Delta Agent Misinformed Master Thread
 

Inspired by other threads like the DL.com bug thread, I decided to create this thread to help share with other FT-ers (and the DL insiders lurking here) the common (and often very frustrating) areas where DL agents are misinformed and give bad information to customers.

My hope is that this thread is NOT a whine and moan thread, but a factual list of things agents have misquoted to FT-ers so we can all get the facts straight. Ultimately the goal is for DL to improve and for FT-ers to share openly accurate information related to DL's FFP policies.

Mods, I'd love to have you guys add a voting section here and/or make this a sticky.

I will start with my list.

1. SQ award tix booked before May 15th 2010 cannot be changed or can only be changed to current partners.
Not true, DL tickets booked before May 15th, 2010 can be changed up to 1 year from booking so long as same availability exists.

2. MU is not a partner of DL where I can use DL SM.
Not true, clearly stated at DL.com. (VERY common for me).

3. DL.com has an award chart published so you can figure out how many miles any award ticket costs.
Not completely true, ONLY published for trips originating in the US.

4. Award blackout dates (from KE) apply to all partner carriers.
Not true, only apply to KE dates on flights originating from the US. Other blackout dates exist but no one at DL seems to know.

5. You cannot have stopovers or open jaws on award tickets.
Not true, seems to be coming from PMNW agents because NW didn't have this.

6. I cannot mix and match partners on low, or else the award mileage will be additive.
Not true, so long as all routings are on low and I don't violate the open-jaw/stopover limits, it should all be low.

Adding a intra-US connection flight to an international J award originating in the US will cause the award ticket to just add the total mileage needed even if both are at low.

Incorrect, FC from LAX-ATL connecting to ATL-MXP where both are in low will of course NOT require more miles.

+ 1 for this post on partner issues;

also need to add that in Shanghai at Hongqiao the Delta partner CZ (china southern) does not honor the Delta sky club cards for the Lounge. However this is not a problem at pudong airport in Shanghai.

Both of mine are on SDC issues, different trips, different agents.

1. To SDC on the second leg of a connecting flight, you have to call within 3 hours of the first leg.

Not true. It has to be within 3 hours of the flight you want to SDC to.

2. Trying the same change, different day I got this: it can't be done if you've already flown the first leg. Asked for a supervisor, came back and read this to me from the website:

No changes between origin, destination, or co-terminals

Kept telling her I was not trying to change the origin or destination, just get on an earlier connection to the same place. She insisted it meant I could not change anything between the time the trip originated and its destination. Neither the agent nor her supervisor would budge on it. Hung up, walked to the gate and got on the flight.

Beware when you argue the above mentioned OP points and win them, the Delta agent will not find any availability at all from now till the end of the world. So it ends up being a Pyrrhic victory.

I was told on May 1 2010 that SQ award seats were no more possible. When I pointed out that it was actually ending on May 15, 2010. The agent spoke to her supervisor and agreed that I was right, but now she could not find any seats at all :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, this statement is patently false from multiple personal experiences. I have in the past done multiple open jaw tickets and even ones with stopovers on NW issued awards. In some instances, the only way to get the awards was to either open-jaw or force more than 24 hours between flights at a hub. Not sure where you got this idea??

On MH (Malaysia Airlines), most Delta reps (for me happened three times in a row) seem to think that for Business award ticket the fare class is D (same as on MU and some other airlines, and DL itself). Wrong! It is actually I.

I had an mis-informed (clearly DL) agent put it as D and waitlist it. It took some 72 hours and still it was "waitlisted" and not coming back as confirmed. Each time I called to check, I was told that D is correct and that it will take "just a little longer" to get the response from MH.

Fourth time I called I got a well-informed pm-NW agent who immediately saw the fare class D was wrong, changed it to I, and it was confirmed by MH instantly and booked accordingly.

At least you got an agent who knew MH was a partner. I have called and gotten agents who assured me I could not fly through KUL on MH as they aren't a SkyMiles partner. :rolleyes:

Here's a hint if you are having a hard time reaching a US Delta agent that knows what they are doing: call the Delta Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia or other such numbers (yes, you'll pay for LD... but it may be worth the saved time and frustration). From my experience, the agents there know the Asian airline partners well (well, they have to, as presumably they do quite a few of such award bookings, given that now online none are no longer possible (KE, CZ, MU, etc. used to be online bookable), and also as they are pm-NW and thus better trained than pm-DL agents you'll usually get by calling the US #).

For example, if trying to book an MH flight, call the DL Malaysia res. #. Surely the agents there (not sure if local or goes through to Singapore) would know that MH is a partner.

The list of the #s is here: http://www.delta.com/help/contact_us/reservations/asia/

I'll add some from today concerning Companion Upgrades:

• Companion Upgrades can only be done at the gate and not on the phone
• The fare must be K or higher (they apparently didn't get the memo about LUT now being eligible)
• Complimentary upgrades are not offered internationally - and Canada is 'International' and therefore not eligible

All 3 of these in one day today - all from agents answering as 'Gold Medallion Desk', one of whom was in CVG (I know this because I finally asked for a supervisor as I'd had enough of the incorrect info).

funny that you had two agents with this. i just SDC'd to the second leg yesterday

In the "interesting new policies" department, Elites upgraded in to FC only get 2 checked bags, per the geniusii at lax... However, once you get to "Real Delta Country" in SLC, the limit changes back to 3

Were you upgraded at the gate or already upgraded prior to arriving at the airport? If you were on the list and not upgraded, the agents were correct. Only if you have been upgraded prior to arriving at the airport do you get the third bag. Next time use the kiosk, it knows how many you can check ;)

I understand what your saying but there is just so much wrong with this statement......I hope a customer service trainer at DL actually sees this suggestion and points out to their team just how sad it is (wait...maybe the bean counters will see it and be happy...ugh!)

My favorites:

1. "There's no available lounge, even for BE, in..." SIN (since fixed on the SkyClubs website, but agents thought it disappeared in the merger), DUB (used it in April after my hotel concierge was told no by Dublin, UK, and US phone agents, not on the website, in fact was told that Shannon was the only lounge in Ireland), PVG (used it last week, even got a sticky invitation attached to my boarding pass at check in, despite being told no on the phone and not listed on the website),....How hard can it be to keep the list of lounges on the computer up to date or for a phone agent to just call the station or the country's office/phone reservation line?

2. "I'm a Diamond agent" but when questioned, the person is located in CVG, not SLC. When DM started, I was reaching non-Diamond agents about 75% of the time and the ones in CVG were BAD and RUDE. I quickly learned to ask and be prepared to hang up and redial.

3. "You need to get to the airport two hours early" for domestic FC where there are separate elite check in and security lines and "you need to check in three hours before the flight" when traveling BE from a nonwierd location (not TLV or even LHR) with dedicated lines or even on a domestic FC flight as above connecting to BE.