Gee, thanks DELTA ...really sneaky!!

[dpmfloyd]

So, I'm sitting here at work - when i get the urge to check my flight status on the delta website. Granted, we dont fly out until October 25th...but i was very surprised to see that they had changed my departure flight without telling me. so, what was a 6pm flight out of boston, with no layover - was changed to a 6:30 flight out of boston with a layover in Atlanta, then stopping in Orlando.

I first booked our flight, because i wanted a nonstop flight to orlando, now they put us on one with a layover, that has us arriving in Orlando at midnight (previously slated for 8:30pm). so the website insists i "click continue" to accept the changes and give me the chance to select a new flight at no cost. WELL, that was too good to be true, because any different flight I pick will cost me $700!!

So, I call Delta. 1) they tell me that this flight will likely change at least one more time, and when that happens to call them. 2) if the flight does not change, i'm locked in because i accepted the change by clicking the "continue" button on the reservation. VERY VERY SNEAKY. now i have to wait til july or august to see what options i have for a new flight -- if any.

i needed to vent, can anyone else believe this?

 

[goofy4tink]

Can I believe it? Sure can. And that's one reason I fly with Delta as seldom as possible. They open for booking 11 months in advance...which is nice for obsessiver planners. But....they make many, many changes to their flights. Some, they just cancel outright. Others, they change times and routes. Drives me nuts. And here's the thing....if you don't make a habit of checking on those flights, you won't know about it until about a month out.
Delta will let you know, via email (usually) about any changes..but that won't be until about 30 days before you travel. If you booked 10 months out, they will have made several changes.
Nope, won't fly Delta anymore unless it's unavoidable.

 

[dpmfloyd]

Can I believe it? Sure can. And that's one reason I fly with Delta as seldom as possible. They open for booking 11 months in advance...which is nice for obsessiver planners. But....they make many, many changes to their flights. Some, they just cancel outright. Others, they change times and routes. Drives me nuts. And here's the thing....if you don't make a habit of checking on those flights, you won't know about it until about a month out.
Delta will let you know, via email (usually) about any changes..but that won't be until about 30 days before you travel. If you booked 10 months out, they will have made several changes.
Nope, won't fly Delta anymore unless it's unavoidable.

wow - sounds like you've been burned by them before, i'll make note of this and remember it in the future. i'm just praying the change us again so we can get on a non-stop. i dread the thought of landing at midnight, getting to the hotel at 1:30 and waking up at 7 to start vacation.

 

[DVCBELLE]

I would call back and ask to speak with a supervisor - tell them what happened. Maybe they will help you out. Tell them that it said you could pick new flights at no cost and that did not happen.

I do think Delta stinks about changing flights - which is why I fly Airtran - if they switch my flight - I KNOW I can make changes with no problem!

 

[Lewisc]

SW doesn't extend their schedule until the schedule is firm. Other airlines accept reservations 11 months in advance. You're booking against a "hypothetical" schedule. You've locked in your fare but nothing else. A change of less then 4 hours isn't generally considered a major change. It's major to us but not to the airline.

It's only a matter of time until Airtran changes its policy. Giving passengers a blank check to change flights in response to a schedule change of only a few minutes doesn't really make any sense.

The OP clicked continue to accept the changes. Sounds like once you accepted the changes you became subject to change fees and fare difference.

I wouldn't book a flight unless I was prepared to fly that flight. Booking a flight with flight times you think are unacceptable is looking for trouble. There is no guarantee the flight will change by enough to allow you to change to a flight you want without charge.

 

[dpmfloyd]

I would call back and ask to speak with a supervisor - tell them what happened. Maybe they will help you out. Tell them that it said you could pick new flights at no cost and that did not happen.

I do think Delta stinks about changing flights - which is why I fly Airtran - if they switch my flight - I KNOW I can make changes with no problem!

i was doing this as i saw your comment, i was able to get a much earlier flight at no cost. i explained the reason for my complaint (wanting non-stop and not arriving past midnight) and she was happy to change my 6pm flight to a 10am flight. but she warned its possible this could change. and i requested she make a note, that if it changes i will call back and seek a nonstop flight. anything that gets me into orlando before 10:30pm would be ideal. she was happy to assist.

big sigh of relief!
now i just have to tack on an extra day ticket to the parks

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Unfortunately by booking that far in advance, you are almost guaranteed changes to the flights

 

[seashoreCM]

As soon as possible (ASAP) hand pick some alternate flights you would like and telephone them again, asking for a supervisor if the first person won't rebook you.

Since your tirp is a long ways off, if you still have difficulty, write a snail mail letter asking for the alternate flights you hand picked.

(Or ask for a refund)

Whether or not intentional, the website was deceptive. They can save face by fixing the problem to your liking notwithstanding you clicked an "accept" button.

The key is acting fast, so there is less of a chance you mulled it over for a long time and then wanted to change.

 

[DebbieB]

The same thing happened to me today for Oct 26! I got a ticket with miles and the latest flight they had that day was leaving at 12:35. I kept watching, hoping it would move to later. Yesterday it changed to 12:05. I thought great, I'll see if they will move us later. I clicked continue to see what the options were and it just said you accepted the changes! Ack! So I called and they said it had to be a change of 90 minutes to move for free. So I'll keep watching.

 

[safetymom]

I was a gold medallion member with Delta and had nothing but great experiences with them. It doesn't matter what airline but once you book you should check your reservation often for any changes. The sooner you see it the sooner you can do something about it.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Delta changed my flight (moved an hour earlier) and I discovered it by just "checking" I also accepted the change at that time. I kept waiting for an email or something. When I called to ask about it, the rep told me that they had just made that change THAT MORNING when I looked. Normally, they call if there is a change to make sure you will accept it. If I had not clicked the confirm/accept change button, they would have called. I agree, that process on the website is a bit sneaky.
I'm going to keep watching and if I see a change, I'm going to wait and see if/when they call me.

Luckily, it was a change for the better for me. I think if it is a non-stop flight and they take that away, they will be more accomodating to fix it.

 

[pooch]

and this is the reason I have always booked SW, that is, until now (actually last year). I hate the fact that Delta plays with their schedule after you've booked but I agree its a function of opening the booking window so early. Unfortunately last year Delta had the best time AND fare for our trip down so I booked and the flight time changed but by less than 2 hrs AND they comped us to first class so I really couldn't complain.

This year SW has cancelled the early non-stops from BDL to MCO and the late afternoon non-stops back so I expect to book Delta both ways this year. Next year Jet Blue will fly out of BDL so I look forward to another option.

Keep checking, check again, and again and again and again....

 

[francie57]

Our return flight with Delta was changed last Aug. from a non-stop to one with a stop in Detroit (to get to CT). I just called with the flight info that I wanted (non-stop) and they changed us no problem at all. I didn't demand to be changed and just talked with them in a calm voice and was moved and given our seats back in about 5 min. No matter what airline you book with this far out there will be changes and there will be still more changes to come.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yep. Sometimes it's possible to be TOO proactive.

Almost every airline changes, even cancels flights - apparently now, even Southwest (thanks, pooch!). The airlines notify passengers in the order affected. They're going to notify passengers departing in May before they notify passengers departing three months from now, and they're going to notify passengers traveling in three months before they notify passengers traveling in October. It's just common sense. May travelers NEED to know before July, August, or October travelers; therefore, May passengers are informed before later-traveling passengers.

 

[TaliaB]

American Airlines also changed my flight without telling me. Airlines don`t care about customers who buy non-refundable tickets

 

[kaytieeldr]

Airlines DO care about ALL their customers.

When is your flight?