrors, for whoever the traveler, it's just plain wrong.

If you think it is wrong, then don't fly on airlines that have such contracts -- don't fly. Anything all the airlines have as part of their rules is clearly not "wrong". What is wrong is thinking that our own circumstances are more important than that of other customers.

 

[seashoreCM]

Exactly. This is why frequent flyers try and stick with the same airline...that is where the rewards come from. Leisure travelers are just shopping for the best fare, while Business travellers have stricter deadlines, and pay more for their tickets...this is who the airlines look to reward and keep. Almost like high rollers in a casino.

Leisure travelrs usually are paying out of their own hard earned cash which makes them want to shop for the best fare. Business travelers usually have somebody else paying for the ticket so they can shop more often for convenient schedule or favorite airline.

 

[NotUrsula]

To change schedules months ahead of time at their whim is irresponsible.

Actually, the irresponsible thing is *publishing* schedules months ahead of time. The changes are often forced by equipment availability or by renegotiated landing/takeoff "slots" (controlled by the DOT); both of these factors are very hard to account for at long range. This is why low-cost carriers don't publish their schedules too far out--it keeps them from having to deal with reaccomodating passengers after changes, and it lets them plan with great flexibility. Both of those things save operating costs.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Most major airlines (including one I happen to be exceedingly familiar with) modify their schedules twice a year. Mid spring and late summer/early fall. They do so not based on whims but by utilizing capacity statistics to in order to be as fiscally efficient as they can. If you think having your flight modified is annoying, just think how annoying it would be if your carrier had to go out of business before your scheduled flight (think iFly, for one.) The traveling public is rarely understanding. If you know what can happen and plan accordingly, you'll be much happier if something ever does.

Airlines publish schedules so far in advance because they have to in order to compete with one another. I won't mention that fact that passengers DEMAND it. If a passenger is seeking a flight next August and only 3 airlines are taking reservations for flights in that time frame, those are the airlines that will book the ticket (at a hefty discount, too.) This is an internet message board where people routinely make dining reservations for an entire week 180 (plus 10!) days in advance, but golly they are going to book their flights the same way AND get the lowest available fare. And you wonder why airlines instituted change fees? Unfortunately, a bargain-hungry public can lead to something much worse for employees. Having your salary lowered (instead of getting a raise) every few years, and giving up some or all of your medical and retirement benefits as you gain wisdom (cough) and work experience..

Peace out...

 

[NotUrsula]

Thing is, though; business travelers are not the people booking 11 months in advance. Almost all bookings that are done more than about 4 months in advance are for leisure trips.

I think that the idea of passengers "demanding" year-deep advance booking ability is kind of hollow. If that was so, SWA would not have lasted for 25 years, let alone consistently made a profit. The legacy carriers *choose* to extend advance booking capacity to extraordinary lengths, and it does help with modeling, but really only for the leisure market. A lot of legacy airline practices that were sacred cows as recently as 10 yrs. ago are gone now, but planes are still flying pretty full. If you shortened the booking window, passengers would get used to it, as they have with every other change.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

With all due respect, you are only speaking of 3 or rows on any given plane that you cannot sit in with small children...and secondly, most airlines reserve exit rows for frequent flyers so you often cannot get them even if you want them. While it would be nice to be notified about every change and "read the original reservation", understand that this is a massive airline with a massive schedule, and computers are making these changes. If you have special needs, as do many other customers, you should speak with special services at the airline...just understand the other problems or restrictions you may inheirt with such a request. by adrock1976


Well four rows is quite a bit of the plane that is off limits if it is a plane with 14 rows like our flight is. They do not let you book the first row, then we can't sit in the emergency row or the row in front or in back so that is 4 rows out of 14 gone leaving us 10 rows. Then we have the problem of the carseat that has to go in the middle seat or the window.....so, that limits us again. DS needs a aisle for his wheelchair . You don't need to remind me that we are a family that needs some special attention and yes, I know there are others who need it to. Yup this is a problem especially when DELTA never told us by mail, email or phone that our flights have been changed and we need to re-confirm the seats....again...and again...and again...We are not the first to get to pick seats. If we were notified I could get seats quicker than me checking the flights on my own once a week or twice a week and finding out yet again we are on an unconfirmed list adn then trying to get seats again that will work for my family. We are on one flight right now and my 3 year old is sitting alone. And yes on the last leg of the trip we are in the emergency row....we are not frequent flyers. I was told to keep the seats and when we get to the airport they will be changed.
We have dealt with the special services people and we are "in the system" but being "in the system" does not get them to contact you. I know I am asking for special treatment but I think they should let you know you need to re-book and confirm seats and flights. I have dealt with Speical Services every time we book. Special Services really can't do anything SPECIAL for us. "We are in the system". This is why we make our reservations so far in advance so that we can plan flights with a nice padding of time before we have to get our connection, we try to fly flights that are not full, we try to fly flights that use a jetway adn we try to fly first thing in the morning and not late at night so the kids are happy We also book flights so our seats are TOGETHER. This is the problem..
I know that we are a family that has some special problems but we try to minimize them and I really think the airline should help. Maybe if they contacted people "in the system" there would not be such a problem for me. I would gladly change circumstances with a single travelor who is traveling alone and has to pick another seat.
Being told that I might "inherit some restrictions" is not the issue and it is not fair. It is called discrimination and there are laws about it. What restrictions should I expect to inherit for having a child in a wheelchair? I didnt put the restrictions on the seat the airline did. How about having him sit alone? Umm the person sitting with him might not like that. I also think the person sitting with my 3 year old may have a problem that I am sitting 7 rows behind her. Guess what, they both have tickets and paid the same price as everyone else on the plane.
The big issue is they are no letting us know that we are losing the seats we have so carefully requested and booked. I know computers make the changes. Guess what, when my order at JC penney is back ordered the computer emails me and tells me it is backordered. It also gives me a chance to cancel etc. When my flight is changed...NOTHING......the airline could do that others do. Many other airlines do it. I would think that maybe there is a way you can flag people who have special circumstances....seeing eye dog, wheelchair, infants etc and they could be sent and email letting them know they need to re-book their special seating requests. That is the real problem I have... That is my Delta problem.....my Delta sob story.

 

[seashoreCM]

and I mean HATE them. I have to say the flights are always cheaper than the other airlines. ...they really have some issues with the way they handle the flights with my son and his wheelchair.
I agree with the previous poster that we look for the cheapest flights. I do and if it were just me flying I would not mind the changes but they keep switching my seats and I have a handicapped son and a 3 year old both of who can't sit in a seat with an emergency exit or in front of or behind an emergency row. They also can not sit withour and adult with them. We have it on the reservation that we are traveling with a wheelchair and will need help boardiing but with every change they change the seats and we have to start from square one. it.

If you simply showed up at the airport and the seats were not together, would Delta fly you at all? Midflight, if you were separated from your 3yo, you could just get up and attend to him as needed and I'll bet that other pax will offer to switch seats without your asking a second time (the first time was before takeoff), long before your legs got tired.

If you need extra time to board, kindly ask before boarding starts so the airline at least has the choice of planning the entire boarding process around your need.

By the way, advance booking is to benefit the airline (cash flow projections, aircraft need projections, etc.) as opposed to benefit the passengers. Unfortunately several airlines (a few years ago) discontinued price matching themselves so the incentive to book early is greatly diminished unless the IPO is a fare war.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, it is an FAA regulation that a child occupying a carseat must be seated next to an adult in his party who will be responsible for getting him out of that seat in an emergency evacuation. (This is in 14 CFR 121.311; it is spelled out as part of the carseat regs.) Therefore, if the GA doesn't get you contiguous, the FA will do it -- it is the only situation I know of where an FA can force another passenger to move so that members of a party can sit together.

There *might* be a regulation to the same effect regarding the severely disabled, but if so, I'm afraid I can't cite it for you.

PS: The airline put you in the exit row because of the trade value. They know that you cannot sit there, but they also know that those are the most valuable seats in coach, so putting you there guarantees that they will find a volunteer party willing to trade with you.

 

[bicker]

Folks may not like that those who are more frequent and higher-paying customers get treated better, but that's the way of the world.

Also, some folks might prefer that airlines not publish scheduled so many months ahead of time, but some folks do prefer it. Those who don't like schedule changes can simply take their chances and book their flights later.

Airline schedules used to change four times a year. Now, I believe there is a system of rolling schedule changes, a month or two at a time, all year long.

 

[huckleberrykate]

Not Delta but Spirit changed my flight from 6:00 am to 3:05pm and they were nonrefundable tickets. I called and was told they would cancel and give me vouchers, I was very upset. The reservation person helping me said that she would send it over to accounting and possible give me a refund. She said because they were the ones that changed the flight times so drastically (5 or more hours on both sides) I should have no problem getting my money back, but I am still patiently waiting on a reply. We are driving from Atlanta now and are adding an extra night to the front side to make up for the drive time. It still is coming out way cheaper even with round trip for four at $500 total. I hope that they work it out for you, but I would definatly call back and ask to speak to a supervisor.

 

[NotUrsula]

For the OP: I found the regulations concerning seat assignments and attendants for the disabled; and if I'm reading it correctly, it appears that in this situation the airline is compelled to give you contiguous seats or compensate your party for an involuntary bump, though they apparently don't have to give the seat assignment before you check in. Advance notice is required for the rules to apply, but you say that you have given them notice.

Here is the cite:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_06/14cfr382_06.html
It looks like subsections 31-39 include the parts that would apply to your seating situation.

I would recommend that you print out the entire chapter on the day of your flight, and carry it with you in case you need to refer to it. (If you print it too far ahead of time, it may change before the flight date.)

 

[D L and K's Mom]

sorry if I sounded angry...well I was a little angry. I am just hoping that all changes will be final before we leave. I thank you all for the info...especially the specific part about the children and the diabled. I am going to read them and print them for us to take. I never thought that they woudl put us in those seats bacuse the are desirable!! Wow, it never crossed my mind that people would want to switch for them!!! Ahhhhhhhh but that still leaves us scattered about the plane.

 

[Charleyann]

With all due respect, you are only speaking of 3 or rows on any given plane that you cannot sit in with small children...and secondly, most airlines reserve exit rows for frequent flyers so you often cannot get them even if you want them. While it would be nice to be notified about every change and "read the original reservation", understand that this is a massive airline with a massive schedule, and computers are making these changes. If you have special needs, as do many other customers, you should speak with special services at the airline...just understand the other problems or restrictions you may inheirt with such a request. by adrock1976


Well four rows is quite a bit of the plane that is off limits if it is a plane with 14 rows like our flight is. They do not let you book the first row, then we can't sit in the emergency row or the row in front or in back so that is 4 rows out of 14 gone leaving us 10 rows. Then we have the problem of the carseat that has to go in the middle seat or the window.....so, that limits us again. DS needs a aisle for his wheelchair . You don't need to remind me that we are a family that needs some special attention and yes, I know there are others who need it to. Yup this is a problem especially when DELTA never told us by mail, email or phone that our flights have been changed and we need to re-confirm the seats....again...and again...and again...We are not the first to get to pick seats. If we were notified I could get seats quicker than me checking the flights on my own once a week or twice a week and finding out yet again we are on an unconfirmed list adn then trying to get seats again that will work for my family. We are on one flight right now and my 3 year old is sitting alone. And yes on the last leg of the trip we are in the emergency row....we are not frequent flyers. I was told to keep the seats and when we get to the airport they will be changed.
We have dealt with the special services people and we are "in the system" but being "in the system" does not get them to contact you. I know I am asking for special treatment but I think they should let you know you need to re-book and confirm seats and flights. I have dealt with Speical Services every time we book. Special Services really can't do anything SPECIAL for us. "We are in the system". This is why we make our reservations so far in advance so that we can plan flights with a nice padding of time before we have to get our connection, we try to fly flights that are not full, we try to fly flights that use a jetway adn we try to fly first thing in the morning and not late at night so the kids are happy We also book flights so our seats are TOGETHER. This is the problem..
I know that we are a family that has some special problems but we try to minimize them and I really think the airline should help. Maybe if they contacted people "in the system" there would not be such a problem for me. I would gladly change circumstances with a single travelor who is traveling alone and has to pick another seat.
Being told that I might "inherit some restrictions" is not the issue and it is not fair. It is called discrimination and there are laws about it. What restrictions should I expect to inherit for having a child in a wheelchair? I didnt put the restrictions on the seat the airline did. How about having him sit alone? Umm the person sitting with him might not like that. I also think the person sitting with my 3 year old may have a problem that I am sitting 7 rows behind her. Guess what, they both have tickets and paid the same price as everyone else on the plane.
The big issue is they are no letting us know that we are losing the seats we have so carefully requested and booked. I know computers make the changes. Guess what, when my order at JC penney is back ordered the computer emails me and tells me it is backordered. It also gives me a chance to cancel etc. When my flight is changed...NOTHING......the airline could do that others do. Many other airlines do it. I would think that maybe there is a way you can flag people who have special circumstances....seeing eye dog, wheelchair, infants etc and they could be sent and email letting them know they need to re-book their special seating requests. That is the real problem I have... That is my Delta problem.....my Delta sob story.

I too have a child that uses a wheelchair. For weeks the computer has been changing our seats. We are now in row 35, the very near end. Now, coming home for MCO to Bos, I have JUST 30 minutes to get off that plane from the back and board another to Fredericton! Impossible with a plane that big and people Fiddeling with belongings, coats, children etc....

Does Delta have the right to change my flights and seating and make me lose a flight and cause me the added expense of paying for a hotel room? Seating is suppose to be readily available and accessible to disabled passengers. Just check out the Washington department of Aviation. They can be slapped with fines and penlties!


Charleyann

 

[seashoreCM]

I too have a child that uses a wheelchair. For weeks the computer has been changing our seats. We are now in row 35, the very near end. Now, coming home for MCO to Bos, I have JUST 30 minutes to get off that plane from the back and board another to Fredericton! Impossible with a plane that big and people Fiddeling with belongings, coats, children etc....

Does Delta have the right to change my flights and seating and make me lose a flight and cause me the added expense of paying for a hotel room? Seating is suppose to be readily available and accessible to disabled passengers. :

Are there other flights you can choose from?

At least one person said the airline has to rebook you for travel the same day.

Also under some circumstances, if you miss a connection and it is the alst flight of the day the airline will put you up ina hottel.