EC: What happens when you want to pay for it and cant?
Feb 27, 2012, 8:25 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: DL ♦, Marriot Plt, NATL EE
Posts: 526
EC: What happens when you want to pay for it and cant?
Three months ago my wife (current GM through BIS miles not DM gifting) purchased a ticket to meet me in LHR where she was heading outbound through MSP and back through JFK. During the act of purchasing she was offered the option to purchase EC seats and chose to do so for the MSP-LHR and LHR-JFK legs of her trip which she chose to take. When the final purchase went through she was not charged for her EC seats even though she had selected them and was willing to pay for them. She called DL at that point and they said to not worry about it since she had the EC seats.
Fast forward to Sunday morning where she received one of the infamous "Your flight has changed" emails from DL. After looking at it the only change was the flight being changed from a 764 to a 76D (which are the same seat maps based on everything we could find.) In the process of this change she lost her EC seat and was moved to a window near the back of the airplane.
She called the GM line and spent nearly an hour on the phone with DL (mostly with a supervisor) where she was told the following things (r denotes her response):
1) You had the option of paying for EC at the time of purchase
1r) She tried to pay for EC but the system wouldnt let her
2) Since all EC seats are currently filled up on this flight there is nothing we can do for you
2r) We understand that seats are not guaranteed but our understanding was that since EC was selected and an attempt to purchase was made but your system failed how can my wife be at fault for not purchasing an EC seat
3) You are in an EC seat for the return leg (LHR-JFK) and we can see you didnt pay for it yet we arent going to charge you now for it since you are already in the seat
3r) How do I guarantee that I wont be moved out of this seat if an equipment change occurs?
4) In response to 3r, There is no guarantee you wont be moved out since you didnt pay for the seat
4r) Okay, How do I pay for the seat then
5) In response to 4r, I cannot charge you for a seat since you have already selected the seat and were assigned it at the time of ticketing.
5r) How do I guarantee that I wont be moved out of this seat if an equipment change occurs?
And we got stuck in a loop of conversations 3 through 5 for another 15 minutes. We hung up, called back twice more and got two other supervisors (at least their voices were all different) who told her the same thing.
I also called the DM line and was told the same basic story.
Reticketing the trip is not an option as the flight has almost doubled in price since we bought the ticket.
So my question FT is this, How does my wife guarantee her EC seat for the return leg (LHR-JFK) when DL wont charge her for it and wont let her confirm the seat through any other means?
I'm already dealing with a pissed off wife since she lost her EC seat for the overnight (MSP-LHR) flight and really dont want to have an even more pissed off wife when she loses her EC seat on the return trip.
Fast forward to Sunday morning where she received one of the infamous "Your flight has changed" emails from DL. After looking at it the only change was the flight being changed from a 764 to a 76D (which are the same seat maps based on everything we could find.) In the process of this change she lost her EC seat and was moved to a window near the back of the airplane.
She called the GM line and spent nearly an hour on the phone with DL (mostly with a supervisor) where she was told the following things (r denotes her response):
1) You had the option of paying for EC at the time of purchase
1r) She tried to pay for EC but the system wouldnt let her
2) Since all EC seats are currently filled up on this flight there is nothing we can do for you
2r) We understand that seats are not guaranteed but our understanding was that since EC was selected and an attempt to purchase was made but your system failed how can my wife be at fault for not purchasing an EC seat
3) You are in an EC seat for the return leg (LHR-JFK) and we can see you didnt pay for it yet we arent going to charge you now for it since you are already in the seat
3r) How do I guarantee that I wont be moved out of this seat if an equipment change occurs?
4) In response to 3r, There is no guarantee you wont be moved out since you didnt pay for the seat
4r) Okay, How do I pay for the seat then
5) In response to 4r, I cannot charge you for a seat since you have already selected the seat and were assigned it at the time of ticketing.
5r) How do I guarantee that I wont be moved out of this seat if an equipment change occurs?
And we got stuck in a loop of conversations 3 through 5 for another 15 minutes. We hung up, called back twice more and got two other supervisors (at least their voices were all different) who told her the same thing.
I also called the DM line and was told the same basic story.
Reticketing the trip is not an option as the flight has almost doubled in price since we bought the ticket.
So my question FT is this, How does my wife guarantee her EC seat for the return leg (LHR-JFK) when DL wont charge her for it and wont let her confirm the seat through any other means?
I'm already dealing with a pissed off wife since she lost her EC seat for the overnight (MSP-LHR) flight and really dont want to have an even more pissed off wife when she loses her EC seat on the return trip.
Feb 27, 2012, 8:35 am
#2
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5r) How do I guarantee that I wont be moved out of this seat if an equipment change occurs?
So my question FT is this, How does my wife guarantee her EC seat for the return leg (LHR-JFK) when DL wont charge her for it and wont let her confirm the seat through any other means?
So my question FT is this, How does my wife guarantee her EC seat for the return leg (LHR-JFK) when DL wont charge her for it and wont let her confirm the seat through any other means?
You would likely have the option of changing to another routing or +/-1 travel date in order to find an aircraft with EC seating available.
Feb 27, 2012, 8:37 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LGA/JFK
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Posts: 463
Would selecting a regular seat through the online seat map and then immediately re-selecting the same EC seat prompt the system to charge her for the seat and make it permanent? Never tried it before, though.
Feb 27, 2012, 8:43 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LGA/JFK
Programs: DL Silver (aka, Delta AmEx PLUS), Starbucks Gold :)
Posts: 463
What you said is true. But if you paid for it, you should get first pick for it, which is what the OP is trying to accomplish.
As an example, airlines would most likely bump a free F upgrade down to Y when equipment changes. Those that PAID for F would most likely remain in F.
Feb 27, 2012, 8:44 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: DL ♦, Marriot Plt, NATL EE
Posts: 526
She can literally select any EC seat on the flight, save her selection and not get charged for it.
Feb 27, 2012, 10:45 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Feb 27, 2012, 12:04 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: DL ♦, Marriot Plt, NATL EE
Posts: 526
I thought so but 3 separate GM agents and 1 DM agent all told me that if you pay for EC you are guaranteed it.
Feb 27, 2012, 12:15 pm
#11
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Terms & Conditions:
Economy Comfort seating will be offered on Delta's Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777, and Airbus A330 aircraft flying long-haul intercontinental routes between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and South America (Lima, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago only). Economy Comfort seating is limited and may not be available on all flights. The Economy Comfort Medallion travel companion benefit is applicable for up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation as the Medallion member. Gold Medallions and their travel companions will receive a 50 percent discount; and Silver Medallions and their travel companions will receive a 25 percent discount, respectively from the published one-way fee. For companions of Gold and Silver Medallion members, fees apply per seat. Economy Comfort discounts are determined based on the customer's status at the time of purchase. We reserve the right to assign or reassign an Economy Comfort seat at any time, even after boarding of the aircraft, for operational, safety or security reasons. The final decision resides with the ground staff and the operating crew on the day of the flight. In the event you have paid for and are not accommodated into an Economy Comfort seat you are entitled to a refund in the amount paid for the upgrade. Refunds will not be issued in the event of an upgrade to or accommodation in Business Class. All SkyMiles program rules apply to SkyMiles program membership, miles, offers, mile accrual, mile redemption and travel benefits, respectively. To review the rules, please visit Membership Guide & Program Rules. Prices, offers, rules, and benefits subject to change.
Economy Comfort seating will be offered on Delta's Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777, and Airbus A330 aircraft flying long-haul intercontinental routes between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and South America (Lima, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago only). Economy Comfort seating is limited and may not be available on all flights. The Economy Comfort Medallion travel companion benefit is applicable for up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation as the Medallion member. Gold Medallions and their travel companions will receive a 50 percent discount; and Silver Medallions and their travel companions will receive a 25 percent discount, respectively from the published one-way fee. For companions of Gold and Silver Medallion members, fees apply per seat. Economy Comfort discounts are determined based on the customer's status at the time of purchase. We reserve the right to assign or reassign an Economy Comfort seat at any time, even after boarding of the aircraft, for operational, safety or security reasons. The final decision resides with the ground staff and the operating crew on the day of the flight. In the event you have paid for and are not accommodated into an Economy Comfort seat you are entitled to a refund in the amount paid for the upgrade. Refunds will not be issued in the event of an upgrade to or accommodation in Business Class. All SkyMiles program rules apply to SkyMiles program membership, miles, offers, mile accrual, mile redemption and travel benefits, respectively. To review the rules, please visit Membership Guide & Program Rules. Prices, offers, rules, and benefits subject to change.
Feb 27, 2012, 4:25 pm
#12
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Just to be clear, if what the various employees told you were true, what would happen if there were an aircraft substitution, there were fewer EC seats and every pax assigned one had paid for it?
Seat assignments are no more "guaranteed" than actually having a seat at all.