Jul 10, 2016, 5:48 pm
Last edit by: Zorak
Delta rolls out schedule changes pretty much every Saturday, though the scope/impact can vary. During this time, seat maps may be locked out, may show the wrong aircraft layout, etc. while changes are occurring. If you are not traveling immediately, FT conventional wisdom is to wait until Sunday (or even Monday in the case of major schedule adjustments where things take longer) for things to settle down, then take stock of your upcoming itineraries to see what changes have occurred and what changes/refunds you may be entitled to.
You are entitled to a full refund to original form of payment, even for a ticket that was purchased as a non-refundable ticket, if any of the following occur as a result of schedule change:
The airline would rather keep your money than refund it, so they will frequently accept any vaguely reasonable rerouting that you propose. This includes, by policy, changing origin and/or destination within 100 miles, rebooking +/- two days, and changing outbound/return date to keep the length of the trip the same post-rebooking.
If none of the above conditions for a refund is true, you may still be entitled to a free change -- in your trip summary there will be a notice about changes/refunds, and per the "conditions apply" popup link in that text:
If possible, you may wish to try modifying your flights online first -- there have been data points where the site allowed a free rebooking even though it did not technically fall into the above categories. NOTE however that self-rebooking online is known not to work if you have (1) any trip involving upgrade certificates (whether cleared or not), (2) if you have self-upgraded by picking an upgraded seat that said FREE (instead of waiting for the automated upgrade system sweep to reseat you in an upgraded seat), this seems to inhibit self-rebooking as well.
Otherwise, suggested best practice is to research your preferred alternative rebooking beforehand (whether DL flight search, Google Flights, ITA Matrix etc.) so that you can speak with an agent already knowing what you want, and ask for it; this will be much more efficient than having an agent find alternatives for you.
Other notes/FAQs:
You are entitled to a full refund to original form of payment, even for a ticket that was purchased as a non-refundable ticket, if any of the following occur as a result of schedule change:
- departure or arrival delay of 2hrs or more
- increase in the number of flight segments (non-stop to connecting, 1-stop to 2-stop, etc.)
- change resulting in a connection below the Minimum Connection Time for a given airport (do a Google search for "site:flyertalk.com minimum connecting time XXX" with the airport code to find the relevant thread if one exists)
- any change in operating carrier, i.e. operated by Delta mainline before the schedule change and Delta Connection after the change
- it is also a commonly-held belief that a change from Delta Connection to mainline, or from one Delta Connection carrier to a different Delta Connection carrier, also qualifies for a full refund -- if anyone has documentation of this, a link would be great...
The airline would rather keep your money than refund it, so they will frequently accept any vaguely reasonable rerouting that you propose. This includes, by policy, changing origin and/or destination within 100 miles, rebooking +/- two days, and changing outbound/return date to keep the length of the trip the same post-rebooking.
If none of the above conditions for a refund is true, you may still be entitled to a free change -- in your trip summary there will be a notice about changes/refunds, and per the "conditions apply" popup link in that text:
If a Delta schedule or routing change has delayed your departure or arrival by more than one hour, you may be eligible to select an alternate flight at no additional charge. Note that the below conditions may apply:
- Your origin, destination and travel date must remain the same
- Alternate flights must be available, and you can only modify once as subsequent changes may result in additional fees
- Voluntary changes to other flights not impacted by a Delta schedule change may result in additional fees
Otherwise, suggested best practice is to research your preferred alternative rebooking beforehand (whether DL flight search, Google Flights, ITA Matrix etc.) so that you can speak with an agent already knowing what you want, and ask for it; this will be much more efficient than having an agent find alternatives for you.
Other notes/FAQs:
- Even if you voluntarily choose a preferred rebooking, you have a high likelihood of success claiming Original Routing Credit since the original reason for the change was involuntary.
- If you booked through a travel agency, including online travel agencies (OTA) such as Expedia, Chase Ultimate Rewards, etc. you will have to contact them, not Delta, to request rerouting if the automatic rebooking is not satisfactory to you.
- There have been reports of an agency insisting that a change of 2 hours was required (per the "pro" site) for a free change, even though the popup on the DL site says 1 hour
- You can sometimes get Delta to take over a travel agency ticket; this is subject to a $50 fee to take over the ticket, although sometimes agents decline to collect it
Consolidated Delta Schedule Change Discussion Thread
May 17, 2016, 12:32 pm
#136
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,373
Booked LGA-ATL-XXX and return XXX-DTW-LGA a couple months ago.
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
this is based on actual success -- a couple years ago I had an 0615 departure promoted to 0600; when I called to explain that the earliest public transit arrival at the airport was 0530, DL rebooked me on my originally preferred flights at 0745 with no hassle at all
May 17, 2016, 1:24 pm
#137
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,441
Not clear from OP's post, but a point to note is that if any of these changes involves a change in operating carrier, even if the times are identical, and even if it was DL Connection operator 1 to DL Connection operator 2, you are entitled to a 100% refund - so DL is typically extra flexible in making changes you'd prefer.
May 17, 2016, 2:14 pm
#138
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA
Posts: 2,983
you could try to revise the outbound, stating that you are dependent on public transportation that doesn't operate after 1230am (yeah I know that doesn't help with the CRJ on the return, but if they're opening the entire itinerary they may be willing to accommodate that as well)
this is based on actual success -- a couple years ago I had an 0615 departure promoted to 0600; when I called to explain that the earliest public transit arrival at the airport was 0530, DL rebooked me on my originally preferred flights at 0745 with no hassle at all
this is based on actual success -- a couple years ago I had an 0615 departure promoted to 0600; when I called to explain that the earliest public transit arrival at the airport was 0530, DL rebooked me on my originally preferred flights at 0745 with no hassle at all
May 18, 2016, 7:46 am
#139
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,939
May 18, 2016, 9:09 am
#140
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: DTW
Programs: AA EXP, Delta GM, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 159
Not clear from OP's post, but a point to note is that if any of these changes involves a change in operating carrier, even if the times are identical, and even if it was DL Connection operator 1 to DL Connection operator 2, you are entitled to a 100% refund - so DL is typically extra flexible in making changes you'd prefer.
May 18, 2016, 9:12 am
#141
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Not clear from OP's post, but a point to note is that if any of these changes involves a change in operating carrier, even if the times are identical, and even if it was DL Connection operator 1 to DL Connection operator 2, you are entitled to a 100% refund - so DL is typically extra flexible in making changes you'd prefer.
May 18, 2016, 12:08 pm
#142
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,441
Here's a thread that discusses DOT regulations as well as "what to ask for" towards the bottom of the thread.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...nd-denied.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...nd-denied.html
May 19, 2016, 10:22 am
#143
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, MM, NR; HH Diamond, Bonvoy LT Gold, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Diamond, others
Posts: 12,159
Booked LGA-ATL-XXX and return XXX-DTW-LGA a couple months ago.
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
How tight is the connection now? If it's barely legal, there's a better chance you can change flights.
May 23, 2016, 8:22 pm
#144
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM. 1MM
Posts: 2,045
Not clear from OP's post, but a point to note is that if any of these changes involves a change in operating carrier, even if the times are identical, and even if it was DL Connection operator 1 to DL Connection operator 2, you are entitled to a 100% refund - so DL is typically extra flexible in making changes you'd prefer.
My original CHA-DTW flight was operated by EXPRESSJET DBA DELTA CONNECTION and the new flight time is operated by SkyWest DBA Delta Connection.
So it seems like I have a different carrier operating my outbound flight. i definitely do not want a full refund since flight prices are now more than double what I paid if I rebook. But yes I want a flight change on the return.
And no my destination is not a secret so I used XXX but the destination city is irrelevant so I don't see why it's important to give online details for every part of my travel plans.
May 23, 2016, 9:25 pm
#145
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,441
Booked LGA-ATL-XXX and return XXX-DTW-LGA a couple months ago.
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
OH OH OH. you could be onto something buddy.
My original CHA-DTW flight was operated by EXPRESSJET DBA DELTA CONNECTION and the new flight time is operated by SkyWest DBA Delta Connection.
So it seems like I have a different carrier operating my outbound flight. i definitely do not want a full refund since flight prices are now more than double what I paid if I rebook. But yes I want a flight change on the return.
And no my destination is not a secret so I used XXX but the destination city is irrelevant so I don't see why it's important to give online details for every part of my travel plans.
My original CHA-DTW flight was operated by EXPRESSJET DBA DELTA CONNECTION and the new flight time is operated by SkyWest DBA Delta Connection.
So it seems like I have a different carrier operating my outbound flight. i definitely do not want a full refund since flight prices are now more than double what I paid if I rebook. But yes I want a flight change on the return.
And no my destination is not a secret so I used XXX but the destination city is irrelevant so I don't see why it's important to give online details for every part of my travel plans.
If you can prepare for the call with a reasonable alternative routing, an agent might make the change for you.
May 24, 2016, 7:56 am
#146
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Look up - On a ✈ DELTA ✈ jet NOW!
Programs: Blogger & Delta Diamond Medallion Million Miler
Posts: 4,174
OH OH OH. you could be onto something buddy.
My original CHA-DTW flight was operated by EXPRESSJET DBA DELTA CONNECTION and the new flight time is operated by SkyWest DBA Delta Connection.
So it seems like I have a different carrier operating my outbound flight. i definitely do not want a full refund since flight prices are now more than double what I paid if I rebook. But yes I want a flight change on the return.
And no my destination is not a secret so I used XXX but the destination city is irrelevant so I don't see why it's important to give online details for every part of my travel plans.
My original CHA-DTW flight was operated by EXPRESSJET DBA DELTA CONNECTION and the new flight time is operated by SkyWest DBA Delta Connection.
So it seems like I have a different carrier operating my outbound flight. i definitely do not want a full refund since flight prices are now more than double what I paid if I rebook. But yes I want a flight change on the return.
And no my destination is not a secret so I used XXX but the destination city is irrelevant so I don't see why it's important to give online details for every part of my travel plans.
May 26, 2016, 6:57 pm
#147
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM. 1MM
Posts: 2,045
Booked LGA-ATL-XXX and return XXX-DTW-LGA a couple months ago.
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
3 of 4 flights have had schedule changes since (including one last Saturday which I actually received an email about).
As of now, all my connections are valid and I meet all MCTs.
Outbound, arrival is now 30 minutes later 11:57p is now 12:27a (+1)
Return both flights changed. I now depart XXX 53 minutes later and land 24 minutes later at LGA.
So cumulative schedule change is between 54 minutes & 107 minutes depending on how you calculate.
Ultimately I'm on XXX-DTW which is a CRJ200 and I would love to get off of this flight onto a larger aircraft or route through ATL/MSP if possible.
Will delta allow me a free change due to all of the schedule changes?
I alerted the agent to the fact that I will have an elderly father picking me up at the airport (true) on the outbound and really need to arrive as close to 11pm as possible as he cannot drive after midnight by state law (note true).
Agent also reviewed my schedule change request for the return and again expressed skepticism because my flight had not "changed that much" but I mentioned I need to arrive into LGA by 11pm because public transportation doesn't run after midnight (not true but that M60 bus does get sketchy late at night).
So I pressed the agent to speak with the supervisor and see what he/she could do about the changes. Else I threatened to cancel the flight and rebook with another airline.
Agent comes back and said the supervisor told him "this is really not within the rules but I leave it up to you (the agent) to decide" So the agent agreed to my schedule changes as a one-time exception and then all was taken care of.
So yeah. Never give up and keep asking for what you want. You might eventually get it!
May 26, 2016, 7:02 pm
#148
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: CMH
Programs: Delta SkyMiles (Silver), AAdvantage, Sun Country, FmrUS Airways Dividend Miles, Northwest WorldPerks
Posts: 353
Been a while since I've had a schedule change, but ATL-CMH on a trip to DAB this June got flipped from an M88 to a 739.
I will take it, as I was initially disappointed I couldn't get the 739 on that flight even though they'd been running either it or a 757 for the last couple years. I've only been on one and haven't had enough seat time in them tohate it yet pass judgment.
I will take it, as I was initially disappointed I couldn't get the 739 on that flight even though they'd been running either it or a 757 for the last couple years. I've only been on one and haven't had enough seat time in them to
May 26, 2016, 7:11 pm
#149
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,441
Been a while since I've had a schedule change, but ATL-CMH on a trip to DAB this June got flipped from an M88 to a 739.
I will take it, as I was initially disappointed I couldn't get the 739 on that flight even though they'd been running either it or a 757 for the last couple years. I've only been on one and haven't had enough seat time in them tohate it yet pass judgment.
I will take it, as I was initially disappointed I couldn't get the 739 on that flight even though they'd been running either it or a 757 for the last couple years. I've only been on one and haven't had enough seat time in them to
Jun 4, 2016, 7:54 pm
#150
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: CMH
Programs: Delta SkyMiles (Silver), AAdvantage, Sun Country, FmrUS Airways Dividend Miles, Northwest WorldPerks
Posts: 353
My guess: One more flight will do it. IMO, MD88/90 > 739. I really like the quiet cabin on the MD's - especially the front half of the plane. Counting from the back, a few more rows are noisy on the 88's than the 90's, but the front rows on both are some of the quietest planes in the DL fleet. Again, IMO, only the A330's are comparable in cabin quietness.
In any case, Delta must want me to be the one guy who doesn't hate the 739. My DAB-ATL on that trip just upgauged to a 757. Surprised they changed it a month out, but I will take that seven days a week.
