sethb

Generally, they'd prefer their own metal (cheaper for them) but depending on other issues (status, ticket cost, asking nicely, calling an agent who got lucky the night before, . . .) you might get rebooked on a partner.

mrkenneth

Thank you for the information! And I guess if the delay causes an overnight stay, the ticketing carrier would make the arrangements?

sethb

For a weather delay, the passenger gets to make the arrangements. Maybe the carrier will be nice, maybe (see above).

MSPeconomist

In weather delays, the passenger has the option to get a refund and purchase a ticket on another airline. Of course, this could be risky if you do the refund first and it's generally expensive.

RealHJ

It depends on who the operating carrier is. Delta, as a rule, (at least generally) won't do that. Other carriers (possibly most others) will.

mrkenneth

Thanks all for the information!

How can the uninitiated flyer figure out what all the options are during such a stressful time?

sethb

Nobody can. All anybody can do is play agent roulette. (What the options actually are is likely to differ from what they're supposed to be, in either direction.)

mrkenneth

But those agents must be following some sort of rules for who is responsible for compensation and guidelines for permissible flights, right?

sethb

There are guidelines for agents. Some agents are actually aware of what they are. Others remember what they used to be. Some just make up something that sounds good to them.

Agents have some amount of flexibility around guidelines. Supervisors have more.

MSPeconomist

If the flight is cancelled, passengers would be entitled to a refund. Then they could book themselves on whatever carrier they want, although this is likely to be expensive.

Anudoric

Unfortunately this. My biggest rule is to never make up a policy or guideline. If I haven't checked in about a week, I'll look up a policy again. If I can't find a policy in question, I'll refer to a supervisor (if nearby). If in the rare case I'm stuck by myself, then I'll lean in favor of the customer (which IS actually one of Delta's key policies). But I'll always say whether I'm confident that whatever I'm doing is the published policy or not. If I know that what I'm doing probably isn't consistent with a policy, then I'll let the customer know that, and that the customer probably shouldn't expect this in the future, or maybe yes. Who knows?

Above everything, always add remarks to the reservation about what the conversation carried, in case the customer calls Res or something. Too many times a passenger has told me that Res basically promised the world but nothing to confirm... "Your agent on the phone said I'd get first class for my troubles" --Kettle on a typical weather delay in winter. Unusually, the res agent left remarks in the reservation saying that the passenger was needlessly rude about the weather delay and demanded over-compensation.

Whenever you have a conversation with an airport or reservations agent, ask to add brief remarks to your record about the conversation. If an agent misinforms you about compensation, you may likely still get it if the misinformation is documented (called verifiable agent error/VAE). This is from experience with UA and AA transfers to DL. I used to work for United and damn the help desk and res agents are the most uninformed, but documenting people on Earth.

MSPeconomist

Aren't agents more likely to get in trouble for doing something against policy if they also document what they've done?

Anudoric

If it's the first time, you can't get fired for anything. As far as waiving items is concerned... without supervisor power, there isn't much an agent can even do, anyway. A rogue agent at worst could refund all bag fees in the record, give out free seats, issue hotel/meal vouchers (not in hubs), and waive bag fees. Any travel vouchers require a supervisor.

My most common executive decisions are to refund bag fees (very justifiably) and assign preferred seats for free. The only time I did something that I wasn't sure of was refunding a seat fee. United is the worst at waivers/refunds. I had to answer to every single refund and waiver completed using my employee number at the end of each shift.

Invading privacy would get you terminated, though.

MSPeconomist

But don't you have a lot of discretion in rebooking people when the fare class isn't available, waiving change rules under the flat tire rule, rebooking passengers onto flights operated by partners or JVs rather than DL--or even other airlines with interline agreements--in IROPs, rebooking people who have checked a bag, etc.? Also, even if supervisor approval is needed, don't you control this be either contacting the supervisor or not as well as how positively you make the case for exceptions?

Anudoric

New agents don't know how to do any of those things: rebook outside the current fare class, abuse the flat tire rule, rebook onto OAL outside of IROP. New agents don't know how because the new program that frontline agents use has taken away that discretion. Oddly, the new program will only display same-fare options, but when it gets processed, you're rebooked into Y! The biggest thing this means for the non-Medallion passenger is that you can get free seat assignments when you previously couldn't in Y class. What this means for Medallions is a higher place on the upgrade list when you're in Y class vs. V class. This is only if upgrade lists are based on booked COS and not ticketed COS. I honestly can't recall at the moment which is true.

The goal is by around the end of this year, Deltamatic will be unavailable at all frontline computers, so the only option will be to use the program that takes away all discretion. My workplace is rare in that a supervisor is only unavailable when she/he doesn't want to be available. Small airports = everyone's looking over your shoulders/peeking at your gates.