Originally Posted by N808DE
Who are people talking to when they get this info? Every time I have had a reservation changed due to a schedule change and I don't like the new flights, I pick other flights and tell SMS I want to be on those. I've never had a problem. This just happened 2 weeks ago and I was rebooked on a flight that I didn't want. I told them the new flights I wanted and they put me on them right away. 2 new flights leaving 6 hours earlier. Perhaps it was because all of my flights are booked in 'A' but still. If they changed the schedule, you should not have to pay.
In my case, I was talking to DL reservations agents. Both times I called 1-800-221-1212. After the first one said no, I called back. The second one told me that because it was still a legal connection, it would involve a change fee. I am just telling you what I was told. I thought that was odd since UA and AA let me rebook or cancel when a schedule change affects my itinerary, but I figured that was due to my status with those carriers.
The others who missed the connection (and we all had plenty of time to get to know each other) said that it was a 35-minute connection when they bought their tickets. Regardless, DL sells it as a legal connection.
If DL is going to close the door 5-10 minutes before scheduled departure time when it should be able to see that pax are within a couple of minutes of making a connection, it implies to me they care more about on-time statistics than they do their passengers. The fact that two GAs lied by telling us that the "tower" ordered the door closed (when they were the ones who turned over that control to flight ops prematurely) just reinforces that belief.