Penalty for SDC when same fare class isn't available?
 

In the past, every time I've called to do a SDC and my same fare class was not available on my desired flight, I was permitted to simply pay the difference in fare without being charged the $200 change penalty.

... until today. I tried a HUCA but I got the same answer: the $200 penalty applies if there's no availability in the same fare class.

Has Delta changed their position on this recently or did I just have bad luck / get bad agents?

If the policy is in fact to charge the penalty in addition to the fare difference for same day changes when the same fare class isn't available, I find this policy ridiculously rigid and mean spirited.

If you are requesting a change outside of SDC eligibility, change fees applies:

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...l-changes.html

Not unless something changed. However multiple agents can be wrong. I've had DM line agents tell me can't change routing via SDC or unaware DM can do co-terminal SDC changes.

@TTT, maybe by the letter of the policy, but charging the penalty certainly doesn't seem to be in the spirit of the SDC policy. In my prior experience, the agent automatically waived the penalty without mentioning it, or if I asked to waive the penalty they said "it's the least I can do" without needing to check with a supervisor.

@flyerCO, I sure hope nothing has changed. That would be a big bummer. What makes me fear the policy (albeit perhaps informal) changed is that my DM colleague who called was told the same thing, and my second agent checked with a supervisor and I got the same answer.

Don't disagree, but that language has been on the SDC page for as long as I can remember.

Agreed, though there is precedence for unwritten policies, for example, co-terminal SDC for Diamonds.

In this case, depending on how far in advance you bought your original ticket and what fare class it is, even without having to pay the $200 penalty, the upfare to a walk-up fare from an super advance purchase fare could be a lot of money!

Interesting thread. I have reached out to back channels to see if anything on DL net or another type memo or just a day of bad reps. This would really stink if new policy. And I think, long run, cost DL money as I am happy to pay $5-50 to fare class change but no way EVER $200 fee.

you don't necessarily need to buy up to the walk-up fare. You only need to buy up to the lowest fare class that has availability.

But, I would expect that it would have to have a corresponding fare that has a zero day advance purchase requirement.

If your ticket is in V class, and V isn't available for SDC, and X class is available - - BUT - - the lowest fare available for purchase today is B, I don't see how they can upfare your ticket to X that isn't for sale today, if the X fare requires a 14 day advance purchase.

Waiving a change fee if the same class of service is unavailable isn't one of those unwritten policies, but ymmv. If the same class of service isn't available, same day standby is always an option.

However, you should be able to up fare to FC, hopefully a G A P fare, and then SDC under the FC rules without paying a change fee, right?

So can you confirm Widgets no memo or DL NET change in policy?

Which in many cases would be cheaper than $200 penalty + fare difference on a one-way, which highlights the absurdity of the policy of charging a $200 penalty for a SDC where the same fare class isn't available.

Exactly.

However, this assumes that the DL policy if not charging the change fee to up fare to FC remains valid.