Will Delta change to previous day

[sam_gordon]

Delta made a significant (ie: arriving more than 2 hours after originally schedule) change to my upcoming itinerary. So, we know Delta has been pretty accepting when passengers ask for changes under these circumstances. BUT, has anyone had luck getting Delta to change flights to another DAY?

Our original flight was going to get in ~2:30p. Now it's 4:32p (which is now a 3 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta).

So option 1 is to leave as is.
Option 2: Depart at 7:15 in the morning, arrive 11:35am (1 hour layover in ATL)
Option 3: Depart at 12:35p the previous day, arrive 5;20pm (1:45 layover).

Travelling will be me, DW, 3 kids (16, 10, 8).

I would GUESS Delta wouldn't allow switching to the previous day, but I wonder if anyone has had success (or NOT had success) asking.

The departure airport is ~2 hours away. We had planned on getting a hotel the night before anyway in the departure city, we can just go up before the flight and do the extra night in the hotel at our arrival city.

This does NOT involve Disney, or MCO.

 

[kathie859]

Delta made a significant (ie: arriving more than 2 hours after originally schedule) change to my upcoming itinerary. So, we know Delta has been pretty accepting when passengers ask for changes under these circumstances. BUT, has anyone had luck getting Delta to change flights to another DAY?

Our original flight was going to get in ~2:30p. Now it's 4:32p (which is now a 3 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta).

So option 1 is to leave as is.
Option 2: Depart at 7:15 in the morning, arrive 11:35am (1 hour layover in ATL)
Option 3: Depart at 12:35p the previous day, arrive 5;20pm (1:45 layover).

Travelling will be me, DW, 3 kids (16, 10, 8).

I would GUESS Delta wouldn't allow switching to the previous day, but I wonder if anyone has had success (or NOT had success) asking.

The departure airport is ~2 hours away. We had planned on getting a hotel the night before anyway in the departure city, we can just go up before the flight and do the extra night in the hotel at our arrival city.

This does NOT involve Disney, or MCO.

I'd call Delta to ask. I'm a frequent Delta flyer and my experience with changing flights when the original flight is changed by Delta has been positive. Also, check the flight that you would prefer to take so you can be specific in your request when speaking to the agent. Good luck!

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

If a Delta schedule or routing change has delayed your departure or arrival by more than one hour, you may be eligible to select an alternate flight at no additional charge. Note that the below conditions may apply:

Your origin, destination and travel date must remain the same. Alternate flights must be available, and you can only modify once as subsequent changes may result in additional fees. Voluntary changes to other flights not impacted by a Delta schedule change may result in additional fees.

That being said, it never hurts to call and ask. Also, what is the price difference from your booked travel date and the day you'd prefer to move to? Are you eligible to cancel without penalty and rebook, thus saving the rescheduling fees?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I have had luck getting a legacy airline (not Delta) to change the travel date. I have also had luck getting an airline to change the destination airport. And I've even had luck getting an airline to change the return flight, although it was the arrival flight that had the schedule change.

In each case, I could make a case why my request was reasonable. And I had already picked out the flight I wanted.

If a morning flight now arrives at your destination later than when you needed to (or wanted to) be at your destination, you can explain, "I know you can't reinstate the original schedule which was perfect for me; but if I can fly in the day before, I can be there when I need to be. I don't expect the airline to pay for my hotel."

If the airline still has a super-early-morning flight the day of your original flight and the airline agent offers that flight instead, you can explain, "That flight it too early for me. I don't want to start my trip sleep-deprived due to the airline's schedule change.

Remember, you bought the tickets based on your needs. The airline is inconveniencing you. The legacy carriers have an excellent track record of doing what it takes to help passengers when there's a significant schedule change.

You may have to ask for a supervisor. Remain calm, polite, and friendly -- but persistent -- through the process, and it's likely you'll be successful getting the replacement flight that serves your needs.

 

[dtstampz]

Delta did change my flight day at my request a couple of years ago. They cancelled
my early a.m. flight out of my home airport & booked me on a late flight Sunday. I
looked up flights for Friday & was able to find an early a.m. flight I wanted. When I
called Delta, the agent seemed a bit surprised about changing to 2 days earlier, but did
rebook me at no charge. I even got to choose my seat assignment! Of course I had
to book a couple of extra nights at Disney....such a hardship...

 

[DebbieB]

I've found Delta to be accomodating when my flights had schedule changes. The last 2 times I had frequent flyer tickets I didn't have the times I wanted but that was all that was available for lower miles. In both cases, there were schedule changes and I was able to get the flights I wanted for the same miles.

 

[schoen]

Delta changed my flight by quite a few hours in November. We were scheduled to fly out on Saturday, but we asked if we could switch to Sunday, and they were able to accommodate us. They didn't ask questions or really seem to care too much.