Why does Delta do this?
 

I appreciate trying to have good customer service but this totally makes no sense to me, read these two examples.

A few weeks back RSW->LGA was delayed by 90 minutes. I checked in the nght prior but checked my bags and noticed they were being re-routed via ATL. The check-in agent told me Delta re-routed me via ATL as a courtesy due to my delayed flight. Problem is, these new flights were due to arrive an hour after my newly scheduled non-stop flight. They were able to switch me back to the non-stop but had I not noticed the bags I would have been in for a big surprise when i tried to board the original flight.

An FO colleague of mine was scheduled to fly MIA->LGA earlier this week. For whatever reason the flight was delayed 40 minutes. Delta automatically re-routed her MIA->ATL->LGA, due to arrive 90 minutes after her delayed flight was now due to arrive. This time however, they were unable to move her back to the non stop and she was forced to travel with a connection. She was told this is a courtesy service delta provides to help frequent travelers with delays.

I appreciate the idea of letting flyers consider different options when faced with a delay (in fact I was once able to use the app to turn LGA->MSY into LGA->MSP->ATL->MSY when faced with a half hour delay, resulting in many more miles). But the idea of a 'courtesy move' that causes further delays seems pretty counter-productive.

Anyone else have this happen? Why is Delta doing this?

I think this is a VIPR issue.

It is an automatic re-booking program used to protect elites. Unfortunately it often does silly things, like re-booking you into a connecting flight from a non-stop for a tiny delay.

Last winter I was VIPRed off of a nonstop that posted a five minute delay when I was on my way to the airport and had already checked in on my phone. The new schedule involved flying from the northeast to RDU early the next morning, waiting at RDU all day, and then getting an early evening flight back to MSP. One segment was in coach, despite my having purchased a G A P fare. I discovered this when I tried to get past TSA security and my boarding pass didn't work. By the time I went to the counter (the kiosk didn't even show what had been done) and waited in line for over an hour, I could no longer get onto the flight I had wanted, five minute delay or not, and the GA refused to add me to the standby list.

I am surprised that the TSA validation system actually checks against the current passenger list on a flight. Thought that it simply validated a properly-coded boarding pass, not against internal airline lists.

I have had many "you have been rebooked" but always ignored them and just gotten on the flight if I can make it. Also very surprised if the TSA actually knew your BP was cancelled...How could that even work?

[added] OP, I get some CRAZY stuff on the Delta app when I have late connections, including my original flight disappearing, but never have had a problem if I just hand the GA the paper BP and get on the original flight.

Doesn't mitigate your point that this shouldn't happen without human intervention...but I don't think they actually cancel you off the original flight until you miss it, despite it looking that way.

I couldn't bring up a boarding pass for the current day's flight as I had been rebooked onto tomorrow's flights.

Ah, I never had that problem as I save the first BP to the passbook (iPhone feature) or print it out - relying on delta.com to get on my flight makes me nervous

always a wise move

Literally this was the only time ever that I didn't have a printout of my boarding pass. On this occasion, I didn't go to the hotel business center to do it because I wanted to get to the airport early in the snow.

I hope you were well compensated for the inconvenience.

And I usually take a screenshot of my BP on the Delta App just in case I'm ever in a airport that gets bad cell phone reception.

This is why I use paper BPs from the kiosk whenever possible.

During bad IROPs, it can be hard to get near a kiosk. In this case, going to the kiosk just resulted in a message to see an agent.

Last year my wife and I booked a direct ATL-SJD-ATL eight months in advance. Three months later Delta decided to cancel Wednesday direct return flights. VIPR changed us to SJD-TIJ, then SAN-ATL, which would have left us to figure out how to get from Tijuana to San Diego on our own (at night). There was no notification, I only discovered it by accident while checking other itineraries. I called an agent who quickly rectified the situation, but had I not noticed it would have had a nasty surprise.

I got VIPRed a year ago from a connecting flight to a nonstop flight because DL thought I missed the first segment when I actually made it. Arriving to LHR and finding out that my reservation was rebooked to CDG-JFK nonstop was a nasty surprise. Eventually I got a phone agent to restore my old itinerary so I could board my LHR-JFK flight.
I was worried about my bag. It made it to JFK but it appears that the system did not validate the barcode, as it had a new, handwritten tag with my flight info and my PNR.

Traveling on JNB-ATL - ATL-BOS last week, we landed almost an hour late into ATL. (Changed runways twice due to wind in JNB, then had to burn off fuel, then didn't have to burn off fuel=1 hr delay)

After I landed, I notice delta had rebooked me on a ATL-BOS flight 2 hrs later. Hell NO! After the 17.5 hr non-stop flight, I wanted to go home!

Thankfully immigration only took 4 minutes w/ my Global Entry card. Grabbed my bag, went directly to the agents near the bag drop who confirmed my flight was right above me in the same terminal.