btonkid12345

Hi all -

Flying HOU-ATL-TYS.

ATL-TYS was IRROPed. Rebooked me to next day. However, was not reticketed yet (couldn't check in). Just called DM Desk and agent said I could elect not to fly it at this point (just drive myself earlier, for example), and she could put in for a partial refund.

However, this was an award ticket. And, an award ticket that my aunt purchased for me to go visit her (hence why I would drive anyways to get there earlier).

DM Desk did not know how refund would be calculated, or if anything would be owed at all. They said the award refund desk is 4 days behind.

Aunt paid 20K SMs for last minute redemption. Not bad value when she otherwise wasn't using the miles, and she lacks status enough to have flexibility to redeposit without penalty. Would they refund the lowest available fare for ATL-TYS? Split it up by mileage? Refare simply HOU-ATL?

DM Desk Agent claimed they definitely would not refare to HOU-ATL (as this would actually cost more miles than what was paid, LOL). If my aunt can get some miles back, I'll leave earlier and drive. If we'll owe them miles or it'll be a wash, I'll take the one segment (even with the slight delay) and drive back. Doing this today, so any help is appreciated. THANK YOU!

flyerCO

Should get a complete refund. Since they can't get you there in time for the original purpose of your trip. Just use the words trip in vain. While they have a duty to fly you back to HOUSTON in that case, nothing requires that you fly back to HOUSTON.

mizzou miles

This is not correct. Certainly not if they got you part way and you elect to drive the remaining distance. Only if you turn around right now and head back to Houston would you be entitled to a full refund.

What you will get is a pro-rated refund based on the distance AAA-BBB-CCC with BBB-CCC being refunded.

FirstInFlight

If you want to make the trip, see if they can send you to AVL or TRI - each about a 2 hour drive from TYS. The AVL to TYS drive is pretty - interstate the whole way through the gorge of the Blue Ridge /Appalachian mountains. The TRI to TYS route might be a little faster - also interstate. A one way car rental should be well under $100 on a weekend.

flyerCO

How so? AFAIK there's no wording requiring you to fly back to starting point. I've done it in the past and gotten a fu0ll refund for both me and a non-status coworker on separate reservations.

huskerchad

I would certainly expect a full refund if they didn't get me to my destination. The agreement was for them to take you from point a to point b and they didn't fulfill that.

Often1

This works if OP is on a OW ticket. If on a RT ticket, the entire ticket is cancelled and refunded, but he is stuck at ATL. He then drives to his aunt's and has no ticket home.

This is an IAH-TYS with a connection, not a stopover at ATL. Getting OP part of the way is meaningless if the trip is in vain.

flyerCO

Since OP didn't mention RT I assumed OW. However if it's RT (meaning one ticket, not two separate tickets) they should still be willing to refund the award for HOU-TYS. however yes it'll be trickier. I have a feeling if RT they still would refund the award for HOU-TYS. Otherwise an award HOU-ATL is technically the same amount. Plus DL is generally good at refunding tickets when there's an issue.

btonkid12345

Thanks for everyone's advice.

It was indeed a one way ticket.

DM Desk Agent yesterday said HOU-ATL is same number of miles as HOU-ATL-TYS. She mentioned the ticket was never reticketed after IRROP and auto cancelled...

She placed 5K miles in my account. I appreciate that. But is there any value in calling back and seeing if they can calculate the CORRECT refund and adjust above/below the 5K as appropriate?

I just don't understand why it's so difficult to get a consistent answer from DL on what's "correct."

jrl767

I just don't understand why so many people refuse to be satisfied with what appears to be a satisfactory resolution that includes a customer service gesture, and continue to specuilate on ways that they can extract more "compensation" from Delta

orca15

I wish...

Just flew 3/4ths of RIC-JFK-MXP-JFK-RIC award ticket costing 232,000, got 4,800 (2%) back for cancelling the last segment.

Of course, they paid my expenses to get home, but still.

btonkid12345

Is this directed at me? If so, I take offense to being lumped in with this "so many people" you refer to.

I asked for what is correct. If that means they take away some miles, so be it. How is this in any way extracting compensation? I haven't even asked nor plan to ask for them to pay for my alternate expenses to TYS.

Folks here have experiences with one-off situations like this, so I came for advice when the DM Desk gave conflicting information. So I could be correct. Flame on jrl767, but otherwise others please share any other insight you may have to my posts. Thanks.

Often1

The agent is correct, the refund is zero based on fare difference. What you could have done is obtained a full refund by stating that this was a trip in vain and asking to be returned to HOU and having your ticket cancelled.

The miles would have been returned to their original account (you said that your aunt paid so the miles go back to your aunt, not you). You would have been issued a BP for a flight back to HOU, you skip that flight and just drive on to TYS as you did.

But, I don't think that you can now say that the trip was in vain and that you want a refund. You can try, but I suspect that DL will correctly deny the request as you did not ask to return to HOU, so where did you go?

The 5K points were not a refund, but rather a customer service gesture.

I would leave well enough at this point as you run the risk of coming out with nothing and having DL treat the whole thing as, if not a fraud, an attempt to manipulate the SM system and that's not a good place because DL can simply boot you out of SM.

jrl767

no offense intended; just trying to be realistic ... YOU as the displaced traveler were offered the next available flight to your destination, but opted not to accept it; YOU as the displaced traveler received the customer service gesture of 5000 miles; your aunt, who generously used her miles for your ticket, got nothing, because your as-flown trip cost the same as the as-ticketed trip

that last said, it's entirely possible that HOU-ATL could have been pricing a level or two higher than HOU-ATL-TYS, in which case the "correct" response you're so assiduously seeking from DL would have been to take the additional miles from her account ... let's just say I'm reasonably sure this thread would have taken an entirely different tone had that happened

btonkid12345

Thanks for the advice.

I never planned to request trip in vain. I am not comfortable with the ethics of that. My only question was how refunds for award tickets are determined when the ticket is partially flown?

I find your suggestion of claiming trip in vain (which I have never done once with any airline), taking the BP and not boardingthe flight to be completely unreasonable.

I'm not going to contact DL about it anymore; just curious what the CORRECT procedure is for such a refund.