Originally Posted by
cfischer
$800 plus 'fare difference' is what was offered. Sounds fair to me.
How is it fair? DL chose to oversell the cabin. When someone purchases a product, they have a reasonable expectation that the product is delivered; whether that purchase was made with cash or miles is irrelevant. If the airlines can't deliver, then they shouldn't offer more product than they have. A very real case can be made that had the OP/OPs parents known the product they purchased wasn't going to be available, then they would have purchased the service through another provider. And considering I got $50 for being moved from EC to an Exit Row on a one hour flight, extrapolating that over the length of a DTW-NRT flight plus considering the downgrade was from BE to Y, $800, is far from "Fair". DL should be offering a full refund of miles used to purchase the flight and maybe some additional compensation. I realize the DOT says differently - I don't agree with the DOT either. I think it's ridiculous that if I don't show up to use the product I purchased, the airline can impose all sorts of penalties and fees on me but if the airline doesn't hold up its end, it can just go "well too bad so sad".