PDX1130

First, Can't believe you turned down first class. Should have accepted the offer. It was fair. Arrive home 2.5 late, who wants to return home from vacation anyways.

Second, after accepting the offer come home write a nasty email get some miles and vouchers and call it a day.

Third, aircraft changes happen all the time. DOT and FFA won't do anything, time to relax and right that email already.

DYKWIA at its best and no status I love it. I want first classes tickets, you were offered first class and said No.

SJC ORD LDR

Not sure how the downgrades are determined, but I had the same substitution happen to me on a LIH-LAX leg in 2009. I was a GM flying on a K fare with miles to get into G. My S/O was on an R ticket for the return. So, obviously we were on separate PNRs. We originally had 4CD, but upon check in I was still in 4D but she was moved to 3D. S/O was not happy with not being together, but at least we were both in F. The agent stated that at least we weren't the 3 unlucky people bumped into Y. I assume that being GM spared me as an unlucky person and having the PNRs tied together might have helped her or else they picked the 3 non status people who used miles to upgrade.

In the end it never mattered since the flight was canceled and my s/o and I flew LIH-SFO on UA the next day instead of LIH-LAX-SJC on DL/MQ. I'd hate to be the people on LIH-LAX the next night to find out that they were downgraded since there was a potential for up to 39 people who thought they were in F with 16 seats available.

Kona Flyer

Some of the responses I am reading must be from flyers who have millions of award miles and can just brush off the disappointment of unfair treatment. For you, this will be resolved on your next trip, or the one after that. But what about the infrequent flyer who has saved miles FOR YEARS to make this vacation a reality?

Analogy -- if you had booked an ocean-front suite for your honeymoon, or your 10th anniversary gift to your spouse, and when you arrived at your hotel you learned that your suite was arbitrarily given to someone else, but the good news is there is one guest room available for you across the streeet facing away from the ocean, overlooking the strip mall, which is under construction. There are no other hotels on the ocean.

Oh but more good news, for your trouble, a desk clerk apologizes to you and refunds the difference between the rate for the suite and the rate for the room you got.

Are you satisfied with this resolution?

dd992emo

Apples and oranges, dude. You have received some good advice here. If you want to drag it out looking for someone who agrees with you, go ahead...

dd992emo

Gotta agree here. The Future Farmers of America will be of no assistance, whatsoever...

nogophers

Analogy doesn't work. Like you suggested, however, most of the responses are from people who travel frequently. They know these things happen all of the time. Equipment changes are routine.

Sounds like Delta honored its contract and even went the extra mile by getting you into F on the AA flight.

Write a letter, see what you get and move on. If not happy, there are other airlines to pick for your next flight.

Best of luck.

TTT

Not exactly the same. I think this is a more fair analogy:
Booked ocean-front suite at St. Regis but hotel is overbooked so you are either offered a non-ocean front room at St. Regis or an ocean-front suite 2.5 miles down the beach at the Le Meridian.

Delta offered you a comparable product with another airline and also offered you compensation for your trouble. Sorry you don't see it as fair but they went above and beyond what they were "required" to do.

PDX1130

I don't have a bunch of miles saved up. I fly just enough every year to keep Gold 25K Leisure, 25K Business. I just know when to take a good deal. First class with a same day departure is great deal. I missed a flight two weeks ago and received a first class upgrade for the following day. Spent the night in MSP. The point is, since you don't have a status any airline (meaning your not loyal to a specific carrier,) first class on AA should have been a no brainer. Not trying to be a negative nelly its just the way the airlines work these days.

JWZ954

isn't award ticket come in last order for upgrade?
I feel delta was actully helping you by seeking FC from AA.
I would take FC and arrive 3 hours late. and I will seek some refund on my miles when i come home.

but $200 voucher and upgrade coupons were bad at all! do you wanna sell it? i would buy from you

DiverDave

Well in this case, the desk clerk offered you an ocean-front suite in an equivalent hotel. In fact, American First Class probably would have been better than Delta.

edit: TTT beat me to it with the analogy.

David

GYEWorldTraveler

Well, apparently you have not taken the time to read the contract of carriage then. From a legal standpoint, Delta is fully covered here because everyone has to agree to this contract when purchasing their ticket. If you go to page 46 of DLs contract of carriage, there is a specific topic that speaks about Involuntary Denied Boarding Compensation and a Substitution of Equipment that reads:

The passenger shall not be entitled to any compensation for involuntary denied boarding if:

a) Passenger’s Failure to Comply with Contract of Carriage
The passenger has not complied fully with Delta’s contract of carriage or tariff provisions regarding ticketing, reconfirmation, check-in, or acceptability for transportation

b)Substitution of Equipment
The flight for which the passenger holds confirmed space is unable to accommodate that passenger because of substitution of equipment of lesser capacity when required by operational or safety reasons; or, on an aircraft with a designed passenger capacity of 60 or fewer seats, the flight for which the passenger holds confirmed reserved space is unable to accommodate that passenger due to weight/balance restrictions when required by operational or safety reasons.

c)Carriage in Alternative Cabin
Delta offers to accommodate the passenger in a section of the aircraft other than that specified on his/her ticket at no extra charge; provided however that if a passenger is seated in a section for which a lower fare applies, the passenger will be entitled to a refund of the difference in fare.

d)Alternative Transportation
Delta arranges comparable air transportation, or other transportation used by the passenger, at no extra cost to the passenger, that at the time such arrangements are made is scheduled to arrive at the passenger’s next stopover, or, if none, final destination within one hour after the planned arrival time of the passenger’s original flight or flights.

The bolded parts are the most important to read, it is specifically listed as exempt from receiving any compensation so obviously DL compensating anything is a goodwill gesture and not even required (crazy as that seems!)

Most people that complain about this stuff need to read the contract of carriage. You agree to this every time you purchase a ticket and it really covers DL in many of the situations that people complain about.

Vuelos

Welcome to FLYERtalk... we tend to be FREQUENT flyers. If you want to see if less frequent travelers would be more sympathetic, check out Chris Elliott at Elliott.org but he'll probably give you the same advice (and that's rare)

Ah but here is where your logic fails. There were other hotels on the ocean but you didn't want to use them even though they were of the same caliber. AA F is the same as Delta's.

No, I would expect compensation... which you were given. Right?

Kona Flyer

I appealed to Delta's corporate office. I got compensated in a way that was significantly better than (most of) your advice would have brought me. I accepted it and will move on.

I am NOT a frequent flyer. You guys know airports like the backs of your hands. I've been in enough to know that some have a pretty long hike between gates, especially if you have to change terminals due to different carriers making up the legs. Maybe transfering from AA to Delta at 5 a.m. in LAX would've been a breeze. I didn't know if it would. Nor did the Delta CSR that was offering it. She couldn't tell me anything about how much time it would take to get there. The seat in coach was probably no more uncomfortable than the first class anxiousness over making that connection would have been. That's just me, but I'm the guy who paid for the first class tickets on Delta.

Yes, I read Delta's contract before I pitched my diatribe here. I agree that they lived up to their minimum legal requirements. There are two ways of looking at an agreement, by its letter and by its spirit. Airlines promise the spirit and then deliver the letter. In my view, that is reprehensible because they have an oligopoly on air travel. It's not that often that a newcomer airline changes the industry for the better, like Southwest did a few years back. How many positive trends in service and value have you seen lately?

I appreciate your advice. Though I didn't subcribe to it for the most part, I learned from you and it helped me win my appeal. Fly safe & have fun.

Kona Flyer

Cheapskate Travels

Bolding mine.

So, what was the total compensation in the end?

edscholl

ya, that didn't make sense to me. take the whole flight in coach instead of first class because you didn't want to do the shortest leg in coach and a early morning terminal change?