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, 2020, 8:43 pm
#1351
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 149
Delta Air Lines Map
Looks like Schedule Change Saturday is hitting for September tomorrow. My September 8 flight changed but so far it looks like the same schedule as pre-Labor Day, at least for my route.
October will be the really interesting month to see what gets cut when CARES is no longer on the line.
Looks like Schedule Change Saturday is hitting for September tomorrow. My September 8 flight changed but so far it looks like the same schedule as pre-Labor Day, at least for my route.
October will be the really interesting month to see what gets cut when CARES is no longer on the line.
Jul 17, 2020, 9:22 pm
#1352
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: London/JAX
Programs: DL PM, BA Gold, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, Radisson Premium, Global Entry, CLEAR
Posts: 872
Delta Air Lines Map
Looks like Schedule Change Saturday is hitting for September tomorrow. My September 8 flight changed but so far it looks like the same schedule as pre-Labor Day, at least for my route.
October will be the really interesting month to see what gets cut when CARES is no longer on the line.
Looks like Schedule Change Saturday is hitting for September tomorrow. My September 8 flight changed but so far it looks like the same schedule as pre-Labor Day, at least for my route.
October will be the really interesting month to see what gets cut when CARES is no longer on the line.
Jul 18, 2020, 9:08 am
#1353
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
Delta Air Lines Map
Looks like Schedule Change Saturday is hitting for September tomorrow. My September 8 flight changed but so far it looks like the same schedule as pre-Labor Day, at least for my route.
October will be the really interesting month to see what gets cut when CARES is no longer on the line.
Looks like Schedule Change Saturday is hitting for September tomorrow. My September 8 flight changed but so far it looks like the same schedule as pre-Labor Day, at least for my route.
October will be the really interesting month to see what gets cut when CARES is no longer on the line.
(And no wait when I called)
Last edited by Adam1222; Jul 18, 2020 at 9:19 am
Jul 18, 2020, 9:19 am
#1354
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: CMH
Programs: Delta SkyMiles (Silver), AAdvantage, Sun Country, FmrUS Airways Dividend Miles, Northwest WorldPerks
Posts: 353
I also searched CMH for the same day and it shows SLC, LAX, MSP, DTW, BOS, RDU, NYC, and SEA as destinations but, when you search flights, only ATL has flight results.
Jul 18, 2020, 11:40 am
#1355
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: DL DM 2MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 15,198
Well here we go again... several of my flights that were direct now no longer exist. And this is for August, not even sept... so apparently they are still cutting flights for next month.
Jul 18, 2020, 12:37 pm
#1356
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: London/JAX
Programs: DL PM, BA Gold, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, Radisson Premium, Global Entry, CLEAR
Posts: 872
Not sure where you're seeing DTW, MSP, and LGA because that map and the Delta site now are only showing ATL and JFK for 9/10 with BOS coming back sometime before the 16th.
Jul 18, 2020, 12:41 pm
#1357
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Tacoma, WA
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 495
These comments always elicit an eye roll from me..This is a travel blog, right? I'm sure there are many other places to discuss the horrible and tragic consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic. Expressing frustration with the current travel situation doesn't mean that a person lacks compassion to what people are experiencing elsewhere.
Jul 18, 2020, 1:32 pm
#1358
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
These comments always elicit an eye roll from me..This is a travel blog, right? I'm sure there are many other places to discuss the horrible and tragic consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic. Expressing frustration with the current travel situation doesn't mean that a person lacks compassion to what people are experiencing elsewhere.
To the contrary, I find that a lot of people on this forums' complaints about reductions in service demonstrate a lack of compassion. One could certainly make a comment about the impacts of flight schedule changes while recognizing that travel is not essential now and that the spread of the pandemic may be worsened by air travel, reopening Skyclubs and having more Delta employees working/exposed to the virus, etc. The commenter I was responding to has not demonstrated any such compassion. He literally responded to a comment about the potential worsening pandemic by complaining about "Delta's crap schedule," which he previously had said was insufficient because it didn't serve his desires, regardless of the pandemic. A tone deaf comment merited the response, regardless of whether one could have made a compassionate comment while reflecting frustration.
There is a difference between being frustrated by the situation, and in attacking Delta and others for choices to responsibly reduce service during a pandemic. People who refuse to recognize the collective responsibility in reducing a pandemic and elevate it over their own "frustrations" are why America is dying. I'm sorry that it makes you roll your eyes that I'm not nice enough about people's complaints that there are only 7 flights a day to Orlando.
Last edited by Adam1222; Jul 18, 2020 at 1:38 pm
Jul 18, 2020, 1:54 pm
#1359
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG, DL FO, Marriott Gold, Hertz 5 Whatevers
Posts: 1,099
Such an eye roll that you have to comment on it three weeks later?
To the contrary, I find that a lot of people on this forums' complaints about reductions in service demonstrate a lack of compassion. One could certainly make a comment about the impacts of flight schedule changes while recognizing that travel is not essential now and that the spread of the pandemic may be worsened by air travel, reopening Skyclubs and having more Delta employees working/exposed to the virus, etc. The commenter I was responding to has not demonstrated any such compassion. He literally responded to a comment about the potential worsening pandemic by complaining about "Delta's crap schedule," which he previously had said was insufficient because it didn't serve his desires, regardless of the pandemic. A tone deaf comment merited the response, regardless of whether one could have made a compassionate comment while reflecting frustration.
There is a difference between being frustrated by the situation, and in attacking Delta and others for choices to responsibly reduce service during a pandemic. People who refuse to recognize the collective responsibility in reducing a pandemic and elevate it over their own "frustrations" are why America is dying. I'm sorry that it makes you roll your eyes that I'm not nice enough about people's complaints that there are only 7 flights a day to Orlando.
To the contrary, I find that a lot of people on this forums' complaints about reductions in service demonstrate a lack of compassion. One could certainly make a comment about the impacts of flight schedule changes while recognizing that travel is not essential now and that the spread of the pandemic may be worsened by air travel, reopening Skyclubs and having more Delta employees working/exposed to the virus, etc. The commenter I was responding to has not demonstrated any such compassion. He literally responded to a comment about the potential worsening pandemic by complaining about "Delta's crap schedule," which he previously had said was insufficient because it didn't serve his desires, regardless of the pandemic. A tone deaf comment merited the response, regardless of whether one could have made a compassionate comment while reflecting frustration.
There is a difference between being frustrated by the situation, and in attacking Delta and others for choices to responsibly reduce service during a pandemic. People who refuse to recognize the collective responsibility in reducing a pandemic and elevate it over their own "frustrations" are why America is dying. I'm sorry that it makes you roll your eyes that I'm not nice enough about people's complaints that there are only 7 flights a day to Orlando.
The whole situation is totally exceptional, and DL is doing what it can with the cards that it's been dealt with. Typical of DL, they're definitely erring on a more conservative approach compared to some of its other competitors - AA and WN come to mind. Interesting read on airline capacity management: https://www.flydataguy.com/2020/07/o...-capacity.html, https://www.flydataguy.com/2020/07/f...shing-red.html
The US really is not handling the pandemic well, and it's not even fall yet. There's simply a gross lack of collective social responsibility and empathy in the country, and it boggles my mind that COVID-19 is so polarizing. There's some good news in that the spread seems to be plateauing in some of the recent hotspots (FL/AZ/TX/CA), so maybe there's still hope.
Jul 18, 2020, 1:57 pm
#1360
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Tacoma, WA
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 495
Such an eye roll that you have to comment on it three weeks later?
To the contrary, I find that a lot of people on this forums' complaints about reductions in service demonstrate a lack of compassion. One could certainly make a comment about the impacts of flight schedule changes while recognizing that travel is not essential now and that the spread of the pandemic may be worsened by air travel, reopening Skyclubs and having more Delta employees working/exposed to the virus, etc. The commenter I was responding to has not demonstrated any such compassion. He literally responded to a comment about the potential worsening pandemic by complaining about "Delta's crap schedule," which he previously had said was insufficient because it didn't serve his desires, regardless of the pandemic. A tone deaf comment merited the response, regardless of whether one could have made a compassionate comment while reflecting frustration.
There is a difference between being frustrated by the situation, and in attacking Delta and others for choices to responsibly reduce service during a pandemic. People who refuse to recognize the collective responsibility in reducing a pandemic and elevate it over their own "frustrations" are why America is dying. I'm sorry that it makes you roll your eyes that I'm not nice enough about people's complaints that there are only 7 flights a day to Orlando.
To the contrary, I find that a lot of people on this forums' complaints about reductions in service demonstrate a lack of compassion. One could certainly make a comment about the impacts of flight schedule changes while recognizing that travel is not essential now and that the spread of the pandemic may be worsened by air travel, reopening Skyclubs and having more Delta employees working/exposed to the virus, etc. The commenter I was responding to has not demonstrated any such compassion. He literally responded to a comment about the potential worsening pandemic by complaining about "Delta's crap schedule," which he previously had said was insufficient because it didn't serve his desires, regardless of the pandemic. A tone deaf comment merited the response, regardless of whether one could have made a compassionate comment while reflecting frustration.
There is a difference between being frustrated by the situation, and in attacking Delta and others for choices to responsibly reduce service during a pandemic. People who refuse to recognize the collective responsibility in reducing a pandemic and elevate it over their own "frustrations" are why America is dying. I'm sorry that it makes you roll your eyes that I'm not nice enough about people's complaints that there are only 7 flights a day to Orlando.
B. You can express frustration about traveling on a travel forum without being a jerk. The post in question simply said that Delta's schedule in June was a hassle. I dont find that offensive, but if you do then good for you.
C. Given the overwhelming nature of the Covid 19 pandemic and the fact that millions of people are out of work, sick or worse, its not the worst thing in the world to have a place where people can discuss their hobbies or things that bring people together with a common interest.
Jul 18, 2020, 2:08 pm
#1361
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: London/JAX
Programs: DL PM, BA Gold, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, Radisson Premium, Global Entry, CLEAR
Posts: 872
Just as I thought I was done dealing with Delta scheduling they did it again, my SLC-ATL-SBN that was supposed to leave at 7AM on August 13th now got swapped for a 12:59AM red eye with a 4.5hr connection, that isn't gonna work.
Jul 18, 2020, 2:09 pm
#1362
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
One could certainly make a comment about the impacts of flight schedule changes while recognizing that travel is not essential now and that the spread of the pandemic may be worsened by air travel, reopening Skyclubs and having more Delta employees working/exposed to the virus, etc.
He literally responded to a comment about the potential worsening pandemic by complaining about "Delta's crap schedule," which he previously had said was insufficient because it didn't serve his desires, regardless of the pandemic. A tone deaf comment merited the response, regardless of whether one could have made a compassionate comment while reflecting frustration.
There is a difference between being frustrated by the situation, and in attacking Delta and others for choices to responsibly reduce service during a pandemic. People who refuse to recognize the collective responsibility in reducing a pandemic and elevate it over their own "frustrations" are why America is dying. I'm sorry that it makes you roll your eyes that I'm not nice enough about people's complaints that there are only 7 flights a day to Orlando.
Jul 18, 2020, 2:36 pm
#1363
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Tacoma, WA
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 495
I obviously haven't been traveling much this year, but virtually every trip I HAVE booked has been subject to this same issue. I think 4 (attempted) Hawaii trips, flights to STT and SJU and a fall trip to ZRH. It may end up being moot anyway, if things keep up as they have been. And looking at DL's app for a couple other upcoming trips, there's a lot of "schedule change Saturday" craziness happening. Example: I'm booked on a Sept 1st. flight ATL-SEA trip that is apparently now being flown on an MD88. 😆😆😅😅
Jul 18, 2020, 2:48 pm
#1364
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
Well, that's your opinion, however it's not really relevant to the topic of schedule changes. If you want to start a topic on lack of compassion amongst DL customers, you're of course welcome to do that.
...
Your point has been made and the long dead horse continues to be beaten. You're not changing anyone's minds just like no one else is going to change yours.
...
Your point has been made and the long dead horse continues to be beaten. You're not changing anyone's minds just like no one else is going to change yours.
I hope you are finding the beverage service more up to your standards these days.
Last edited by Adam1222; Jul 18, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Jul 18, 2020, 3:09 pm
#1365
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809