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
#1876
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Arlington, VA
Programs: DL DM, 1.5 MM; AS MVP Gold 100K; HHonors Diamond; AMEX Platinum
Posts: 489
My RNO-DCA trip in early August got hit again. On the 2nd (or 3rd) schedule change, I was able to get a wide body on the long leg for both the outbound and the return. Now they have both disappeared. Time to shrink down to 2 legs each way instead of 3.
#1878
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,071
#1879
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LAS, MPL
Programs: DL Platinum, 1 MM
Posts: 1,322
#1880
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Delta Platinum; Hilton Diamond; Marriot Gold
Posts: 1,119
I know the 763 is the least favorite of the D1… but for a solo traveler, I would still stay the individual seats are better than the 2x2
#1881
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
I’d be torn honestly because I really hate the 763 seat and even though it’s 2x2 I find the 752 seat to be more comfortable. I’d probably prefer the 752 on a red eye for sure. On a daylight flight I’d really be torn.
#1882
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Ya I don't go out of my way to get one, but on a solo trip I'm quite happy to get a 763 D1 transcon when it happens (direct aisle access matters). I will go out of my way for an A339 or A350.
#1884
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: DL 4MM; DM
Posts: 1,397
Just a heads up to check your seats out of / into LAS. They are upgauging a lot of flights to 767. Basically all of my (multiple) flights were affected. And of course, the computer gave me seats that were the opposite of what are listed for my preferences in my profile.
#1885
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: LA
Programs: AA Plat Pro, SPG/Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,193
My October red eye from OGG-LAX got canceled and I’m now on the 12pm flight back. The red eye appears to no longer be on the schedule. It’s a minor inconvenience thus far Bc we haven’t really planned on doing anything that day. Problem is, They separated my partner and me now despite empty seats next to us and the app won’t let me change seats because it says we’re prohibited from selecting exit row seats (we’re in first). So I’m awaiting a callback from delta in an hour and 45 minutes..
#1886
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: STL
Programs: DL DM; HH gold
Posts: 554
I had an STL-AMS outbound on 7/30 via DTW. During yesterday’s schedule changes DL changed this flight not to a different schedule on 7/30, but pushed it back 2 days(!!) to 8/1? I will call in to get this fixed, but:
1) what the heck kind of logic pushes a flight back 2 days instead of rerouting to a same day alternate, and
2) DTW-AMS looks to be completely off the schedule on 7/30? I’m not that familiar with looking up future flight schedules other than trying a test booking and I cannot see any DTW-AMS that day. Can anyone confirm there are really no DTW-AMS available 7/30 or is this some glitch? I’m not married to DTW as the connection point, but it just seems weird.
1) what the heck kind of logic pushes a flight back 2 days instead of rerouting to a same day alternate, and
2) DTW-AMS looks to be completely off the schedule on 7/30? I’m not that familiar with looking up future flight schedules other than trying a test booking and I cannot see any DTW-AMS that day. Can anyone confirm there are really no DTW-AMS available 7/30 or is this some glitch? I’m not married to DTW as the connection point, but it just seems weird.
#1887
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: DL Diamond, UA Premier Gold
Posts: 2,939
I had an STL-AMS outbound on 7/30 via DTW. During yesterday’s schedule changes DL changed this flight not to a different schedule on 7/30, but pushed it back 2 days(!!) to 8/1? I will call in to get this fixed, but:
1) what the heck kind of logic pushes a flight back 2 days instead of rerouting to a same day alternate, and
2) DTW-AMS looks to be completely off the schedule on 7/30? I’m not that familiar with looking up future flight schedules other than trying a test booking and I cannot see any DTW-AMS that day. Can anyone confirm there are really no DTW-AMS available 7/30 or is this some glitch? I’m not married to DTW as the connection point, but it just seems weird.
1) what the heck kind of logic pushes a flight back 2 days instead of rerouting to a same day alternate, and
2) DTW-AMS looks to be completely off the schedule on 7/30? I’m not that familiar with looking up future flight schedules other than trying a test booking and I cannot see any DTW-AMS that day. Can anyone confirm there are really no DTW-AMS available 7/30 or is this some glitch? I’m not married to DTW as the connection point, but it just seems weird.
#1888
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Va Beach, Va, USA
Posts: 244
We splurged and paid $350 extra per person for a domestic first class trip around the 4th of July. One segment ended up being a morning A359 flight from MSP to ATL. Is Delta still doing just snack boxes on domestic first class? Does domestic first include Sky Club access?
#1889
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
Unfortunately, yes, this ridiculous practice is somehow still happening.
Nope, no lounge access for domestic F. Another lovely perk of being US based.
Nope, no lounge access for domestic F. Another lovely perk of being US based.