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
#616
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Has anyone had any luck getting switched on to a codeshare due to schedule changes? I'm flying D1 on DL145 (AMS-->SEA) + DL2579 (SEA--->SFO) which got moved later by about 90 minutes with a schedule change. I tried getting a switch onto to DL9452 (AMS-->SFO), but unfortunately the agent said that she can't do switches onto the flight since it's a KLM operated one. I'm guessing I'm out of luck, but wondering if anyone had any experience/tips with this sort of thing?
#617
Join Date: May 2015
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 6,712
Has anyone had any luck getting switched on to a codeshare due to schedule changes? I'm flying D1 on DL145 (AMS-->SEA) + DL2579 (SEA--->SFO) which got moved later by about 90 minutes with a schedule change. I tried getting a switch onto to DL9452 (AMS-->SFO), but unfortunately the agent said that she can't do switches onto the flight since it's a KLM operated one. I'm guessing I'm out of luck, but wondering if anyone had any experience/tips with this sort of thing?
#618
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 4
#619
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 4
#620
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
#621
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 4
#622
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Big Muddy Mile Marker 332
Programs: Delta-PM, HHonors-Diamond, Hyatt-Explorist, Hertz - Presidents
Posts: 335
I booked some low-level (18k RT STL>SFO) awards for the fam for a 10 day trip in June, but need to make it 7 days. They moved the return by 73 minutes....that's not enough for a re-book is it?
I know I can cancel and re-book, but everything is 30k RT now!
I know I can cancel and re-book, but everything is 30k RT now!
#623
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MCO
Programs: DL PM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 4,322
Yes it is. You only need 60 mins for a free change and I have even had agents be lenient with changes around 50 mins before. You can change to any flight you want (even if space isn't available as they can force space award space open on DL metal)
#624
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,940
IME you can change to any flight you want within reason. Other flights the same day, no problem, maybe even +/- one day depending on flight times. Change by 3 days? Looking more like a purely voluntary change. A friendly agent might still do it for you as a favor but I wouldn't be optimistic about this.
#625
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MCO
Programs: DL PM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 4,322
IME you can change to any flight you want within reason. Other flights the same day, no problem, maybe even +/- one day depending on flight times. Change by 3 days? Looking more like a purely voluntary change. A friendly agent might still do it for you as a favor but I wouldn't be optimistic about this.
#627
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: PIT/WAS
Programs: Delta GM
Posts: 256
Just had a schedule change for a Sunday night return. Departure moved back 32 mins, arrival moved back 40 mins.
I know the published policy is +/-60 mins for free changes. Has anybody had any luck getting them to change on a shorter schedule change?
If yes (or if it's even worth me trying), which would be the best way to go about it? Call in and HUCA if the agent won't change, or just message Delta on Twitter and see if they'd be willing to make the change?
Also, is there an easy way to figure out post-booking whether there was an equipment change on the routing? I can't seem to find what the original aircraft was. I'm sure it didn't change, but just wondering if there was a way to check. TIA
I know the published policy is +/-60 mins for free changes. Has anybody had any luck getting them to change on a shorter schedule change?
If yes (or if it's even worth me trying), which would be the best way to go about it? Call in and HUCA if the agent won't change, or just message Delta on Twitter and see if they'd be willing to make the change?
Also, is there an easy way to figure out post-booking whether there was an equipment change on the routing? I can't seem to find what the original aircraft was. I'm sure it didn't change, but just wondering if there was a way to check. TIA
Last edited by JoelThomas; Feb 19, 2018 at 9:56 am Reason: Added equip change comment
#628
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Just had a schedule change for a Sunday night return. Departure moved back 32 mins, arrival moved back 40 mins.
I know the published policy is +/-60 mins for free changes. Has anybody had any luck getting them to change on a shorter schedule change?
If yes (or if it's even worth me trying), which would be the best way to go about it? Call in and HUCA if the agent won't change, or just message Delta on Twitter and see if they'd be willing to make the change?
Also, is there an easy way to figure out post-booking whether there was an equipment change on the routing? I can't seem to find what the original aircraft was. I'm sure it didn't change, but just wondering if there was a way to check. TIA
I know the published policy is +/-60 mins for free changes. Has anybody had any luck getting them to change on a shorter schedule change?
If yes (or if it's even worth me trying), which would be the best way to go about it? Call in and HUCA if the agent won't change, or just message Delta on Twitter and see if they'd be willing to make the change?
Also, is there an easy way to figure out post-booking whether there was an equipment change on the routing? I can't seem to find what the original aircraft was. I'm sure it didn't change, but just wondering if there was a way to check. TIA
#629
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: PIT/WAS
Programs: Delta GM
Posts: 256
Depends, are you calling because the schedule change actually creates a real hardship for you (ie, you'll now likely miss the last train of the night at your destination) or just cause you want to use it as an excuse to get a better itinerary? If it's the former, and you can explain the hardship, you have a decent chance of getting your wish. Otherwise: yes, some people have had luck but, in my experience, DL is getting stricter on not granting free changes without valid reason.
#630
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: ANC
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 1,859
Just a thread bump because it looks like some major changes may be in the works. Will know more tomorrow after everything processes, but have a trip departing in 45 days and looks like almost every flight had major time and a/c changes (6 segment trip). Kind of surprised to see such extreme changes within 6 weeks of departure. Check your reservations carefully tomorrow and Monday once things settle down.