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
#2371
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,179
I have a 4 segment trip at the end of Feb to mid March that's completely blown. Lost seat assignments on 3 segments, and I know from looking at the schedule that there's a time change on the 4th. I think it will work out in my favor though by reducing a layover in ATL from 4 hours to 2. If it doesn't, I'll call early in the week to get it switched to what I want. I learned the hard way not to get excited and anxious while the changes are still being loaded.
#2372
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: AZO, SRQ
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 311
Yeah...except the way this one has settled is that they skipped over an earlier, legal connection in ATL that actually has more availability then the flight that they re-booked me on which would give me a 5.5 hour layover. I'm waiting for a call back within (allegedly) the next 19 minutes.
#2374
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: Marriott LTT, DL FO
Posts: 185
#2375
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Michigan, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond; Delta Platinum
Posts: 552
Can someone help me understand how the rules work for status year (understand it’s subject to change)
I’m currently gold, with a potential to hit platinum
For the basis of this question, lets assume this is the last year of the generous 100% rollover.
If I complete a mileage run and earn platinum, thats my 2022 status and would assume if i dont travel a lot, I’d lose all status for 2023.
Alternatively, if I dont do the mileage run I would be gold for 2022, if I in 2022 I hit the 5K MQM to hit platinum and hit the card MQD waiver, would that be Platinum status for 2023?
I found some options for my mileage run for a trip next weekend and was about to pull the trigger but in the second scenario I listed above, it would seem better to be gold in 2022 (lets assume a year with less travel for me) if it means Platinum in 2023 (higher travel year)
Any help to understand the potential scenarios would be appreciated!
I’m currently gold, with a potential to hit platinum
For the basis of this question, lets assume this is the last year of the generous 100% rollover.
If I complete a mileage run and earn platinum, thats my 2022 status and would assume if i dont travel a lot, I’d lose all status for 2023.
Alternatively, if I dont do the mileage run I would be gold for 2022, if I in 2022 I hit the 5K MQM to hit platinum and hit the card MQD waiver, would that be Platinum status for 2023?
I found some options for my mileage run for a trip next weekend and was about to pull the trigger but in the second scenario I listed above, it would seem better to be gold in 2022 (lets assume a year with less travel for me) if it means Platinum in 2023 (higher travel year)
Any help to understand the potential scenarios would be appreciated!
#2376
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Lame Duck Delta PM, Freshly Minted AA EXP
Posts: 234
Delta, god love 'em, in yesterday's schedule change moved up the only ATL-SNA flight on an itinerary I have in February. This meant I wouldn't make the connection following my flight from FCO. So, Delta just moved my flight to a day earlier...no notice at all under mytrips...no red highlighting, nothing. Can only imagine the hilarity at the gate on DOD if someone doesn't check their bookings religiously--or fails to notice the date change in tiny print--and is told they should have been there the day before. Good times. /s
#2377
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,037
Can someone help me understand how the rules work for status year (understand it’s subject to change)
I’m currently gold, with a potential to hit platinum
For the basis of this question, lets assume this is the last year of the generous 100% rollover.
If I complete a mileage run and earn platinum, thats my 2022 status and would assume if i dont travel a lot, I’d lose all status for 2023.
Alternatively, if I dont do the mileage run I would be gold for 2022, if I in 2022 I hit the 5K MQM to hit platinum and hit the card MQD waiver, would that be Platinum status for 2023?
I found some options for my mileage run for a trip next weekend and was about to pull the trigger but in the second scenario I listed above, it would seem better to be gold in 2022 (lets assume a year with less travel for me) if it means Platinum in 2023 (higher travel year)
Any help to understand the potential scenarios would be appreciated!
I’m currently gold, with a potential to hit platinum
For the basis of this question, lets assume this is the last year of the generous 100% rollover.
If I complete a mileage run and earn platinum, thats my 2022 status and would assume if i dont travel a lot, I’d lose all status for 2023.
Alternatively, if I dont do the mileage run I would be gold for 2022, if I in 2022 I hit the 5K MQM to hit platinum and hit the card MQD waiver, would that be Platinum status for 2023?
I found some options for my mileage run for a trip next weekend and was about to pull the trigger but in the second scenario I listed above, it would seem better to be gold in 2022 (lets assume a year with less travel for me) if it means Platinum in 2023 (higher travel year)
Any help to understand the potential scenarios would be appreciated!
Last edited by xliioper; Dec 5, 2021 at 9:57 am
#2378
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,179
Delta, god love 'em, in yesterday's schedule change moved up the only ATL-SNA flight on an itinerary I have in February. This meant I wouldn't make the connection following my flight from FCO. So, Delta just moved my flight to a day earlier...no notice at all under mytrips...no red highlighting, nothing. Can only imagine the hilarity at the gate on DOD if someone doesn't check their bookings religiously--or fails to notice the date change in tiny print--and is told they should have been there the day before. Good times. /s
#2379
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Michigan, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond; Delta Platinum
Posts: 552
You will rollover all MQM into 2022 no matter what status level you earn in 2021. This means if you earn over 75K MQMs this year, you will start with over 75K MQMs in 2022. Even if you do no flying in 2022, you will have Platinum status through 2023 as long as you hit the $25K Amex MQD Waiver spend threshold sometime in 2022. There's no downside to earning Plat status in 2021 and you will be able to start 2022 with Plat status under you belt and you not have to wait until you hit the Amex spend waiver in 2022. You will also get an extra Plat Choice Benefit (one for both 2022 and 2023) if you earn Plat status this year, instead of just a single 2023 Choice Benefit.
Oh really, thanks for the tip. I would have thought 2023 would only be "earned" status, and technically I would have earned platinum in 2021, hence not having it in 2023. Seems too good to be true, but that's why I'm asking the experts.
#2380
Join Date: Jan 2018
Programs: AF/KL Gold, DL Diamond, Hertz PC, Bonvoy Gold Elite; Hilton Gold
Posts: 997
There is a specific thread for the status accelerators. Not sure why you posted this in the schedule change forum.
#2381
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Michigan, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond; Delta Platinum
Posts: 552
#2384
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: ANC
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 1,855
Delta, god love 'em, in yesterday's schedule change moved up the only ATL-SNA flight on an itinerary I have in February. This meant I wouldn't make the connection following my flight from FCO. So, Delta just moved my flight to a day earlier...no notice at all under mytrips...no red highlighting, nothing. Can only imagine the hilarity at the gate on DOD if someone doesn't check their bookings religiously--or fails to notice the date change in tiny print--and is told they should have been there the day before. Good times. /s
I called in and the agent was so perplexed why the system did that. I was of course able to switch back to my original date, and even got a more favorable ANC-SEA-ATL-FCO routing that I had originally passed on at booking due to price.
Gotta love Delta.Dumb!
#2385
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,037
Summary of cuts from Cranky Flier -- https://crankyflier.com/2021/12/06/a...edule-changes/