Delta's Schedule-Changin'-Seat-Losin-Frustratin Tango - A Q&A With the Airline itself

[Devil_Dog99]

I have seen several horror stories here about Delta's practice of changing schedules by five minutes and forcing all passengers to lose seat assignments resulting in families being spread out all over the plane. I am a Platinum Medallion SkyMiles member, and for the most part have no problems with the airline.

Except this. I have always been confused by this. A flight's arrival time changes by five minutes and all of a sudden 125 passengers are thrown into the Seat-o-Matic. I am a computer systems consultant. I know my way around computer systems. I find it hard to believe that their systems cannot handle this. But then again I have always found Delta's systems to be somewhat behind the times compared to other airlines.

So I decided to write to Delta and see what they have to say on the issue. Here is my letter:

I have a question in regards to seat selections being removed and/or changed when a flight's schedule is altered by as little as five minutes. I have had reservations from BOS-MCO in the past (I am not talking about last year's trip - I know my flights started as Song, then switched to Delta, and then the flight numbers changed) where my flight number has been the same, the plane remains the same, the schedule changes by five minutes, and yet my seat assignment is gone. In the past I have been able to get my seats back no problem and have been told that my seats were still there, just not assigned. Yet I have heard tales from others on a travel message board I subscribe to that their entire family has been shifted so Mom is in row 12, Dad in row 34, Daughter in row 22 and the two year old by himself in row 27. And no way to reunite them because the plane is sold out and what's done is done. So now the Smiths need to worry that some nice soul will let little Johnny sit with his mom or dad. How can this happen? Please tell me there are modifications being planned to your computer system that will change this. I can understand if there is an equipment change like from an MD-88 to a 737. But when the plane now arrives at 7:10 instead of 7:05??? That seems a bit ridiculous to me.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

And here is their reply: - here's a hint as to it's content:

Thank you for your message via delta.com. We are grateful for your taking the time to share your concerns with us.

We regret any difficulty you have experienced due to schedule changes.
Delta and other airlines make schedule adjustments to compensate for changes in the public's travel plans, and for other operational reasons.
While we want to avoid the problems you described, requirements make it necessary to change flight times or cancel flights on occasion.

We realize the importance of providing pre-assigned seats for our customers and try to honor all seat selection requests. Seats are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis up to 331 days prior to departure. However, seat assignments are not guaranteed. Due to aircraft changes or operational constraints, we may have to reassign seats. In situations such as this, customers may need to arrange new seating with our agents at the gate prior to boarding. It is our goal to minimize these situations, and you can be sure we are always working to improve our performance to better serve our customers.

Your selection of Delta is appreciated, and we will always do our best to merit your confidence and support.

I tried. And once again corporate America dances around an issue without ever answering the question.

Lesson: If you fly Delta, watch your reservations. Or fly someone else. Me? I'll stick with them. I have not had the horrors others have (and they have my sympathies), but at least I am a buyer beware.

Good luck and happy and safe flying!!!

 

[mareed]

Thanks for sharing. We always fly Southwest. Found a good one-way fare for return flight in March on Delta and booked it to save SW award tickets for the future. I booked the Delta flights on Nov. 29. They've had 4 changes resulting in loss of seat assignments since then, and we still have 5 weeks to go until the flight! So that's 4 changes in about 8 weeks. They once assigned us to flights with 3 minutes to make a connection in Atlanta. What computer program can't check for that?! I also waited on hold for over an hour one time to speak to Delta to get the flight re-confirmed so we'd have seat assignments. I need to call them again because the current status shows a changed flight and no seat assignments again. I told DH to just stop me if I get tempted to book on an airline other than SW again!

I'm frustrated with SW right now for not extending their schedule yet, but at least I know the flights will stay the same once they do post their schedule.

 

[NotUrsula]

I am a Platinum Medallion SkyMiles member, and for the most part have no problems with the airline.

And there you have your likely answer as to why it seldom happens to you.

I've been involved in testing some yield management software, and IME there is usually a matrix involved in the reallocation of seats. In the ones I've dealt with, the matrix usually assigns priority on the basis of fare class &/or status. I don't know if Delta uses such a matrix, but I'd be very skeptical of any claims that the process is totally random.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Devil Dog, the response from Delta is not an attempt at skirting the issue. It's worse. What you have is a computer-generated response that picked up on your inquiry about seat assignments and then responded with a pre-recorded message pertaining to seat assignments. Delta's reservation system must be antiquated to not keep pre-assigned seats when there is no change of equipment and also to automatically book connections that don't meet an airport's minimum connecting times.

Personally I've never understood schedule changes. Certainly it makes sense to have seasonal changes but why every month they have to adjust arrival times or departure times or flight numbers is beyond me. I guess now that Delta no longer publishes a paper timetable it's much easier to change things than in previous decades when it cost money to reprint those books.

But every air passenger on any airline needs to monitor their reservations because these things do occur on all airlines. And the further in advance a reservation is booked, the more likely changes will occur between the booking and travel dates.

BobK/Orlando

 

[kimkatmom]

Devil Dog: Thank you for writing the letter to Delta. I am sorry, however, that Delta didn't take it seriously enough to write you a letter, but give you a "canned" response. Let me tell you about our experience:

In December we traveled to WDW -- my husband, my mom, and myself. The day before we were to leave I tried to check in (at work) to get our confirmation and boarding passes -- only to find out that we didn't have seats! We booked our December flight in June! Now, remember, it appears relatively innocent that we three adults are traveling together. However, my husband is a recovering chemo patient, now with heart and lung problems as a result of the chemo and my mother is 76 years old! Problem??? So, I call Delta. If I could have reached through the phone and strangled the little human on the other end, I would have done it. I told him the situation. He replied that there was nothing he could do. I told him I wanted to talk to a supervisor, he told me there wasn't one. No supervisor -- come on! So I continued to insist on talking to a supervisor. I actually resorted to telling them that if they didn't seat us together that I would hold Delta liable for personal injury if something were to happen to my loved ones and I wasn't able to be there for them. Usually something like that will work when you trigger the liability issue.

Long story short -- after THREE HOURS on the phone with these bozos, I finally got three seats together. I swore I would never fly Delta again. The sad part about this is that the flight and the flight crew were amazing!

If they wonder why they are being bought out -- there ya go!

 

[tjmw2727]

AA does the same thing - I flew them for years and had elite status. We had our seats reassigned on three separate trips due to 5-10 minute changes. Unfortunately it was me as the solo adult and my kids were young, 3 and 5 ish. I stopped flying them after that if I can at all help it. Unfortunately my DH has to fly them for business quite a bit.

As for connecting flights - for the longest time AAhad a connecting flight from Bos to Mco through New York. Except the first leg landed in Laguardia and the second leg took off from Kennedy. My MIL booked it by mistake and it was a hassle to get it corrected for her even though the problem was IMHO very obvious.

I now fly SWA - and LUV it.

Thanks for trying though

TJ

 

[kaytieeldr]

If they wonder why they are being bought out -- there ya go!

Except they're NOT being bought out. From this http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1344078 post "US Airways withdrew its $10 billion merger proposal — a deal that threatened to move Delta's headquarters to Arizona — after Delta's major bankruptcy creditors refused to get behind the bid."

==

DevilDog - try again; this time address your letter to Executive Communications.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> seats are reserved on a first come first served basis up to 331 days in advance...
Even that sentence is false if you booked that far in advance and they would not give you your seats BACK after you noticed a schedule change.

>>> reached through the phone and strangled ...
You mean that you have to assault the person on the other end of the line (orally counts too) before he will dig into the allotment of seats set aside for Platinums on boarding day?

>>> the further in advance ... the more likely changes
But the less in advance, the more likely what you want is already gone.

But it is not verbal assault to calmly act like a broken LP phonograph record and repeat that you want to speak to a supervisor, that you want to speak to a supervisor (not "supervisor or or or or" as you might hear from a broken compact disk).

Ph.D. in computer science required:
As you know, a problem to be solved by a computer should first be expressed (or expressable) in English (or French or Spanish or Russian etc. depending on your choice) before being coded into the computer.

Imagine that the aircraft was changed to one that was somewhat smaller but large enough for everyone already booked to fit. Explain how people would be re-assigned if you started by assigning middle seats first. Where would you start?

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

 

[Devil_Dog99]

Hadn't thought about it - but you are probably right - it was a 'canned' response. But why did it take 2 days to get to me??? Their systems THAT bad???

kaytieeldr - I will try that - I believe we have a legitimate question. I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[bicker]

I tried. And once again corporate America dances around an issue without ever answering the question.

Ask yourself whether there was any possible answer, which left their operational policies intact, that would have satisfied you. The airlines do have their reasons; I can go over some of the more likely candidates with you. However, what I've found is that the fundamental issue is that people wish that seat assignments were guaranteed, when in reality, as the reply said explicitly, that is not the case. In essence, the fact that they're not guaranteed, and that passengers will generally have a negative reaction to any of the underlying reasons for seat assignments being cleared from a flight, drives the airline to provide only the generic response you got. It is what they can say which is both truthful and causes the least angst.

Lesson: If you fly Delta, watch your reservations.

That goes for every airline that offers seat assignments. They all have the same policies, and the same operational pressures.

 

[safetymom]

It isn't just Delta but all the airlines that assign seats in advance. That is the problem with buying your tickets far in advance. You can put pressure on the airline but it comes down to do you want low fares or extra benefits. Most people don't way to pay a lot for their tickets.

 

[goofy4tink]

I used to fly Delta consistently...loved Song. But, I've moved to JetBlue. I just have to have my tv's. If not JB, then SW for the good fares.
But, I have to come to Delta's defense here. Yes, I always booked at the 331 day window to get some pretty good fares. And yes, my flights changed multiple times. But, I always checked on-line to see what the status of my flight was, at least once a week, then every other day as I got closer to my departure time. Only one time did I actually lose my seats. That was when they tried to merge two flights that were both 2/3 full. I just changed to a different flight and got better times to boot.
When they changed anything, my seats were show up as unassigned. I would have to call them, but the seats remained the same as long as the equipment hadn't changed. Yes, it's a pain to have to watch and make those calls. But, it's the price of doing business with Delta.

 

[mackeyapp]

Just one comment. We pay Top Dollar for our tickets because we are flying from Eastern Canada with very little competition and DELTA still treats us terribly. We flew back with them in January and NEVER AGAIN. We gave them the benefit of the doubt one more time. THEY BLEW IT!

 

[seashoreCM]

But if your seat assignments were lost, weren't everybody else's as well?

So checking back every other day or so you would notice it quickly and call back before everybody else reselects their seats, no?

Not exactly on topic but once I noticed that Delta changed some flight schedules and a few really cheap seats showed up on a flight that was sold out of those cheap seats. I (was at Disney Quest using their internet stations and) hurriedly booked a trip (had to run upstairs to the pay phone). Apparently the capacity control or seat bucket software messed up also, resetting the flight to initial public offering status.

 

[Darcy03231]

I fly with either Delta or AA pretty consistently. Although I've had schedule changes, I've need had my seat reassigned.

 

[Lewisc]

Some people won't book SW because they want seat assignments. At least with SW you know what to do if you want the ability to pick your seats.

A poster, I thought Bicker, reported that some airlines sometimes cancel all seat assignments when a schedule change. Even though your flight may only change by a few minutes the airline might have canceled another flight the same morning. Canceling seat assignments allows the airline to treat both sets of passenger the same. The alternative might be to split up almost every family from the other flight.

The earlier you book the more likely you'll experience a schedule change and might even lose your assigned seats.

 

[Devil_Dog99]

Let me say that in the two years that I have been a 'road warrior' (75K miles flown in both 2005 & 2006) I have learned that when it comes to flying, how can I say it........stuff happens. I would say that 99% of my flights have been hassle free. I think in all the trips I have taken, I have only been stuck somewhere for the night 4 times. I think overall the airlines do a great job.

Let me also say I do not know the first thing about airline systems or the intricacies of their operational procedures. If you want to talk credit card or mutual fund statements or electric bills and what it takes to creat those, I'm your man. That being said, I cannot understand why their systems cannot take a schedule change (flight number stays the same, the plane stays the same) and throw everyone into the Seat-o-Matic. Perhaps the change to accomodate that is a large scale project. I have seen those. And I know they have limited resources and higher priority projects. I just think it's doing their customers a bit of a disservice to return generic answers. But again I have learned not to expect too much from the airlines other than safe passage from point A to point B.

While I agree that the cost of low fares is reduced benefits, I do not think it unreasonable that if you are willing to contract with an airline that far in advance, the airline should at least make every effort to accomodate your seat requests when just schedules change. If the flight number changes, fine. If the equipment changes, obviously. But if the scheduled arrival time changes 5 minutes,

Safe flying!

 

[seashoreCM]

. But again I have learned not to expect too much from the airlines other than safe passage from point A to point B.!

But safe, decent, and proper passage for you and your children and your belongings from point A to point B may depend on seat assignments. I can't see flight crew looking after your children some distance away the way you would.

 

[Devil_Dog99]

But safe, decent, and proper passage for you and your children and your belongings from point A to point B may depend on seat assignments. I can't see flight crew looking after your children some distance away the way you would.

Huh??? What are you talking about??? I am not pro Seat-o-Matic. For one, I don't have any kids. Secondly, if I did, I would be as justifiabaly angry as others have been over having seats reassigned and being separated from my children. Am I missing something? The original intent of my post was to display Delta's 'official' response to my question as to why they do it in the first place. Yet you seem to think I am ok with them doing it??

What am I missing????