Protected (IROPS)
 

^ to DL for being proactive. I'm flying ORD-JFK-PSA today. Sitting in the ORD CRC shortly before boarding, checking my e-mail I see a note from DL, the 14:27 departure is delayed to 15:31; my cell phone buzzes, but I don't pick it up in time, and I see a missed call from DL. Then Mrs. Gargoyle calls to tell me she got an automated call at home from DL... so they made sure I got the word.

About 14:40 or so I logged into delta.com, and check the status (because I'm too lazy to walk back to the monitors to look). Go to my itinerary and get a bit of a start, because I see I'm booked ORD-CDG-PSA on AF... then I scrolled down and see the ORD-JFK-PSA itin is still listed too.

So... DL saw the possible IROPS (even though the 15:31 departure would still give me over two hours to make my connection at JFK; the PSA flight doesn't depart till 20:50) and stepped in very early to protect me on an alternate routing.

BTW, the AF/CDG routing would only result in my arriving at PSA 40 minutes later than the original routing). ^

The pilot on the ORD-JFK leg told us he believed the delay was ATC, due to "saturation" of the east coast air routes. It was not WX or mechanical.

This has been my experience for a long time. I really think that they have a computer that does this routinely and no human is involved in most cases.

My early morning flight on Monday was delayed an hour. I knew it was late because I checked online when I got up. I heard the phone ringing when I was in the shower, I figured it was them. About 5 minutes later, the phone rang again, it was the automated message. A little while later I checked my cellphone and they had called in between the 2 home phone calls.

Human intervention usually results in better results than what the computer spits out.

Example:
Last Thursday's storms in ATL.
-4:07 PM ATL-BTR flight was cancelled while I was in the E CRC shower (they are great by the way).
-Computer rebooks me into the 10:30 PM flight
-I get out of the shower and find the agent placing me standby on 6:30 PM flight with a confirmed 8:00 PM flight.

Turned out there was one problem. After I caught my initial ORD-JFK flight, the extra protection routing didn't get cleaned out of the PNR. So, when I got to the gate for the JFK-PSA flight, I wasn't showing as checked in, took the GA about two minutes to clean up the record and reprint my BP.

Just something to watch out for if this happens, next time I'll know to check and get it cleaned up at the CRC prior to boarding.

DL gets it right in IRROPS
 

Had the last flight out cancel on me today due to a mechanical, which would normally mean an overnight on a Friday afternoon. I'm stunned at how well DL handled the situation: I was proactively rebooked on another AAirline and received an email and cell phone call---all hours before I was due to head to the airport. Early enough, in fact, that I was able to get decent exit row aisle seats on my new AA flights!

Upon arrival at the airport, I was able to check in with AA without any trouble, and am now on my way, no muss, no fuss. As we all know, this shouldn't be unusual---this is how it should work. Sadly, I usually have to spend several hours fighting with SMS, TA, and GAs to get it worked out these days.

WTG, DL. ^ What an unexpected surprise. The irony is my new flights have me connecting in DFW, which takes me back to the time when this sort of customer service was entirely ordinary at the DL we all knew and loved.

This definitely is one of DL's strong points.

Good to hear for a change!

On my 1st DL trip in a looong time ... at my departure airport we knew the flight delay would cause me to mis-connect in ATL. But Sunday afternoon and all flights/all airlines were full.

So I arrive in ATL, knowing I'm standby on the next trip to my destination (about 2 hours away) and confirmed on the following trip (5 hours away).
I walk by some kiosk and think.. I wonder if it can tell if by some miracle I've been confirmed on the earlier trip .. would rather wait in the Crown Room than at a gate podium. I scan my BP and it tells me everything I already know ref backup flights, then says something along the lines of ... sorry for the trouble, here's a voucher for lunch.

I ended up having to wait for the later flight but I was impressed by having this "dis-rupted flight" kiosk (it was just along the concourse somewhere, not near a service center) and the fact that it offered the gesture of an apology via the voucher without my having to ask. I guess I'm too used to airline agents brushing me off with the attitude of "poop happens, get over it".

Oh, spent the time in the Crown Room after all .. agent there said no way I'd make the earlier trip. I appreciate the honesty.
Crown Room does not come close to comparing with (new design) WorldClub.

Steve

Thanks for the tip. I never realized those kiosks could be used for just meal vouchers. We've always stood in line for a human at the rebooking stations when we delayed over meal time in ATL.

Similar situation happened to me a couple weeks ago. I was on the 1st flight of the day, SEA-SLC-PHX. The flight got delayed past the departure time of the second flight of the day and too late to make my SLC connection.

I got two calls at home at 0330 and 0400 and an email rebooking me to the second flight so my connection time would be protected.

It wouldn't have been a huge problem if I missed my connection. I was visiting family, plenty of time to warn them not to leave for the airport. But it could have been a once-a-day international connection with serious consequences for delays.

I was thoroughly impressed with Delta's pro-active and timely handling of the situation. ^^

Hi-

I had the same proactive re-booking by Delta yesterday (10/10). I was flying CHO-ATL-CMH and the CHO departure was delayed so that my connection was dead. When I checked in I saw that I was rebooked on a later flight. Although, the flight gave me almost a four hour layover, the earlier flight was oversold.

To top it all off, I was upgraded to first class as a confirmed stand by for the late flight. Pretty nice bonus for a U class fare.

I had a very dismal irrops experience on Thursday and then Friday. Supposed to leave Baltimore at 10am, arrive in Charleston SC via Atlanta at about 2:30pm. Incoming aircraft for first flight was diverted to Richmond on its way up from Atlanta, thus delaying, then canceling our flight to Atlanta. Agents knew by around 930--945ish that there was problems, an announcement was eventually made at the gate. They told everyone to chill and let them work on rebookings and told people to come claim their new bp if they got a call or email notifying them of an autorebooking.

I immediately called SMS and was initially told that there was nothing on Thursday at all, including on any other airlines. I said fine and asked to be put on standby for all the afternoon flights from ATL-CHS which was the problem flight in terms of seats. The gate agents continued to process the rebookings, we were never called up, the lines got longer and longer and the next flight to ATL left from the same gate, full and overbooked.

In the meantime, I called SMS back and spoke to another agent. Since we had no news on what was going on re: our flight out of BWI, I asked her to put us on standby for the next flights. She said SMS can't put ppl on standby, which I didn't understand, given that I was looking at my standby confirmed status for three ATL-CHS flights in the evening from my previous call. She also told me that the computer had auto booked us on Friday morning while we had been on the phone (the flight had been canceled officially while we were on the phone). She said there was no availability to ATL for the rest of the day, then put me on hold, then came back on and said she was able to confirm us on the 2:47 departure without an explanation to this sudden discovery. I checked online after I hung up and saw we were confirmed on the last flight to Charleston, though for some reason the agent made no mention of this to me on the phone.

We left on time, got to Atlanta around 4:45 at gate T5, hoping to get to A34 for our 5:10 departure to Charleston, assuming we cleared the standby list. We ran to the subway, then ran all the way to the end of the A concourse. My girlfriend couldn't keep up and nearly had an asthma attack, but I managed to see the gate agent shut the door to the jetway and not come back as I was running up. We watched unable to do anything, with the plane still connected to the jetway as 9 other people came running up to the gate too. It turned out to be the only flight we cleared standby for that night, according to the GIDS.

Then we stoodby for the 7pm departure in the E concourse, got denied, then went back to A for the 8:35pm departure and also didnt clear. The gate staff for the 7pm flight made NO announcements to any of the 19 or so people standing by, and since there was no panel with the standby list, everyone was left a bit in the dark. Why are there no GIDS' in E? We waited for our 1030pm departure, which was also overbooked, and considered volunteering our seats. We had no clothes, were rather gross from a day in the airport, and wanted vouchers and a bed. There was no real advantage to arriving at 1am, esp. since my parents were coming to get us. Turned out the GA only wanted 1 volunteer and refused to negotiate compensation for us both, snidely telling my girlfriend that she had no problem involuntarily debooking someone, with the same compensation (400+meals+hotel). We accepted anyhow, and in the end, for reasons still not clear, we both got our own 400 dollar vouchers and spent the night at the Sheraton. I also had her confirm us on the 9:35am flight to Charleston.

Friday morning, I go to checkin online at the hotel, and see she has us booked on the 11am flight. I immediately call SMS and ask to be moved up, as my mom is meeting my brother at 11 and we want to arrive around the same time. I also requested an upgrade (Im silver, but this was an amex companion ticket so we werent eligible originally). She said she couldnt do anything about the upgrade (recurring "helpless" theme here) and did confirm us on the earlier flight, but again I checked online and see were both in Y with a separate standby for F (the work of the last SMS agent?).

I ended up clearing and my gf, next on the list, did not. When the door closed tho, one seat was empty in F, and the f/a, to whom I had inquired about my gf moving up, told her to move up after takeoff bec. the gate agent confirmed the one extra seat before we left. Got to Charleston 22 hrs late (tho we did volunteer to stay overnight), but our bags, at least were waiting for us.

Now I check our return flight for tomorrow, my girlfriends name is no longer on the itinerary, I cleared for an upgrade and I finally pull up her now apparently separate reservation and she is not upgraded. I dont really want us to sit separately so Im debating whether to call and ask for an upgrade for her too. In all, this was a majorly awful experience. I understand mechanical problems happen and are compounded by full flights, but I felt like no one seriously tried to do anything for us other than keep putting us on standby. I also don't understand why they overbook flights to the extent they do on a holiday weekend. Im going to write an email just to see if they offer me anything...any thoughts? Im glad we were originally supposed to leave on Thursday as the festivities for my sisters wedding started on Friday.

In addition to on-time departure statistics, airlines should be required to report mis-connect passenger statistics. I believe that they would hold that door open a few minutes longer. Your flight arrives late and they shut the door on you, while sometimes you even watch them hold off pushing back so they can put your luggage on the plane!

I am glad that things worked out well for the original post.

I have one important word for you: Paragraphing

I would have made your post much more readable.