kmovies

I think the point is this.
Let's say this. Small airport.
Day 1: 3 flights
Day 2: 3 flights
Let's say each flight is 90% filled.
If on Day 1, a flight is cancelled, they don't have room to accommodate all the passengers the next day.
So they delay a Day 1 flight to Day 2. Now they have room for all of the passengers.
Some 90% flights will now be 100% while the delayed flight will fall well below the 90% based on how many can be accommodated on earlier flights.

GoAmtrak

The ethical move for an overnight “delay” is to cancel the flight number and rebook everyone on the same metal under a new, extra section, with ability to exercise other options. Had this happen to me once on AC Jazz (and they did provide hotels despite Wx being the underlying cause). Are the US regionals not set up to handle that?

HDQDD

Of course they *can* do this, but it would be financially detrimental. If the flight is cancelled (by the regonial, without a request from the flag carrier) they don't get paid per their contact. Furthermore, unless the flag carrier (DL) requests the extra section, they'd not only not get paid, but they'd have to incur the cost of operating this extra section.

I can't speak for how ACJ gets paid by AC, but from my past life I know pretty well how it works for US carriers.

The reason they ran the flight 12+ hours late is because (in decreasing order of priority) A) They get paid for the segment. B) If they're a DOT reporting carrier, they can count a delay under 24hr as a completion. C) Unless they cancel a second flight, they still need to get this airplane/crew back to a hub or somewhere it can continue it's line of flight.

I'm not a fan of the 24hr completion rule, but that's the DOT rules. Personally, I think 12hr is a better metric.

Mountain Explorer

What?? As soon as there is a 1-minute delay on Delta, the Delta app gives you practically unlimited options to rebook yourself onto any other Delta itinerary that gets you to your destination city. Even if the delay has no significant impact on you, you can use this to your advantage to switch to a lie-flat itinerary or one that gets you more MQMs than you would have gotten originally.

So how exactly is that unethical??