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
Jul 17, 2021, 10:13 pm
#2011
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Michigan, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond; Delta Platinum
Posts: 552
Southwest has a daytime OGG-LGB that day for $139 (11.40am-7.55pm)
Also two daytime flights OGG-LAX for $179 and $249.
Free baggage, of course, as well.
With that type of a schedule change you should be able to get a full refund (for the entire trip) to original form of payment from Delta.
Just sayin'....
Also two daytime flights OGG-LAX for $179 and $249.
Free baggage, of course, as well.
With that type of a schedule change you should be able to get a full refund (for the entire trip) to original form of payment from Delta.
Just sayin'....
Thanks for the tip, I always forget about SW but that's a great price. If I wanted to take a connecting flight, there's one to Burbank too (longer flight, but less traffic to my final destination)
Thanks for the help, I'll figure this out tomorrow morning
Jul 17, 2021, 10:13 pm
#2012
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Michigan, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond; Delta Platinum
Posts: 552
AA, UA, and HA all have daytime OGG-LAX flights that you can re-book on after getting a refund from DL. DL is the only oddball in not offering a daytime OGG-LAX flight and ironically is charging double the price of all the other carriers. AA is $119 in Main Cabin while DL is charging $273.
Very strange...
Jul 17, 2021, 10:29 pm
#2013
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,067
DL has a matching $119 fare for the AS/UA/AA/WN $119 fares. Finding dates with availability in DL V bucket for this fare can be challenging, but it does exist on some dates. While airlines often file matching fares, they don't always match availability in fare buckets for flights on same day depending on the demand they are seeing or forecasting. The $119 fare is only Main Cabin on AA (and WN, of course, who doesn't have any Basic Economy fares). Both UA and AS have a $40 upcharge for Main Cabin on this route, while it is $35 on DL. AA pulled all of it's Basic Economy fares on domestic routes last Fall. While it has since restored Basic Economy fares on a few domestic routes since then, many (like this one) still don't have any Basic Economy fare filings. It seems AA has been more aggressive in restoring capacity and competing for returning pax than UA/DL and this is an example of that.
Last edited by xliioper; Jul 18, 2021 at 4:37 am
Jul 18, 2021, 2:00 am
#2014
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: 27,046
I have a flight from Hawaii to California this fall that was supposed to be a 12:30 PM flight that arrived at 8:38 PM and I just got an email that they changed it to 9:06 PM, arriving the next day at 5:10 AM !
Understand things happen and +/- an hour or two would be OK, but seriously, how can they have you arrive a day later than what you booked? I checked and they simply don't offer a Delta flight the entire day any time earlier but it appears Hawaiian airlines offers pretty much the same flight as my old times
I think they are a partner airline, any suggestions for my options?
I don't want an eCredit, as I booked with multiple family members and having a flight I paid for earn an eCredit for someone else is a huge pain.
Any chance they will give me a full refund? (then I can book a replacement myself)
Any chance they can book me on the Hawaiian flight?
Other ideas on how possibilities for Delta to fix this?
Thanks for any help!
Understand things happen and +/- an hour or two would be OK, but seriously, how can they have you arrive a day later than what you booked? I checked and they simply don't offer a Delta flight the entire day any time earlier but it appears Hawaiian airlines offers pretty much the same flight as my old times
I think they are a partner airline, any suggestions for my options?
I don't want an eCredit, as I booked with multiple family members and having a flight I paid for earn an eCredit for someone else is a huge pain.
Any chance they will give me a full refund? (then I can book a replacement myself)
Any chance they can book me on the Hawaiian flight?
Other ideas on how possibilities for Delta to fix this?
Thanks for any help!
You are entitled to full refund, no funny money, actual refund.
Jul 18, 2021, 2:06 am
#2015
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: 27,046
They always figure something out.
Jul 18, 2021, 10:01 am
#2016
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Sea
Posts: 35
In a similar situation to StangGT909 above with Delta changing my return flight from Hawaii in Oct. Originally, the return flight (Wed) was leaving HNL at 12:10 PM and arriving at SEA at 9:00 PM. They changed it to leave HNL at 7:10 AM to LAX, then LAX to SEA arriving at 7:58 PM. Though, I ok with the redeye and tried to change it to the redeye HNL-SEA (but gave up after holding 5 hours yesterday).
Based on the comments above, however, do you think Delta will allow me to cancel the return leg due to the flight change? The departure time is a 5 hour difference, through the arrival time is only a 1 hour difference. Is that an option in this case? And, if so, do I try to do it now, or once I'm in HNL?
Though, they do have the 12:10-9:00 HNL-SEA flight on Friday, which I could change to as well.
Based on the comments above, however, do you think Delta will allow me to cancel the return leg due to the flight change? The departure time is a 5 hour difference, through the arrival time is only a 1 hour difference. Is that an option in this case? And, if so, do I try to do it now, or once I'm in HNL?
Though, they do have the 12:10-9:00 HNL-SEA flight on Friday, which I could change to as well.
Jul 18, 2021, 12:40 pm
#2017
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Michigan, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond; Delta Platinum
Posts: 552
It's hard to know what's going on from the outside, but just speculating it seems hard to believe that there isn't sufficient demand for these flights.
After the feedback from others, I would just like to get a full refund, and book the Hawaiian airline flight for the comparable cost.
I'm assuming the self serve help option only gets an eCredit, so I've been on the phone for 2+ hours and waiting via chat with no end in sight. Seems crazy!
After the feedback from others, I would just like to get a full refund, and book the Hawaiian airline flight for the comparable cost.
I'm assuming the self serve help option only gets an eCredit, so I've been on the phone for 2+ hours and waiting via chat with no end in sight. Seems crazy!
Jul 18, 2021, 3:00 pm
#2018
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,067
In a similar situation to StangGT909 above with Delta changing my return flight from Hawaii in Oct. Originally, the return flight (Wed) was leaving HNL at 12:10 PM and arriving at SEA at 9:00 PM. They changed it to leave HNL at 7:10 AM to LAX, then LAX to SEA arriving at 7:58 PM. Though, I ok with the redeye and tried to change it to the redeye HNL-SEA (but gave up after holding 5 hours yesterday).
Based on the comments above, however, do you think Delta will allow me to cancel the return leg due to the flight change? The departure time is a 5 hour difference, through the arrival time is only a 1 hour difference. Is that an option in this case? And, if so, do I try to do it now, or once I'm in HNL?
Though, they do have the 12:10-9:00 HNL-SEA flight on Friday, which I could change to as well.
Based on the comments above, however, do you think Delta will allow me to cancel the return leg due to the flight change? The departure time is a 5 hour difference, through the arrival time is only a 1 hour difference. Is that an option in this case? And, if so, do I try to do it now, or once I'm in HNL?
Though, they do have the 12:10-9:00 HNL-SEA flight on Friday, which I could change to as well.
Jul 18, 2021, 3:02 pm
#2019
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,067
It's hard to know what's going on from the outside, but just speculating it seems hard to believe that there isn't sufficient demand for these flights.
After the feedback from others, I would just like to get a full refund, and book the Hawaiian airline flight for the comparable cost.
I'm assuming the self serve help option only gets an eCredit, so I've been on the phone for 2+ hours and waiting via chat with no end in sight. Seems crazy!
After the feedback from others, I would just like to get a full refund, and book the Hawaiian airline flight for the comparable cost.
I'm assuming the self serve help option only gets an eCredit, so I've been on the phone for 2+ hours and waiting via chat with no end in sight. Seems crazy!
Jul 24, 2021, 7:08 am
#2020
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Salt Lake City
Programs: Delta DM and 2 MM, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 598
Schedule Change to East Coast: RedEye
Had an SLC-EWR redeye that would work perfectly for getting our daughter to college in New Haven next month. Canceled and now have the SLC-ATL-EWR routing now that arrives 4 hours later. No SLC-NYC redeyes that night anymore. There is an SLC-BOS redeye that would cost a bit more miles to rebook. Just wondering: any chance Delta might comp a change to the SLC-BOS routing with the existing tickets? Asking if anyone had a similar experience before investing my time in the waiting-for-an-agent Conga. Thank you!
Jul 24, 2021, 7:22 am
#2021
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: North of DTW
Programs: Delta PM, LATAM Gold, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton, Hertz Gold, Silvercar, Sixt
Posts: 171
Changes Abrewing for Mid-Sept Flights (DTW-ANC)??
Good morning, all
DTWMary and I are taking a trip to Alaska in mid-September, to try to avoid the crowds and improve the cost of the rental car! :-0)
Looking this morning, my flight from ATL-ANC on 9/18 went from a 763 lie flat to unknown (the app shows an MD-88! LOL). (FWIW, our fare classes are Z outbound, and D returning)
My question to the experts here, is this a precursor to a huge Change Saturday? Or complete flight cancellation? (My apologies if this is a noob question, but if it were just me, I'd roll with the punches, but since this is the wife's big trip for the fall, I need to be accurate as to what's going on. TIA)
DTWMary and I are taking a trip to Alaska in mid-September, to try to avoid the crowds and improve the cost of the rental car! :-0)
Looking this morning, my flight from ATL-ANC on 9/18 went from a 763 lie flat to unknown (the app shows an MD-88! LOL). (FWIW, our fare classes are Z outbound, and D returning)
My question to the experts here, is this a precursor to a huge Change Saturday? Or complete flight cancellation? (My apologies if this is a noob question, but if it were just me, I'd roll with the punches, but since this is the wife's big trip for the fall, I need to be accurate as to what's going on. TIA)
Last edited by dtwlarry; Jul 24, 2021 at 7:54 am Reason: Oops! Typo - I knew we were on a 767, typed 753
Jul 24, 2021, 7:35 am
#2023
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: 27,046
Had an SLC-EWR redeye that would work perfectly for getting our daughter to college in New Haven next month. Canceled and now have the SLC-ATL-EWR routing now that arrives 4 hours later. No SLC-NYC redeyes that night anymore. There is an SLC-BOS redeye that would cost a bit more miles to rebook. Just wondering: any chance Delta might comp a change to the SLC-BOS routing with the existing tickets? Asking if anyone had a similar experience before investing my time in the waiting-for-an-agent Conga. Thank you!
Jul 24, 2021, 7:48 am
#2024
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: MA
Programs: DL DM/2MM Marriott Platinum, HH Diamond,
Posts: 8,907
Good morning, all
DTWMary and I are taking a trip to Alaska in mid-September, to try to avoid the crowds and improve the cost of the rental car! :-0)
Looking this morning, my flight from ATL-ANC on 9/18 went from a 753 lie flat to unknown (the app shows an MD-88! LOL). (FWIW, our fare classes are Z outbound, and D returning)
My question to the experts here, is this a precursor to a huge Change Saturday? Or complete flight cancellation? (My apologies if this is a noob question, but if it were just me, I'd roll with the punches, but since this is the wife's big trip for the fall, I need to be accurate as to what's going on. TIA)
DTWMary and I are taking a trip to Alaska in mid-September, to try to avoid the crowds and improve the cost of the rental car! :-0)
Looking this morning, my flight from ATL-ANC on 9/18 went from a 753 lie flat to unknown (the app shows an MD-88! LOL). (FWIW, our fare classes are Z outbound, and D returning)
My question to the experts here, is this a precursor to a huge Change Saturday? Or complete flight cancellation? (My apologies if this is a noob question, but if it were just me, I'd roll with the punches, but since this is the wife's big trip for the fall, I need to be accurate as to what's going on. TIA)
Jul 24, 2021, 7:53 am
#2025
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: HSV
Programs: Bellevue Lifetime Premiere Mega Elite Supreme
Posts: 1,509
They used to. That was the plane they used for JFK>KEF (or maybe it was BOS>KEF, I can’t remember). I know they changed this, but don’t know if they refitted the plane(s).
It was actually my favorite DL lay-flat. The most padded/comfortable.
It was actually my favorite DL lay-flat. The most padded/comfortable.