Originally Posted by bocastephen

No, this IS a total ripoff (and I've never, ever seen this happen on CO). Once you select your flights, that inventory space is being held for you - no one else can 'take your seat inventory' away. Your transaction needs to be completed in a reasonable amount of time or it will expire and the inventory goes back, but once you've selected your flights and have gotten to the point of entering passenger and payment information, the price should never change!

If I re-start my search, then the price can be different based on either fare changes or inventory changes.

If this occurs in the middle of a transaction, it's no different than a retail store marking an item $10, then ringing up at $20 and saying 'oops, the price just changed, sorry'. How about a gas station changing the price per gallon while you're in the middle of filling the tank?

OP - hopefully you can get screenshots, but nonetheless, you should file a formal complaint against Delta with the Federal Trade Commission.