Originally Posted by
Often1
OP - Don't get sucked into airline jargon. It is irrelevant.
Each passenger travels on a single ticket and each ticket has its own contract and each contract provides for the circumstances under which DL will provide a voucher for the hotel or a travel credit of up to $100 per passenger (not sure where the reimbursement stuff comes from, that is old stuff from the past and from people who did not read the COC).
PNR's are an administrative fiction and the LGA agents and Red Coats could, of course, have determined your original routing, but simply did not bother or bothered, but did not want to argue because they did not have access to hotels.
At this point, each passenger will need to submit the relevant information, noting the reason for the delay, the fact that no voucher was issued and requesting a reimbursement of the hotel expense (but understanding that under the contract that the passenger agreed to, there is no reimbursement, only a $100 travel credit).
These are best handled through the web form as it gets the materials into the database faster, but you are free to submit in other manners as well.
Perhaps it is you that didn't read the COC. Delta is obligated to provide a hotel. The voucher is to be provided
if accommodations are not available. The voucher is equal in value to the contracted hotel rate, not $100.
This is not a matter of hotels being unavailable. This is a matter of DL failing to meet its obligation to provide a hotel. When one party fails to honor its contractual obligations, it's perfectly reasonable for the other party to seek a remedy. DL was supposed to provide a hotel and didn't, so OP secured his own hotel. Seeking reimbursement for OP's out-of-pocket expenses to recover from DL's breach of the COC is the correct next step, though it would be wise not to use such strong language in the initial request. DL has reimbursed reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in these scenarios as a matter of routine for years.