This is my first post here, so bare with me, though have been reading flyertalk for more than a year.
I searched forums for a similar story, but I couldn't find one.
My original itinerary was to get me home from SFO to RIX with the least amount of connections and decent layovers. This is what I booked through Expedia :
Dec 21 DL 8599 (operated by AirFrance) SFO 3:35pm -> CDG 11:30AM +1 day Paris (CDG)
Air Baltic BT 692 CDG 10:40AM -> RIX 1:15PM Dec 22nd.
On 20th received email from Delta that its time to check-in. Went to Delta website, they show my flight, but when I want to check-in it redirects me to AirFrance website, but AirFrance website gives me error saying it can't find neither confirmation code or ticket number.
Called Expedia right away. They assured everything is fine and I should just go to the airport and check-in.
At work colleague confirmed that its normal and he usually can't check in online when he is flying to Europe.
Then at 3:55am on Dec 21 I received email from Expedia "Please Call Us Immediately Regarding Your 12/21/2010 Flight". I woke up around 7:30am and then I saw the email and called them.
They informed me that the DL 8599 flight had been canceled. I checked on delta website, it still said scheduled, checked on AirFrance website - cancelled indeed.
The Expedia agent was willing to book me a different flight. So she called Delta. After a while on hold she gave me this as the only option:
Delta (DL) 2654: SFO 5:50am Dec 22nd-> Detroit 1:14pm
Delta (DL) 248 (codeshare (KL) KLM 6048 ): Detroit 9:50pm -> Amsterdam 11:50am Dec 23rd
Air Baltic (BT) 618 Amsterdam 2:10pm -> Riga 5:25pm Dec 23rd
This was for the next day, with 8 hour layover in Detroit with iffy weather conditions in Amsterdam, but still got me home before Christmas Eve and was the only option. So I accepted it. The agent said to me that Delta will send me email with confirmation and i should hold to that since website might not update my itinerary.
It didn't come after some hours. I checked Expedia, said that my itinerary changed but didn't give me details. Checked Delta, it had my new Delta flights. So i didn't worried too much about the promised email.
In the evening and whenever i woke up during night I checked the new flight status and all was fine so I showed up at SFO airport around 3am, the ticket counters opened at 4am.
The Delta ticket agent retrieves my reservation. Checks something for quite a bit. Then he says me that previous rebooking of my flights hasn't been finished and I have been booked only until Amsterdam. In addition he says that the the last leg of my itinerary Air Baltic flight 618 from Amsterdam to Riga has been canceled. On flightstats and airbaltic website it says its still scheduled. But he probably has more up to date information so I believed him. (My AirFrance flight was cancelled, but Delta website didn't say so, even though it was codeshare). He calls somebody to book me for a different route since there is no use for me to get to Amsterdam and then get stuck there (there is only one AMS->RIX flight a day). He says he is on the phone with the best booking guy and he will find something for me.
This is what the booking guy comes up with:
Dec 23rd DL 132: SFO 6:30am Dec 23-> JFK 2:59pm
DL 210 JFK 7:15pm -> Prague 9:40am Dec 24
DL 8744 Prague 11:40am -> Riga 2:30pm Dec 24
This is a whole day later!! No Christmas Eve for me with my family and also one business day lost in Riga, in which I had to change my passport. If any consolation, the JFK->Prague is in business class (fare I) (and I don't have any status or many miles).
I accepted it since it seems that its the only option and its a bit better than 8 hours in Detroit. Also I appreciate that he re-booked me until my final destination, even though Air Baltic is not in any alliance with Delta.
I tweeted:
@air_baltic flight BT 618 AMS->RIX on Dec 23rd has been cancelled, but the airbaltic.com live departures page says its still scheduled.
air_baltic responded (
http://twitter.com/air_baltic/status...405271646209):
@diaanaj What makes you think so? Flight is not cancelled and, if weather allows, we will operate according to schedule.
I responded with:
@air_baltic A Delta representative at airport said so when I tried to check in for my flight with the last leg AMS->RIX.
I took their response with grain of salt since the person who responded might not have been actual ticket agent, but just a person responsible for responding to twitter feeds and checking the same airbaltic.com website.
In the evening call delta to confirm that all my segments are on time and agent reassures that they are.
Early morning on Dec 23rd I head out to airport and at ticket counter I get to talk with the same agent as yesterday. Out of curiosity, I ask him again about that AirBaltic flight from AMS->RIX for that day that he said is cancelled, since airbaltic website and flightstats and some other websites say its still scheduled. He (totally forgot to note his name) assures me that the flight is cancelled and in their computers they have more up to date information than on these websites (though I don't know if he actually had enough time to check it again before he responded or just talked from memory from yesterday since he remembered me).
So I got on the SFO->JFK flight. During it I was checking the status of BT 618 AMS->RIX (thanks Google for free wifi). First it departed from AMS (i have a screenshot of AMS airport website) and then it landed in RIX (also screenshot of RIX airport website).
...? The Delta agent told me that flight is cancelled, but it in fact wasn't!!!
I landed at JFK airport, went to the next gate, it wasn't staffed yet, so i went to Delta SkyClub lounge to talk to agent there, since they might be able to sort this out or at least give me some answers.
Got there check-in. I asked her to check a status of Air Baltic 618 flight. She said she can't do it, since its a different airline. I told her that another Delta agent in SFO told me it was cancelled. She repeated that they can't get into AirBaltic system and see if flights are cancelled. When she tried to look up my information she said my account has been cleared and she can't see any history, only my current flights. End of conversation.
Now writing up this, and waiting for my next Delta flight to Prague.
In summary
*) My flight SFO->Paris was cancelled due to snow in Paris. I can live with that. They can't control weather.
*) I appreciate Expedia taking action and sending me email about cancelled flight (Delta never did, even though I specifically signed up for their flight alerts) and trying to rebook me different itinerary.
*) Expedia agent probably screwed up for not actually booking me for AMS->RIX flight even though she said she did book me for that. Or maybe Delta was responsible for the whole thing, I don't know. Somebody could clue me on this.
*) Delta agent at check in time in SFO airport told me that the last leg of my flight with different airline was canceled!! This was not true. The flight did actually leave and landed. Also air_baltic on twitter said it is not cancelled.
So I will be home 2 days later than I had planned so hard (just one layover so less possibilities to miss connection flight, 2h40min layover in Paris instead of 50 in Frankfurt, flying with just carry-on so that my luggage doesn't get lost, bought through Expedia so that all segments are on the same ticket).
What should I do? Should I complain Delta, Expedia, both? What kind of compensation can I request? (i understand that i am not entitled to compensation/refund if problems are caused due weather, but these weren' t just weather problems)
More importantly, what should I do in the future to make sure this doesn't happen again? Never buy tickets for the same trip with carriers that are not in the same alliance? Thats hard, since RIX is a small airport.
Don't believe what Delta agents say and call Air Baltic too?
Don't try to check in for final destination at the beginning (since I think it anyways was more than 24 hours before)?