paulmlac

I'm a little ticked at Delta. I doubt much can be done about it though. Here's the situation:

I booked flights in late August for the family for Christmas from MSP to PBI & back.

I originally booked nonstop flights which were moderately more expensive. I don't recall the fare difference. It wasn't huge. But it was some amount more (times 4 tickets).

Delta decided to discontinue nonstop service so we now have connections. The end result is our flights depart 1 - 2 hours sooner & arrive 1 - 2 hours later. Of course, there's the change option but without direct flights there's no way to really optimize the situation.

Additionally, we have seats scattered around the plane because there's not much inventory left. For one segment, we have 2 seats in 1 row, 1 seat in the row in front, & 1 seat in the row behind. For another segment, we have 2 seats in 1 row & 2 seats about 10 rows behind.

We'll roll with it - what choice do we have - but just feels a little like a bait & switch.

apodo77

The MSP-PBI non stop was short lived it seems.
Not bait and switch when they cancel the non stop.

exwannabe

One practical thing you can do is check today's prices. If they are the same (or cheaper), you can ask for a full refund for the original (higher price) then rebook right back on the same connecting flight you are on now. (Might want to book the replacement first to be safe).

NoStressHere

That sucks for sure. But, at least you can still fly. Seats all over can be a problem, but possibly an agent can help? Blocked seats, preferred seats, etc?


As to cheaper tickets... I am guessing not since they plane seems to be filling up (seat selection observation)

I am on a non-stop positioning flight Jan 8th that shows 4 seats selected at this point. I am waiting for the dreaded email that it gets cancelled and we have to connect instead. Based on what I can see, we are 99.9% sure of 1st class upgrade. With a change, we drop to the bottom of the list I am guessing.

sinoflyer

Although you really can't blame DL for canceling a route, you also can't blame the consumer for feeling baited into paying a premium and then receiving an inferior product.

Often1

Schedule changes are pretty routine and cancelling a route is part of that. It's in the contract OP agreed to, so it's "switch" but not "bait".
If OP can find something better on DL, DL will reroute him.
Or if OP can find something cheaper on any carrier, including DL, he is entitled to a full refund and may purchase the cheaper tickets.

minnyfly

It is a form of one, and unfortunately one that airlines are allowed to get away with. It's one advantage of airlines over-scheduling and then trimming capacity. They can squeeze more traffic and revenue that way. I'd be ticked too.

steex

I say this not at all as criticism of the OP, but this is another good reminder to check your flight itineraries regularly (which, for all I know, OP did and is just posting now). Using this example, the December schedule changes on MSP-PBI were rolled out in mid-October. While that doesn't do much to change the situation, there was likely greater availability to rearrange seats then as opposed to now. If one is interested in canceling/rebooking, that also tends to be more feasible further in advance when seat availability is greater and prices are typically lower.

FlytheTail

It's probably too late to do anything now -- when were you informed of this change? If you had called Delta within a week or two of the change, it's likely they would have honored an option, such as flying nonstop into FLL instead. I understand your frustration though, it's happened to me before. Recently, there was a schedule change resulting in a long layover. I was able to cancel the Delta ticket, receive a full refund, and book better flights on United instead.

ethernal

It's definitely bait and switch. Just because it is legal and covered under generic contract legalese does not mean it is not bait and switch.

I'm about to get dinged myself by $700 when Delta axes my nonstop ATL->BCN trip and puts in a connection (paid an extra $350 per ticket for a non-stop versus connection).

sbm12

The historical fare information is available, though generally not publicly. Doesn't mean they'll give you the difference back, either. But the data exists.

Flaflyer

Drive?

Often1

If it is legal, then it is not "bait & switch" which is a form of fraud and is generally defined an "action (generally illegal) of advertising goods that are an apparent bargain, with the intention of substituting inferior or more expensive goods."

1. Based on the OP's facts, what evidence have you found that DL intended to substitute, e.g. cancel its service at the time it sold OP his tickets?
2. In your case, what evidence do you have of that? As noted, if you can find the itinerary you want for less, you are entitled to a full refund of the original tickets.

While it is easy to rant, the solution is easy. DL and other carriers should not sell tickets far in advance, perhaps 30-45 days and then stick to the schedule. If you want to preclude the possibility of booking pretty close to a year in advance, that is where you would wind up.

ethernal

Bait and switch is a concept, not a law. Some forms of bait and switch are illegal and others are not.

Whether or not Delta intended at the time is irrelevant. Delta has now presently decided that tickets it sold previously will be swapped for an inferior product (a connection). This is de facto bait and switch. The fact that Delta is willing to refund the ticket does not fully absolve them of the fact it is bait and switch (as simply not traveling is not always an option and a slew of other reasons). It is similar to someone coming to the store and then being told that only an inferior product is available for the advertised price - the person has already made the commitment to come to the store.

Yes, schedule changes happen. Yes it is legal. No there is no recourse for the passenger (other than a refund or taking the inferior product). It does not mean that it is not bait and switch in its most base form. I don't know why that is so hard to see.

nomiiiii

This is not just a delta thing - I had a similar problem with United service to Asheville which was reduced. Originally I had paid much higher prices to have an overnight in Chicago (instead of redeyes), but with service reductions I ended up on the redeye regardless.

In these cases there really should be an industry standard of refunding you something (e.g. a $100 voucher or whatever), because you had originally paid a premium for a non-stop or a non-redeye etc. Often its too late to book something else because prices have increased a lot, so the voucher is likely the best way (I would recommend OP to write to customer service and see if they give you a voucher).