Keep checking your Delta flights

[ttfn3]

Okay. I have been so patient with Delta up to now. I booked my March 2007 flights in May 2006. My flight times have changed multiple times. On December 30th, they cancelled my return flight. A rep called me and told me they had my family booked on a later flight - that was oversold. As a courtesy to the airline, I agreed to take an earlier flight - and got the seats that I wanted. Until today. I was doing some routine checking - and my seat showed available. So I called the customer service number - and lo & behold they had moved the entire family around to new seats. I talked to a customer service person & a supervisor - with no avail to get my family seated together. I'm am so angry right now - I'm traveling with a child. The only reason we fly Delta is that I can get assigned seats (versus flying Southwest). Now, I understand why so many people are really hating Delta. We have flown Delta for years - and this year is the first time I've been jerked around so much! And the sad part is that I have 2 more months before I fly - so plenty of time for Delta to make another change. It's making the cattle call of Southwest look pretty good. Maybe Delta should take their lead and just not assign seats until the day of the flight!

 

[PURTYPAT1]

ttfn3, We travel 3-4 times a year with my DD. I not only fly Delta I also fly CO & AA. In order to get great fares, I call 330 day a head of times. Not just Delta, but they all seem to change there times, seats when you book early. This is the price you pay when you book early.

My DFIL was killed in a plane crash. I freak when they move our seats and we are not together. I just keep calling & asking for supervisors & I have never been on a plane without sitting next to my family. If they can't do it over the phone, get to the airport early, & explain to the gate agent (most of the time the will help you) if the agent can't tell the flight attendant. Don't get angry, just keep calling till you get your family together.

Not just Delta but every airline makes changes the worst for us has been AA. I had to wait till I was on the plane before the flight attendant change our seats together. We were sweating bullets.

Hope this helps

Patricia

 

[seashoreCM]

Call multiple times, say four days apart, asking to speak to a supervisor each time. This increases the probability they will dip below the percentage of seats held back for airport asssignment and give you seats together even if out of the allotment normally hopefully earmarked for elites.

Only mention that you booked quite far in advance and had seats together and would like seats together.

While you could say that you were nice about not merely accepting the schedule change (telephoning required on Delta) onto the overbooked preferred later flight in exchange for confirmed seats on an earlier not so preferred flight, adding that to your explanation is too much of a mouthful and earful to do over the phone and would have to be done in writing perhaps using a quick bang bang...
o one this
o two this
o three that
writing style.

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

>>> killed in a plane crash. I freak out when they move our seats
Sitting together does not increase the probability of surviving.

>>> I call 330 days ahead
Booking later does not increase the probability of getting good seats.

 

[CarolA]

I am sorry, but the DIS board MYTH is that booking early gets you the seats and flights you want! As we see OVER and OVER again it doesn't, it just gets you the opportunity to get your flight moved around a million times.

You are NOT guaranteed the seat of your choice on the plane and the farther ahead you book (and the less you pay) the more your risk of getting moved! The reason you hear about DL on here is that DL flies a LOT of flights into MCO. (IF we were Vegas or even DL oriented board it would be the same story, different airline!)

 

[debster812]

I am sorry, but the DIS board MYTH is that booking early gets you the seats and flights you want! As we see OVER and OVER again it doesn't, it just gets you the opportunity to get your flight moved around a million times.

You are NOT guaranteed the seat of your choice on the plane and the farther ahead you book (and the less you pay) the more your risk of getting moved! The reason you hear about DL on here is that DL flies a LOT of flights into MCO. (IF we were Vegas or even DL oriented board it would be the same story, different airline!)

ITA with this. We fly to RSW every February for School Vacation Week. I generally book the Delta non-stop in March because it will guarantee me my PRICE. I know the flight times will change. I know my seat assignments will change. I know my flight numbers will change. I book this way because it's peak travel time, and the prices go up up up.

I also agree if this was a board for another destination, it would be the same story, different carrier.

 

[Alexander]

ITA with this. We fly to RSW every February for School Vacation Week. I generally book the Delta non-stop in March because it will guarantee me my PRICE. I know the flight times will change. I know my seat assignments will change. I know my flight numbers will change. I book this way because it's peak travel time, and the prices go up up up.

I also agree if this was a board for another destination, it would be the same story, different carrier.

Absolutely! When you book 10 months advance, you are booking anticipated flights, not scheduled flights. We fly Delta because they are the only airline that goes into Melbourne. I booked April '06 for Feb '07 because I got flights for $305 instead of the average price of $500. We had 9 flight changes, a 16 minute layover in Atlanta (not enough time for the connection) on the way to MLB and a 9 hour layover (way too much time) on the way home. I called, the rep rearranged everything, no problems. I knew when I booked this would happen, so I wasn't surprised or angry, I just made the phone call and straightened things out.

I've learned not to panic over seat assignments, there are always seats unassigned until the gate agent arrives at the gate. Then there are always ways to rearrange things. This may not work everytime in every situation, but for the most part, the airlines try to accomodate those who are patient and not demanding they get what they want.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Absolutely! When you book 10 months advance, you are booking anticipated flights, not scheduled flights. We fly Delta because they are the only airline that goes into Melbourne. I booked April '06 for Feb '07 because I got flights for $305 instead of the average price of $500. We had 9 flight changes, a 16 minute layover in Atlanta (not enough time for the connection) on the way to MLB and a 9 hour layover (way too much time) on the way home. I called, the rep rearranged everything, no problems. I knew when I booked this would happen, so I wasn't surprised or angry, I just made the phone call and straightened things out.

I've learned not to panic over seat assignments, there are always seats unassigned until the gate agent arrives at the gate. Then there are always ways to rearrange things. This may not work everytime in every situation, but for the most part, the airlines try to accomodate those who are patient and not demanding they get what they want.

Nicely said, I agree 100%

 

[pppiglet]

Well, these boards had me panicked because of everyone saying the flights change all the time. Knock on wood......the flights I booked last year for this May haven't changed once yet. Delta one way and AA the other way. I guess it depends on the flight you book. Ours are non-stop. I will check them again closer to our flights, just to be sure!

 

[ty&brenmom]

Absolutely! When you book 10 months advance, you are booking anticipated flights, not scheduled flights. We fly Delta because they are the only airline that goes into Melbourne. I booked April '06 for Feb '07 because I got flights for $305 instead of the average price of $500. We had 9 flight changes, a 16 minute layover in Atlanta (not enough time for the connection) on the way to MLB and a 9 hour layover (way too much time) on the way home. I called, the rep rearranged everything, no problems. I knew when I booked this would happen, so I wasn't surprised or angry, I just made the phone call and straightened things out.

I've learned not to panic over seat assignments, there are always seats unassigned until the gate agent arrives at the gate. Then there are always ways to rearrange things. This may not work everytime in every situation, but for the most part, the airlines try to accomodate those who are patient and not demanding they get what they want.

I have had to call Delta two since I booked this summer, which I booked early because it was cheap, because of flight changes, the first time I was mad, I wasn't notified and was freaked out when I looked at my online itinerary and saw that I was on different flights and no seating assignments, called got it straightened out and then saw that I had a 2 minute lay over in Atlanta, called and got that changed.
Each time I spoke with someone who was extremely nice, the second time the custmer service rep joked about on why I thought I couldn't make a connecting flight in 2 mintues, and made sure that we had three seats together.

 

[Alexander]

I have had to call Delta two since I booked this summer, which I booked early because it was cheap, because of flight changes, the first time I was mad, I wasn't notified and was freaked out when I looked at my online itinerary and saw that I was on different flights and no seating assignments, called got it straightened out and then saw that I had a 2 minute lay over in Atlanta, called and got that changed.
Each time I spoke with someone who was extremely nice, the second time the custmer service rep joked about on why I thought I couldn't make a connecting flight in 2 mintues, and made sure that we had three seats together.

You bring up a really good point, Delta does not notify you of your flight changes. This could really cause a problem with someone who doesn't check their itinerary frequently. So the OP original title really is a good idea: Keep Checking Your Delta Flights

 

[ty&brenmom]

I just checked my flights on Delta, which I haven't checked for about 3 weeks, and they have changed my flights, which I don't mind them changing my flights, it's the calling and having to get seat assignments all over again.
So now I am going to call in the morning to get new seat assignments ,by the time we leave we will have been assigned every seat on the plane

 

[Armadillo4]

You bring up a really good point, Delta does not notify you of your flight changes. This could really cause a problem with someone who doesn't check their itinerary frequently. So the OP original title really is a good idea: Keep Checking Your Delta Flights

I was checking my itinerary this evening just because of this post. So far, nothing has changed for our flight this upcoming Presidents Week.

However, when looking at our itinerary on the Delta website, I noticed a link on the left side of the page: Flight Notifications. Click this link to sign up for a variety of notification options. You may have to be a SkyMiles member to get the notifications, but there's no charge to join the FF program. The little promotional text blurb contained the following:

Get updates on all your flights.
Know about cancellations, delays, and schedules changes.
Receive e-mail, voice, or text message alerts.

I just signed up for both email and phone notifications. In the ideal world, nothing would change in my Delta reservations, but it's nice to know you can be notified in advance now.

 

[pcgmom]

Just before this post started, I realized that our flights (scheduled last April/May) had changed several times, too. When I called to question them, they told me that the flights we had originally scheduled did not exist. The pp's explanation that they were just "anticipated flights" would have been a much better response. The 4 of us are on the same flights, and the times have only been changed by a few minutes, but our return flight has us arriving at 11:02 pm, and that has me worried. I am going to try again to see if I can change that. That's a good tip about the flight notifications option.