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
#1816
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
#1817
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 35
Booked ATL to HNL for late summer. Delta wanted like 4K for the direct in F with a lie flat seat, so ended up doing stopover in LAX but with domestic style first class (no lie flat) for only like $1600 roundtrip.
Saturday my flight time changed and move back by almost 90 mins. Because of that I was able to switch to the direct delta one lie flat seat with no extra cost for 4 people. Worked out awesome!
Question: can they swap that back to a non lie-flat seat? I wouldn't want to do 10 hours in a domestic style first class and would rather honestly have the LAX stopover if it wouldn't be lie flat.
Saturday my flight time changed and move back by almost 90 mins. Because of that I was able to switch to the direct delta one lie flat seat with no extra cost for 4 people. Worked out awesome!
Question: can they swap that back to a non lie-flat seat? I wouldn't want to do 10 hours in a domestic style first class and would rather honestly have the LAX stopover if it wouldn't be lie flat.
#1818
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Very unlikely. If they do that, the plane will run out of fuel and crash in the ocean. None of the non-lie-flat planes can fly that far with passengers on board
#1819
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 35
#1820
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Definitely possible. Especially if many international borders remain closed, the fancy planes will be looking for something to do.
#1822
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Delta Platinum; Hilton Diamond; Marriot Gold
Posts: 1,119
HELPFUL schedule change, for once!
So, perhaps this is just coincidence, but...
Ever since COVID, the last ALB-ATL flight has left way too late for any meaningful connections (Leaving at 6:59 PM you get into ATL around 9:50 PM). On a whim, I wrote into revenue management. I got a response back that did seem to reflect they actually read the email, and sure enough! They've moved the flight up to a 5:15 PM departure. In my experience, this is the earliest they've ever had their last ALB-ATL flight and makes connecting WAY easier.
Maybe its coincidence? Or maybe they actually listened! (One time, Delta had removed ATL as a connection point for a frequent route I took, meaning I was stuck on regionals thru Detroit. After waiting a month to see if it was a fluke and it wasn't, I wrote in and within 72 hours, they had refiled fares that allowed ATL as a connection point again). They DO read emails apparently!
Ever since COVID, the last ALB-ATL flight has left way too late for any meaningful connections (Leaving at 6:59 PM you get into ATL around 9:50 PM). On a whim, I wrote into revenue management. I got a response back that did seem to reflect they actually read the email, and sure enough! They've moved the flight up to a 5:15 PM departure. In my experience, this is the earliest they've ever had their last ALB-ATL flight and makes connecting WAY easier.
Maybe its coincidence? Or maybe they actually listened! (One time, Delta had removed ATL as a connection point for a frequent route I took, meaning I was stuck on regionals thru Detroit. After waiting a month to see if it was a fluke and it wasn't, I wrote in and within 72 hours, they had refiled fares that allowed ATL as a connection point again). They DO read emails apparently!
#1823
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,052
Also ATL-HNL is sold as Delta One. This means it will always have a lie-flat plane and gets upgraded amenities like international flights (the nice pillows/blankets, Skyclub access for passengers, etc)
#1824
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 35
great! Amazing I was able to switch to that route for free just because my normal route was delayed by an hour. That was basically a $2000 upgrade
#1825
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
This year it's child's play because there are so many schedule changes, it's almost too easy!
#1826
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 35
When flying first class, east coast to Hawaii, it's a very common strategy on this forum to book as early as possible so that you can get a schedule change that lets you switch to ATL-HNL for free
This year it's child's play because there are so many schedule changes, it's almost too easy!
This year it's child's play because there are so many schedule changes, it's almost too easy!
Good to know. My trip back is still a bit sucky as it routes through Seattle. Customer service rep said HNL-ATL was full in Delta One but it shows seats online. What gives? Should I try a different tactic?
#1827
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Did you have a schedule change on the return too? Weird things can happen with inventory right after a schedule change. Try again in a couple days.
#1828
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 35
yeah, moved 30 mins earlier outbound, longer connection in SEA, then arrive in ATL 30 mins later. The direct HNL-ATL flight simply says "not offered" when I do modify flight.
#1829
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
30 mins is not enough unfortunately. Doesn't hurt to call and ask nicely, Or just wait and maybe you'll get another schedule change.