discstickers

Yesterday's SNN-JFK flight had an equipment swap to a domestic 757. I was on a J award ticket and was obviously not very happy with the change. I had an inkling something was going on when the seatmap changed the night before. When I got to the gate, they called me up to the desk and asked if I was ok switching rows because the "video was broken". I said sure and moved back a few rows.

After boarding, I was mentally writing my email to Delta in my head when the station manager came to my row and explained the situation. She said that I would be compensated. She said the same thing to the other J pax. The rest of the cabin was pretty full with opups and non-revs (it was full in the back as far as I could tell).

I found 20k miles in my account this morning. Given that the difference between domestic F and intl J one way awards in low is 22.5k, and my connecting flight in JFK experienced a more than two-hour delay due to maintenance issues after equipment swap (738 with AVOD to 757 without ), more compensation is due, right?

3Cforme

The difference between low coach and low Business TATL is 20K miles. Delta could have put you in a center seat in coach for 20K. How does that domestic First seat sound now?

MSPeconomist

I'm confused by this story: The OP, who had an award ticket, was one of only two BE passengers on the flight? They were moved to the last row of the 757 FC compartment to get a working AVOD system (which version fo the 757?)? Then the rest of the FC cabin was filled with OPUPs and nonrevs? Was it a nonrev party flight and was the OP disturbed?

IMO 20,000 miles for an equipment change is sufficient. The regular 767-300 is a horrid BE cabin, so it's not that much better than the 757 you got rather than a cancelled flight.

ijgordon

Better to have this downgrade in product on SNN-JFK than JFK-SNN, though presumably there were some unhappy passengers the night before (and that morning)

readywhenyouare

I wasn't aware that Delta's domestic 757-200's were ETOPS certified. Was this an aircraft that typically operates US Mainland to Hawaii?

MSPeconomist

At the risk of asking a dumb question, can a nonETOPS plane fly TATL by detouring to stay near/over land as much as possible--i.e., north over northeastern Canada to Greenland to Iceland to the closest land in Europe (Norway? or northern England/northwestern Ireland?) Planes hopped across the Atlantic in the days of the flying boats and I suspect that something like those routes must satisfy the requirements for nonETOPS.

readywhenyouare

Yes, I believe the rule is that twin engine aircraft that are not ETOPS certified must stay within 60 minutes of a suitable airport. So I suppose altering course would allow a non ETOPS certified aircraft to perform the flight. However, the range of the 757 is already near its limits on transatlantic flights as it is. I would think a fuel stop would be necessary to perform this type of altered flight path. It would seem more trouble than it is worth. I'm guessing this had to have been one of the ETOPS certified 757's or the flight would have been cancelled or a 767 brought in to operate the flight.

Remember, ETOPS only applies to twin engine aircraft. Back in the days of props and early jets flying the transatlantic routes they were four (or even more) engine aircraft.

nystateofmind

Plane was N549US, one of the former Interport 757's

Amelorn

Urgh. I had this same problem SNN-JFK on Jul 11. Out of the 16 seats on the original BE map, 11 were filled. On the new plane, which has 20 F I believe, all were filled with standby's and non-revs.

The AVOD was a throwback to the 80's, and the sound didn't function well. The crew was audibly and visibly dispirited, and the champagne failed after the second bottle!

xliioper

These are rated ETOPS-90 I believe while the 75A's are ETOPS-180, so they may have had to route somewhat differently than normal. Oops, I take that back, as apparently N548US and N549US have been used to Hawaii, so they must have been uprated to full ETOPS-180 in order to make that distance.