ssm949

Ok Delta peeps, what the heavens is going on with the 757 long haul domestic routes? I just experienced my 4th Delta Downgrade in as many weeks. Even when keeping my seat between rows 2 & 4, I still can't win! Anyone had success getting compensation out of Delta for this inconvenience... I'm about to spend another RedEye in 32E, instead of 3B;(

RacingJunkie

I'm not sure what route the 757's have been diverted to, but they are not on the routes I used to fly them. Getting the crappy 319 & 320's.

DL2SXM

were you upgraded, miles or paid J?

florin

I assume the OP had been upgraded and then lost the UG due to an equipment swap. It would be helpful to know the routes though...

Compensation for the inconvenience? NO.

jacksafar

I'm really really tired of this too! My partner and I just went SEA-JFK-SEA a few weeks back. I booked us on the Friday night red-eye which was supposed to be the 767-300ER with the 30+ Business Elite lie-flat seats. I booked this as I knew it would be a sure upgrade for us (a DM and PM). At some point on friday mid-day I went and checked the flight and noticed that we had gone from #1 and #4 on the wait list for 17 open seats up front to #1 and #4 for zero seats. I saw that it was swapped to a 757-200 (that crappy sky team one) thats only 16F. Needless to say there was no way we were going to make the upgrade and I was pissed. As the flight was oversold, we volunteered our seats to an agent and redcoat and got bumped to the 2nd redeye leaving 1.5 hours later for JFK in confirmed F.

On the way back, same deal, Were booked on the 730pm JFK-SEA (757 with 26F Seats) and we were #1 and #3 on the wait list for like 6 open seats. Leave Downtown Manhattan and take a cab to JFK, once we arrive at JFK and check in, agent says it's booked to -1 and that it only holds 16F. Same deal. We were pissed. Really really annoyed that DL keeps pulling these switcharoo situations. Would probably avoid the SEA-JFK non stops in the future if this kind of crap keeps happening. Watch out for the SkyTeam livery 757, cause it only has 16F seats!

DL2SXM

kinda blows. Seems you have no luck. Delta doesn't do these switcharoos just to screw with you. I've read numerous threads on the UA forum with pretty much the same subject matter.

rivertown

DL is notorious for this - they do equipment swaps all the time. 767 to 57 or 753 to 752, even 320 to a md-88 OR 90. I am not sure if it is equipment optimization based on the load factor or having to do with other issues. This was never common with NW, the only place I saw this was inner port in the Pacific where 332 or 333 would get swapped due to the loads and AC availability. The only time in recent memory that there has not been an equipment change to what I have flown on was the last international trip I took at Christmas or when I have gotten stuck on a DL connection route. You can throw your pre-planning out the window when flying on DL, unless it is an International trip and they your odds are at least better. Good luck getting any compensation….. maybe a free drink coupon if you can find a red coat and do a little begging.

mother-

The vast majority of JFK/SEA trips happen on planes with 16F nowadays. During the winter the schedule is set up 100% for non SEA O&A traffic... And because of that they sell damn near every one of those 16 seats as part of a domestic leg on a BE TPAC...

I've been complaining about the impact of this to me (that's the primary long haul route I fly). It should get a little better when cruise season opens up and they add flights that are not strictly to meet up with the Asia flight banks...

Ti22

On the flip side, 'went from 752 to 764 with lie flat beds JFK-LAX a week or so ago. I'm sure they didn't do it for the FO's, companions and nonrevs UG just as I'm sure they didn't do this to screw with your trip.

Blows but part of the deal when they say "complimentary" in the TOS.

dcline414

I wonder why there aren't as many of these stories as there are of the OP's. You would think any time they pull a 767 off a route that they use it elsewhere. Perhaps they are used to catch up when a flight goes CX due to MX?

The last time I was on a 767 was when they cancelled the first ATL-ORD flight, which was an (oversold) MD-88 and combined it with the second (also oversold) MD-88 flight. I think using the 767 allowed them to accommodate most passengers, but probably screwed people on the route that plane was originally assigned to at the last second!

exwannabe

Nope, it is obvious from reading posts on this board that DL routinely pulls any new aircraft and replaces them with A32s and old 757s.

The new and redone craft are used to shuttle employees to and from vacation spots.

OK, seriously. It is just random what they do. But few post "I got lucky", while many post "I got screwed".

dcline414

What an employee perk!

I think my real question was, how often do they park a wide-body and use a smaller plane instead because the routes weren't close enough to capacity to justify the higher fuel cost.

ksweeney

The reality, like it or not, is that one of the virtues that DL management is touting about the merger is the ability to "right size" aircraft to fit market demands. Of course this is in part positive spin on the increased costs of Tech Ops having to support a wider range of configurations and increased difficulty aligning available crews with available aircraft). In the case of a 757 being swapped in place of a 767, I would suspect that either the planned 767 had a mechanical, or there was another scheduled flight that was so heavily overbooked that the larger aircraft was needed on that trip. I don't know how union seniority impacts this, but theoretically a 767 pilot can fly a 757.

Josher747

Incorrect. The 757/767 are different ratings on a pilot's license, as well as a different pay scale. 757 pilots at Delta are only kept qualified on the 757. Same goes for 767/777/etc/etc.

jdrtravel

I was under the impression that 757 and 767 were the same license. . . .