Missed Basic Economy flight
#47
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 5
Thanks all for the input. It is all helpful. I apologize if my request seemed unreasonable. Im a person who makes mistakes and misjudges. Im also not made of money so the idea of buying a fully refundable fare is never an option. My naivete led me to believe that Delta would help get me to my destination with the money I had already paid them. I fly several times yearly and have never missed a flight in my life. Ive never heard of anyone getting charged for a brand new ticket. I interpreted SDC as flying standby on an earlier flight, etc. I was wrong. Lesson learned, the hard way this time. I will still contact Delta politely as that will cost me approximately $500 less than my mistake Friday cost me. Thank you again!
#48
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: ATL
Programs: SPG, DL
Posts: 307
Reading threads like this drive me insane. As lawyers, we are taught the "letter" of the law and the "spirit" of the law. Yes, OP may have violated the "letter" of his contract, but he certainly didn't violate the "spirit."
"I'm sorry, I overslept by 30 minutes" should almost always result in the passenger being re-booked on a later flight at no fee. Richard Anderson said as much to USA Today in a published interview (google it), and there has been no indication that Ed has changed anything. (side note, having met Ed on a few occasions, he's one of the more down-to-earth CEOs out there).
Is OP "entitled" to anything? No. Should OP have been accommodated on a later flight for no fee? Absolutely.
"I'm sorry, I overslept by 30 minutes" should almost always result in the passenger being re-booked on a later flight at no fee. Richard Anderson said as much to USA Today in a published interview (google it), and there has been no indication that Ed has changed anything. (side note, having met Ed on a few occasions, he's one of the more down-to-earth CEOs out there).
Is OP "entitled" to anything? No. Should OP have been accommodated on a later flight for no fee? Absolutely.
#49
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
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Posts: 5,431
Reading threads like this drive me insane. As lawyers, we are taught the "letter" of the law and the "spirit" of the law. Yes, OP may have violated the "letter" of his contract, but he certainly didn't violate the "spirit."
"I'm sorry, I overslept by 30 minutes" should almost always result in the passenger being re-booked on a later flight at no fee. Richard Anderson said as much to USA Today in a published interview (google it), and there has been no indication that Ed has changed anything. (side note, having met Ed on a few occasions, he's one of the more down-to-earth CEOs out there).
Is OP "entitled" to anything? No. Should OP have been accommodated on a later flight for no fee? Absolutely.
"I'm sorry, I overslept by 30 minutes" should almost always result in the passenger being re-booked on a later flight at no fee. Richard Anderson said as much to USA Today in a published interview (google it), and there has been no indication that Ed has changed anything. (side note, having met Ed on a few occasions, he's one of the more down-to-earth CEOs out there).
Is OP "entitled" to anything? No. Should OP have been accommodated on a later flight for no fee? Absolutely.
#51
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: DL DM, SPG Plat 100/LT Gold, Marriott Plat, National Executive Elite
Posts: 2,989
If this ever happens again - to you or anyone else reading - make use of DL's multiple methods of contacting them. You could try to call (see comments below), tweet, DM, or deal with airport folks. Any note before departure even noting your tardiness could help immensely with another agent.
Having said that - once you accept to pay a fee and fly the ticket - unless you can prove true DL error (as I have once done with check in technical errors and they refunded me my add collect via customer service) - it is near impossible to get back. Especially given you consumed the flights.
Did you offer to pay the $75 standby fee? I find that DL agents at some stations hold strict to the fee rules when you look or act like a business traveler, as they assume you can use OPM. But acting like you should be rebooked for free on an E fare can also zap all sympathy.
I find if you offer to take some accountability and pay a small fee, proactively, or mention rules like flat tire or SDS, they can be more willing to help.
You also should play agent (or Red Coat) roulette. A lot of agents nowadays only know SNAP and dont know exceptions. Red Coats do. Ask for a Red Coat, you can always replead your case to them (I once bought a BOS-DTW-SFO 4 days out; fare of that and BOS-SFO identical for an award.
I could now arrive later due to my plans and asked at BOS to move to the nonstop (I nicely said I didn't sleep the night before and wanted a chance at a lie flat seat). Agent was nice, called a desk, and they quoted 22K extra miles. I was hesitant to pay, so she suggested calling a Red Coat. The nicest Red Coat showed up and after some typing, got me on the nonstop. Note they aren't supposed to move you to nonstop from connecting voluntarily, and I told her I knew that upfront and I didn't want her to get in trouble (she said it was fine).
This. If you get through or tweet, explicitly ask them to leave a note and you can even direct them as to what you want it to say. Sometimes previous documentation of any sort can get you a lot more leeway.
Having said that - once you accept to pay a fee and fly the ticket - unless you can prove true DL error (as I have once done with check in technical errors and they refunded me my add collect via customer service) - it is near impossible to get back. Especially given you consumed the flights.
Did you offer to pay the $75 standby fee? I find that DL agents at some stations hold strict to the fee rules when you look or act like a business traveler, as they assume you can use OPM. But acting like you should be rebooked for free on an E fare can also zap all sympathy.
I find if you offer to take some accountability and pay a small fee, proactively, or mention rules like flat tire or SDS, they can be more willing to help.
You also should play agent (or Red Coat) roulette. A lot of agents nowadays only know SNAP and dont know exceptions. Red Coats do. Ask for a Red Coat, you can always replead your case to them (I once bought a BOS-DTW-SFO 4 days out; fare of that and BOS-SFO identical for an award.
I could now arrive later due to my plans and asked at BOS to move to the nonstop (I nicely said I didn't sleep the night before and wanted a chance at a lie flat seat). Agent was nice, called a desk, and they quoted 22K extra miles. I was hesitant to pay, so she suggested calling a Red Coat. The nicest Red Coat showed up and after some typing, got me on the nonstop. Note they aren't supposed to move you to nonstop from connecting voluntarily, and I told her I knew that upfront and I didn't want her to get in trouble (she said it was fine).
While not much could've been done, I would think the moment he awoke from his slumber he should've immediately called Delta and let them know instead of waiting until the flight was missed, which likely removed some of the options an agent may have had at their disposal to help him out.
#52
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Alaska MVP, Bonvoy (lol) Ambassador
Posts: 2,998
It is one thing to tell a passenger they can't pick a seat or get charged to carry on a bag. To tell a passenger that they won't get taken to their destination because of a small mistake or unexpected issue is not going to be well received. People have an expectation of what it means to fly on a legacy carrier, and stuff like this is part of that expectation. Putting someone on standby costs Delta no more than a few bucks for a bag of peanuts and fuel for the extra weight and would be worth it from a brand protection standpoint.
It is certainly well within Delta's rights to refuse rebooking of the passenger. I just think it's ill-advised in the long run. Delta won't out-compete Spirit being Spirit and they shouldn't try to (although I'll note that I've heard good success of people getting flat tired on Spirit in the past - admittedly anecdotal but somewhat ironic relative to what one might expect).
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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To clarify some earlier posts, even if eligible OP could not have paid $75 to SDS as only GM+ are allowed to SDS for later flights.
He should be sure to bring a photo, too.
#55
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,329
Three threads down, DL apparently isn't following its own rules on upgrades, why should they necessarily here?
Does Delta Follow its Own Upgrade Rules
Some/many of the European low-cost-carriers that sell completely inflexible tickets will also sell you "insurance" that if you miss your flight, they'll accommodate you on the next available one, and it's a fairly modest fee ($10-15 maybe?).
Contrast that to DL here apparently, where, sticking to the letter of the rules, even a non-BE fare would at least require a $150-200 change fee (for someone not eligible to standby for a later flight), and that assumes you contact them before your original flight departs (heaven forbid the OP didn't even wake up until 6:01am). Surely that's not the airline's intention?
Does Delta Follow its Own Upgrade Rules
Some/many of the European low-cost-carriers that sell completely inflexible tickets will also sell you "insurance" that if you miss your flight, they'll accommodate you on the next available one, and it's a fairly modest fee ($10-15 maybe?).
Contrast that to DL here apparently, where, sticking to the letter of the rules, even a non-BE fare would at least require a $150-200 change fee (for someone not eligible to standby for a later flight), and that assumes you contact them before your original flight departs (heaven forbid the OP didn't even wake up until 6:01am). Surely that's not the airline's intention?
#56
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,079
#57
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#58
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: San Diego
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Posts: 3,612
What about BE flyers who miss flights because of TSA lines?
It would seem that as bad as TSA lines are nowadays for no-precheck people, I would expect lots of BE pax miss flights for that reason alone. Delta can't tell if someone who just misses a flight did so because of TSA chaos (common) or just overslept (less common, but the OP's situation.) I'd be curious to know how Delta handles this for BE flyers. I guess the situation is rare for Delta FT forum people because of precheck and paying for regular coach as the normal practice.
#59
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
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I get that Delta's BE fares on Delta are much scorned here on FT, and for good reason. Delta doesn't say explicitly, but I think it is not unusual for a third of the pax on a given flight to be on BE. This is strictly my unscientific impression that a week before a flight, the Delta often shows over one hundred people as "standby" (meaning no seat assignment), and the seat map shows all the back-of-plane seats as blocked off. Assuming I'm right, I find it unlikely that so many people are making irrational decisions buying BE. I've bought UA basic economy myself because I have no United status, and it's extraordinarily rare for me to miss a flight. A lot of FT'er in the Delta forum are not chosing BE just because of being kept out of the upgrade lottery.
It would seem that as bad as TSA lines are nowadays for no-precheck people, I would expect lots of BE pax miss flights for that reason alone. Delta can't tell if someone who just misses a flight did so because of TSA chaos (common) or just overslept (less common, but the OP's situation.) I'd be curious to know how Delta handles this for BE flyers. I guess the situation is rare for Delta FT forum people because of precheck and paying for regular coach as the normal practice.
It would seem that as bad as TSA lines are nowadays for no-precheck people, I would expect lots of BE pax miss flights for that reason alone. Delta can't tell if someone who just misses a flight did so because of TSA chaos (common) or just overslept (less common, but the OP's situation.) I'd be curious to know how Delta handles this for BE flyers. I guess the situation is rare for Delta FT forum people because of precheck and paying for regular coach as the normal practice.
#60
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,079