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
Sep 23, 2017, 4:05 pm
#556
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
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I used GUCs on KLM flights and was booked into Z class. There was a schedule change on my return flight, changing a 1.5 hour layover in AMS to a 6 hour layover. There are Air France flights on the same day with a much better layover in CDG. Any chance Delta would let me switch? I did not book one of the expensive fare codes that permit GUC usage on Air France. And there are no 1-stop routings available on Delta metal unfortunately.
Call and simply point out which flights you want. Do not mention GUCs, or anything other then you had a change in flights. Keep it simple. Start mentioning things like GUC, and you're mostly likely going to greatly regret it, as agent will start questioning theirself.
If agent gives pushback, thank them, tell them you need to think about it, and then HUACA.
Sep 23, 2017, 5:29 pm
#557
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,949
Arrrggghhh. I really wish someone would figure out why A330 row 10 seats keep shifting to far less desirable row 11 seats on Schedule Change Saturday(tm). It's now happened to me on two separate occasions, including today, and invariably someone else gets assigned to them before I can reclaim the bulkhead 
Sep 23, 2017, 5:42 pm
#558
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: WN, AA, UA, DL
Posts: 1,313
Lowering the amount of costly displaced passengers and being able to market rigged higher ontime arrival numbers must outweigh any minor additional crew cost and theoretical lower aircraft utilization. I've noticed more and more comically long flight times on international flights for all carriers. You can run a sloppy operation these days and still arrive ontime. Put it this way. If it was not profit-positive, why would it be done? It makes no sense otherwise.
Sep 23, 2017, 5:42 pm
#559
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
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Arrrggghhh. I really wish someone would figure out why A330 row 10 seats keep shifting to far less desirable row 11 seats on Schedule Change Saturday(tm). It's now happened to me on two separate occasions, including today, and invariably someone else gets assigned to them before I can reclaim the bulkhead
Sep 23, 2017, 6:33 pm
#560
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
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Seems like more schedule changes rolled out today, including a 70 min change in departure time for ATL-MUC in May next year - so check your TATL flights for changes.
With that in mind, my layover in Munich went from 2h to just over 3h (and in ATL layover time is 70 min less but still over MCT). Do you think I might have any options in getting a different routing?
With that in mind, my layover in Munich went from 2h to just over 3h (and in ATL layover time is 70 min less but still over MCT). Do you think I might have any options in getting a different routing?
Sep 23, 2017, 6:57 pm
#561
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Complete nonsense. DL (and every company) does lots of things that are about passenger happiness/loyalty and are not profit-positive. I doubt that DL's customer service department is profitable, all they do is hand out compensation. But yet, they still exist. I can't believe I even need to explain this.
Sep 23, 2017, 7:20 pm
#562
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
Complete nonsense. DL (and every company) does lots of things that are about passenger happiness/loyalty and are not profit-positive. I doubt that DL's customer service department is profitable, all they do is hand out compensation. But yet, they still exist. I can't believe I even need to explain this.
Sep 23, 2017, 10:16 pm
#563
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 610
I knew that part, I was just wondering if connection times had anything to do with it. I'm arriving at the same time since I have one more transfer after MUC and the schedule change just extended my wait at MUC. Oh well...
Sep 24, 2017, 10:56 am
#564
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Maryland
Programs: DL-Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 459
Flights on all 6 of my upcoming trips got schedule changes yesterday
Probably the most changes I've seen in 1 day
Mostly for the better
And where it wasnt I used it to get on better flights, they even let me change on one that moved 5 minutes, based on "shorter connection than I would like"
Anyone on JFK to ZRH in J this changed from 767 to a330
....my favorite of all my changes
Probably the most changes I've seen in 1 day
Mostly for the better
And where it wasnt I used it to get on better flights, they even let me change on one that moved 5 minutes, based on "shorter connection than I would like"
Anyone on JFK to ZRH in J this changed from 767 to a330
....my favorite of all my changes
Sep 24, 2017, 10:10 pm
#565
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: midwest
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 920
Aircraft and crew utilisation is a big part of profitably. There's a reason that airlines are always trying to speed up boarding and lower turnover time, every minute counts. When DL does something like this, it's very expensive.
Let's say there a route that is frequently late and passengers are unhappy about missing appointments and stressing about tight connections. DL spends a lot of money to increase the duration by 30 minutes, that results in happier and less stressed passengers. That means DL is spending money to make customers happier and less stressed. It's not such a terrible thing
Let's say there a route that is frequently late and passengers are unhappy about missing appointments and stressing about tight connections. DL spends a lot of money to increase the duration by 30 minutes, that results in happier and less stressed passengers. That means DL is spending money to make customers happier and less stressed. It's not such a terrible thing
I'd prefer realistic flight times gate-to-gate. And yes, 30 min block time extensions do increase DL's costs!
Sep 25, 2017, 7:47 am
#566
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,394
I'd rather have DL/other airlines, pad the times a bit to account for many things that aren't even in their control.
Oh, guess what, MSP got an early snow...get to the de-iceing pad, there's a good 20-60 minutes right there...oops JFK has a cloud over it, 45min ATC delays, someone spilled a cart full of baguettes on the runway at CDG there's 20 minutes.
None of those the airline can control. But what they can do is not schedule the block to for the best case scenario where any small hiccup and you're late.
and it does cost airlines money. If there is a 45 minute MCT, the airline can't sell you a ticket for the connecting flight in 15 min even if the first plane is highly likely to land early making the 45min MCT.
It's a balancing act of adding some cushion for uncontrollable events, but still fully utilizing the planes.
Oh, guess what, MSP got an early snow...get to the de-iceing pad, there's a good 20-60 minutes right there...oops JFK has a cloud over it, 45min ATC delays, someone spilled a cart full of baguettes on the runway at CDG there's 20 minutes.
None of those the airline can control. But what they can do is not schedule the block to for the best case scenario where any small hiccup and you're late.
and it does cost airlines money. If there is a 45 minute MCT, the airline can't sell you a ticket for the connecting flight in 15 min even if the first plane is highly likely to land early making the 45min MCT.
It's a balancing act of adding some cushion for uncontrollable events, but still fully utilizing the planes.
Sep 25, 2017, 12:17 pm
#567
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: WN, AA, UA, DL
Posts: 1,313
Complete nonsense. DL (and every company) does lots of things that are about passenger happiness/loyalty and are not profit-positive. I doubt that DL's customer service department is profitable, all they do is hand out compensation. But yet, they still exist. I can't believe I even need to explain this.In general, airlines aren't any more generous than a "get out what we put in" equation. If they don't get out what went in, it doesn't happen. If the opposite occurs, then it might. Padding block times when possible is a minimal cost solution to reducing expensive displaced passengers and increasing overall demand due to higher ontime rates. There's a reason why basically all airlines do it, and it's not because they are being generous.
Sep 25, 2017, 1:03 pm
#568
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: DL
Posts: 196
It also switched to a 763, used to be A332 for the summer months.
On the return, AMS-SLC is now 45 minutes later, with the increased flight time, it comes out to a 57 minute later arrival. If I understand this correctly, if it were an hour +, Delta would let me rebook for free? With this change, my layover in AMS is now 3.5 hours, yikes!
On the return, AMS-SLC is now 45 minutes later, with the increased flight time, it comes out to a 57 minute later arrival. If I understand this correctly, if it were an hour +, Delta would let me rebook for free? With this change, my layover in AMS is now 3.5 hours, yikes!
Sep 25, 2017, 1:22 pm
#569
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,394
It also switched to a 763, used to be A332 for the summer months.
On the return, AMS-SLC is now 45 minutes later, with the increased flight time, it comes out to a 57 minute later arrival. If I understand this correctly, if it were an hour +, Delta would let me rebook for free? With this change, my layover in AMS is now 3.5 hours, yikes!
On the return, AMS-SLC is now 45 minutes later, with the increased flight time, it comes out to a 57 minute later arrival. If I understand this correctly, if it were an hour +, Delta would let me rebook for free? With this change, my layover in AMS is now 3.5 hours, yikes!
If there is a later flight from your origin that will allow a shorter connection close to what you originally had, you'll probably get it.
If you're asking to be moved to a non-stop (if it exists) or a totally different departure time, you probably won't get it.
I find with DL schedule changes, is the bigger the change, the bigger the leeway.
Sep 25, 2017, 1:40 pm
#570
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: 27,051
It also switched to a 763, used to be A332 for the summer months.
On the return, AMS-SLC is now 45 minutes later, with the increased flight time, it comes out to a 57 minute later arrival. If I understand this correctly, if it were an hour +, Delta would let me rebook for free? With this change, my layover in AMS is now 3.5 hours, yikes!
On the return, AMS-SLC is now 45 minutes later, with the increased flight time, it comes out to a 57 minute later arrival. If I understand this correctly, if it were an hour +, Delta would let me rebook for free? With this change, my layover in AMS is now 3.5 hours, yikes!