Originally Posted by pavo

I've been AA Plat and CO Gold in the past but am currently non-elite everywhere due to much less travel over the last couple years. So, I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm also much more of a FT lurker, happy to soak info from all you good people, but not much to add on my own.

All that said, thought elites here would be interested in how the other half lives. After my JFK-FPO flight was preemptively canceled I immediately started trying to use the website and domestic and international hotlines to get through and rebook. Website never showed me a replacement itinerary less than 18 hours and two xfers in duration. And those were rare. Mostly, I see no alternative flights at all.

Out of a dozen + calls to each hotline, I got through twice-- once the line went dead after 30 minutes, and once it went dead after 100 minutes on hold. Each time I gave my PNR so the computer knew they had a canceled pax on the phone. Every other time I've gotten busy signals, customer not available, etc, etc.

I'm really shocked, having grown up in the Northeast, that this storm caused DL to shut down their ops so dramatically. Things are essentially already "back to normal" around here. Have to agree with the idea that preemptive canceling was WAY too harsh, given that. Given that the cancellations were massive, I'm stunned I can't get through to rebooking, even as a "normal." I mean, that's a basic function, PM or not. Btw, I tried calling all hours of day and night, to avoid peak times. Didn't matter. Still can't get through.

Anyway, I have zero hopes of getting to FPO by tomorrow, which is the last day that makes the trip worthwhile for me. I was going to visit a friend and longtime travel buddy who's terminally ill down there, celebrating xmas with her family. It will likely be the last trip like this she can take. Oh well.