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
Mar 18, 2018, 9:14 am
#646
Join Date: May 2015
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 6,712
Call back.
Mar 18, 2018, 12:31 pm
#647
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Pagus Bracbatensis, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Programs: DL SPlat, KLM Bump, Privium Plus, GOES
Posts: 2,066
If it stays like this i will follow your advice & call back after the trip.
Mar 18, 2018, 12:47 pm
#648
Join Date: May 2015
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 6,712
Mar 18, 2018, 2:03 pm
#649
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: midwest
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 920
Yes, I've noticed some pretty major changes on my May flights. Some RDU-JFK-RDU block times increased by over 20 minutes and flight times shifted by up to an hour.
2hr 12min JFK-RDU seems a bit excessive in my opinion... But it's an evening flight so I understand the JFK craziness delays.
2hr 12min JFK-RDU seems a bit excessive in my opinion... But it's an evening flight so I understand the JFK craziness delays.
Then. This morning, another shoe drops, on another long-planned trip:
- DELTA 5152 Sat, May 26 MSP 8:00 pm - YUL 11:33 pm
- XX DELTA 5028 XX Sat, May 26 MSP 3:17 pm - YUL 6:57 pm XX
I know I can cancel (actually, a miles ticket and as PM I can cancel anyway, so big deal). But this change is ridiculously inconvenient.
I just feel like I cannot trust Delta to fly me where I want at times I want and honor anything close to the schedule purchased. Yeah, I know, I booked ahead. But I don't know that I've ever had a schedule change on SWA. Certainly not 4.5 hours +/-. Does United do this? AA? Infuriating.
Last edited by RaflW; Mar 18, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Mar 18, 2018, 2:21 pm
#650
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Seven days ago we had a major MSP-RDU schedule change hit for a June trip. Departure out of RDU moved 2h 02m earlier. Very inconvenient, as the afternoon alternative n.s. leaves at 5pm, or 2h 30m later than we booked. So our choices are to miss the post wedding Sunday brunch, or get home at 7pm, with a Monday turnaround to a trip to K.C. Not happy about this squeeze play by DL.
Then. This morning, another shoe drops, on another long-planned trip:
I know I can cancel (actually, a miles ticket and as PM I can cancel anyway, so big deal). But this change is ridiculously inconvenient.
I just feel like I cannot trust Delta to fly me where I want at times I want and honor anything close to the schedule purchased. Yeah, I know, I booked ahead. But I don't know that I've ever had a schedule change on SWA. Certainly not 4.5 hours +/-. Does United do this? AA? Infuriating.
Then. This morning, another shoe drops, on another long-planned trip:
- DELTA 5152 Sat, May 26 MSP 8:00 pm - YUL 11:33 pm
- XX DELTA 5028 XX Sat, May 26 MSP 3:17 pm - YUL 6:57 pm XX
I know I can cancel (actually, a miles ticket and as PM I can cancel anyway, so big deal). But this change is ridiculously inconvenient.
I just feel like I cannot trust Delta to fly me where I want at times I want and honor anything close to the schedule purchased. Yeah, I know, I booked ahead. But I don't know that I've ever had a schedule change on SWA. Certainly not 4.5 hours +/-. Does United do this? AA? Infuriating.
4 hours sucks indeed, but that's largely because of the route. MSP-YUL is an "extreme" spoke route, one of the longest RJ flights in the network to a city with very little DL service, and a route served by no other airline. That's why your recovery options are so terrible. I've flow that route several times and have also seen major changes, I think DL struggles to justify keeping that route.
Other airlines do do this kind of thing. I've had VX cancel a route on me 2 months before departure. The cancelled flight was their only flight to that city, so they didn't even try to give me an option, they refunded my credit card and emailed me saying I had to make alternate plans. At that short notice, all the alternates were significantly more expensive than the amount of the refund.
Mar 18, 2018, 2:36 pm
#651
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: midwest
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 920
2 hours change on a non-stop itinerary is generally not a major change to most people. Seems like you had this flight squeezed in between two unmovable events and you kinda backed yourself into a corner where you had really no flexibility.
4 hours sucks indeed, but that's largely because of the route. MSP-YUL is an "extreme" spoke route, one of the longest RJ flights in the network to a city with very little DL service, and a route served by no other airline. That's why your recovery options are so terrible. I've flow that route several times and have also seen major changes, I think DL struggles to justify keeping that route.
Other airlines do do this kind of thing. I've had VX cancel a route on me 2 months before departure. The cancelled flight was their only flight to that city, so they didn't even try to give me an option, they refunded my credit card and emailed me saying I had to make alternate plans. At that short notice, all the alternates were significantly more expensive than the amount of the refund.
4 hours sucks indeed, but that's largely because of the route. MSP-YUL is an "extreme" spoke route, one of the longest RJ flights in the network to a city with very little DL service, and a route served by no other airline. That's why your recovery options are so terrible. I've flow that route several times and have also seen major changes, I think DL struggles to justify keeping that route.
Other airlines do do this kind of thing. I've had VX cancel a route on me 2 months before departure. The cancelled flight was their only flight to that city, so they didn't even try to give me an option, they refunded my credit card and emailed me saying I had to make alternate plans. At that short notice, all the alternates were significantly more expensive than the amount of the refund.
I didn't put this in my prev post, but my MIL is booked via WestJet codeshare MKE-MSP-YUL, and was on our same YUL leg. She still is. Now with an 8 hour layover at MSP! So we'll have to sort that out, too.
I am hoping to have DL move me and partner to Friday, since the change is 4+ hours and the connecting ITNs aren't really all that great on Saturday. We'll see what we can get for the MIL. There is a Saturday DL connecting itn via DTW that isn't terrible. I'll need to see her schedule change email from WestJet to understand her options.
Mar 18, 2018, 4:50 pm
#653
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Yeah, we decided the brunch wasn't that important, and if the RDU trip wasn't a 2 night quick turn for a wedding, two hours would really not matter much at all. And I had basically just let it go, till one week later this YUL change hit. I think it's the back to back messing with travel that ticks me off.
I didn't put this in my prev post, but my MIL is booked via WestJet codeshare MKE-MSP-YUL, and was on our same YUL leg. She still is. Now with an 8 hour layover at MSP! So we'll have to sort that out, too.
I am hoping to have DL move me and partner to Friday, since the change is 4+ hours and the connecting ITNs aren't really all that great on Saturday. We'll see what we can get for the MIL. There is a Saturday DL connecting itn via DTW that isn't terrible. I'll need to see her schedule change email from WestJet to understand her options.
I didn't put this in my prev post, but my MIL is booked via WestJet codeshare MKE-MSP-YUL, and was on our same YUL leg. She still is. Now with an 8 hour layover at MSP! So we'll have to sort that out, too.
I am hoping to have DL move me and partner to Friday, since the change is 4+ hours and the connecting ITNs aren't really all that great on Saturday. We'll see what we can get for the MIL. There is a Saturday DL connecting itn via DTW that isn't terrible. I'll need to see her schedule change email from WestJet to understand her options.
Mar 18, 2018, 7:35 pm
#654
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 258
I think my return flight from SLC to MCO on June 2nd leaving 515pm 2603 is gone. When I click on details for my ticket the app just crashed. i tried to buy a seat on it to see and it not listed. Now just a red eye is an option.
Should be fun since my entire family is on the vanished flight. 12 of us.
Should be fun since my entire family is on the vanished flight. 12 of us.
Mar 18, 2018, 7:51 pm
#655
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: BNA (Nashville)
Programs: HH Diamond
Posts: 6,229
Delta schedule change! My ATL connection is now 20 minutes and probably not doable. No email, I just checked the reservation. It says to call reservations. I call. The recording says there is over a 2 hour hold. No call back option. I try twitter, no response from Delta on twitter. Probably will DM them on twitter and see if that works.
I have time since the flight isn't for a month, but not exactly a great way to treat your customers.
I have time since the flight isn't for a month, but not exactly a great way to treat your customers.
Mar 18, 2018, 7:56 pm
#656
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SJC/YUL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3,878
Delta schedule change! My ATL connection is now 20 minutes and probably not doable. No email, I just checked the reservation. It says to call reservations. I call. The recording says there is over a 2 hour hold. No call back option. I try twitter, no response from Delta on twitter. Probably will DM them on twitter and see if that works.
I have time since the flight isn't for a month, but not exactly a great way to treat your customers.
I have time since the flight isn't for a month, but not exactly a great way to treat your customers.
Mar 18, 2018, 8:02 pm
#657
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: BNA (Nashville)
Programs: HH Diamond
Posts: 6,229
Do some research and chose your favorite itinerary that day between your origin and destination. Any itinerary you want that same day, don't worry about the fare. If there is a non-stop option, that works too. When you've made your choice, call back or DM your choice. They will give it to you for free. If the lines are busy today, try again later in the week.
Mar 19, 2018, 12:25 am
#658
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: ANC
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 1,859
Our nice 2 hr 2 min connection in ATL was reduced to a 57 min connection the first week of May. Last flight of the night to our destination city. Any chance to move to an earlier flight reduces a 2 hr connection in SEA down to a 55 minute connection, so not really any better. I’ll stick with the shorter ATL because that airport is like home to me and we are in F, so a better chance of making it. We are leaving our origin of ANC at 6 Am, and I thought about even switching to the 1 AM redeye for more time, but DL axed that flight on our travel day (and I know it was originally an option when we booked the 6 am). Very inconvenient of DL to make such drastic changes on relatively short notice.
Mar 19, 2018, 12:53 pm
#659
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: DL
Posts: 196
Flight/plane changes to my reservation JAC-MIA in May. Last leg on the outbound is now A320 instead of MD90, lost my seat reservation. First leg on the return also changed from MD90 to A320, and leaves 20 minutes later. I've lost my preferred seat on that one, and now have a shorter connection (1:01) in ATL, which worries me, cause I can't run b/c of a bad knee. Called yesterday, b/c the reservation showed up in shambles, 11 flights instead of 6, no seat assignments, etc. The agent that I got after 2 hour call back was very rude - told me that "all is fine", "the schedule change isn't complete yet", and "you might end up with a better itinerary" - ludicrous! He refused to rebook me to better flights I had figured out online, and claimed he couldn't switch the seat assignments. If one is assigned to 'preferred' seat, and there's an aircraft change, can one be put back into preferred seat on the new flight?
Mar 19, 2018, 1:02 pm
#660
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,441
Flight/plane changes to my reservation JAC-MIA in May. Last leg on the outbound is now A320 instead of MD90, lost my seat reservation. First leg on the return also changed from MD90 to A320, and leaves 20 minutes later. I've lost my preferred seat on that one, and now have a shorter connection (1:01) in ATL, which worries me, cause I can't run b/c of a bad knee. Called yesterday, b/c the reservation showed up in shambles, 11 flights instead of 6, no seat assignments, etc. The agent that I got after 2 hour call back was very rude - told me that "all is fine", "the schedule change isn't complete yet", and "you might end up with a better itinerary" - ludicrous! He refused to rebook me to better flights I had figured out online, and claimed he couldn't switch the seat assignments. If one is assigned to 'preferred' seat, and there's an aircraft change, can one be put back into preferred seat on the new flight?
2) Regarding "preferred seats", if you booked the flight before the 1/31 end of the 2017 status year and had selected a preferred seat due to last year's Medallion status, and now this year you don't have that status, the agent was correct. You can keep preferred seats based on last year's status only if nothing changes prior to departure.