Originally Posted by CPMaverick

Sounds like a terrible experience. You definitely need to contact Delta to find out about the return ticket. It's very likely cancelled, but the sooner you contact them, the sooner they can try to fix it.

For your complaint to Delta, be more brief. Leave out the emotion and the unnecessary information (your schedule changes before the trip are not relevant and you even say you were happy with the flights you ended up with. Your infant ticket was a pain but you eventually got the price you wanted). Before anyone says it, yes these actions may have contributed to the ticket problems, but they muddy up the complaint too much.

The bag situation is awful. But you have your bag now. I'd submit a second separate complaint about the baggage. That can be done after you get home. But for now you need to get your return flight back on track.

I would contact Delta and give them a few simple facts.
- We arrived at the airport and my wife's ticket was canceled.
- We had added our infant to the reservation X days before our departure date, and the agent didn't give us any warning that the ticket was invalid at that time.
- The airport agents could not help us and we were forced to buy a ticket
- We would like a refund, to the original form of payment, for our purchased ticket
- I would like my wife's return ticket checked and reinstated if necessary

That's all you need to say. After you return home, Delta has an online complaint form for delayed baggage. Keep all your receipts and ask for reimbursement of any costs incurred because of missing baggage. Then, if you want, submit another complaint asking for compensation for the trouble of the bags and ticketing. Your compensation will be in the form of Skymiles or a Delta voucher. So, if you never want to fly Delta again, and don't want Skymiles, it probably isn't worth it anyway.