Delta Missed Connection - what to say for refund?
Hi there --- I fly a lot, but rarely do complicated connections + have been lucky.
My girlfriend has had some mishap with Delta, so I'm trying to figure out the right 'parlance' to set things right, if it's even possible.
Pertinent information that I currently know:
1. She booked a RT flight from Minneapolis MSP to Shanghai, China via Tokyo, Japan. ..... so MSP> TYO (forget) > Shangahi PVG, and PVG > TYO > MSP ---- ALL under Delta.
2. Delta flew the long legs (MSP>TYO) but technically Shanghai Airlines (I believe) did the TYO-China legs.
Way there is fine. Way back, problems.
3. Shanghai airlines flight from Shanghai to TYO. .... I believe it got massively delayed as it was right after Tokyo's airport disaster on the runway, and they were still backed up for days. She landed 5 hours late (oh and at an entirely different tokyo airport), the delta flight TYO > MSP was missed.
4. She called Delta to rebook something for her. They send her a confirmation email with new route. TYO > Seoul Korea > MSP via Korean Air.
5. There is confusion at the counter at Korean Air at Tokyo Airport at the given flight. They can't find her ticket or something, so she books one herself for $1000 in a panic (not sure I woulda done this, but okay) to get to Seoul. ... interesting, the second leg (Korea to MSP) is in the system, so ... ... ... malarky is happening obviously.
Now we get to present day. She wants Delta to pay up .... given ... they are still obligated to get her "From Shanghai to MSP" --- one way or another, right? The delay was not NECESSARILY delta's fault --- it was Japan's Runway Chaos --- and it seems Delta made a mistake in not "getting her to Korea" even though they sent her a confirmation email.
She talked to them once via email, although she's not good at this "technicality crap". They responded with a canned email that "weather delays are unavoidable, sorry" -- some canned response that is completely unrelated of course.
Obviously, I think she needs to call them, but lay out --- clearly and simply -- what's going on. .... Without adding too much confusion. Obviously airline CS is a lengthy maze of BS, and they are bad at handling complicated situations, but what are the right words to say exactly?