jrkmsp

gooselee

I agree. By OP's own admission, he/she did not arrive at the airport at a reasonable time before the flight, and the reason was something within OP's control.

Agent discretion is important. In this case, my opinion remains that the agent used appropriate discretion to NOT allow a rule exception.

I get that BE fares are part of the overall increase in "regular" fares as part of the airlines' revenue plans and reaction to an evolving market. I was referring to the purpose of BE fares for the airline, not for the customer.

And I don't hate BE passengers or fares at all. They serve a specific purpose and I have purchased them before. I would be perfectly willing to accept my own medicine if I found myself in OP's shoes.

flyerslc

I do feel sympathy for you, but look at it this way, at least you behaved politely and didn't end up like this guy who showed up late. He even was offered a free next flight out:

FSUnole03

You say you understood the rules, then you say they're a bit misleading? What about the rule are misleading?

I apologize if this comes across snarky - but where do you think your money goes when you fly Delta. The Salvation Army?

Often1

If one does what OP and some others apparently want, all DL does is incentivise bad behavior.

Qwkynuf

I am a little confused by this. If Delta makes a mistake, even if it is done by one of its (human) representatives, we want to hold them to the letter of their rules - we grant them no leeway. When we make a mistake, we want them to abandon those same rules, and almost universally in a way that benefits us personally.

It seems to me that you wanted to take advantage of a lower cost fare, with some pretty significant restrictions. No one forced you to select that one over other fares, including fully changeable/refundable ones (albeit at significantly more cost). You had the opportunity to arrive at the airport in sufficient time to take the flight, but you failed to do so. Had you gotten there in time, your gamble on the Basic Economy fare would have paid off. But you didn't.

One of my manager's favorite sayings is that *everything* is optional, and most decisions have consequences

TheHorta

I'm impressed that the OP openly came in here with his pants down, as it were. He knows he is 100% at-fault in this, but was hoping that there was some way / trick / secret handshake to retrieve some of his lost Benjamins -- and that's perfectly normal. Sadly, he drew the short straw on Delta agents and got one that towed the party line like a good automaton, which isn't necessarily a good or a bad thing... it just "is."

OP could have manufactured a story about how he was holding the head of his dying platypus while being overcome with grief, causing his tardiness, and the Dark Overlords at Delta ripped out the pieces of his broken heart and stomped all over it at his most despondent moment -- but he fessed up that he overslept, which takes a certain fortitude.

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.

ethernal

In fairness, the "rules" are broadly stacked in Delta's favor. For the most part the Contract of Carriage is about restricting a passenger's rights and not granting them except where they are already protected by law or international standards.

readywhenyouare

flyerCO

Incorrect. https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&so...YzTP_kS20grFK4

readywhenyouare

flyerCO

My mistake.

However to be honest no one had argued that SDC policy didn't apply to regular coach tickets. The poster pointed out correctly it was up to agent discretion if not done prior to departure time. SDC doesn't negate the penalty for not cancelling a flight prior to departure. It's still the agents call to offer SDC/S once you miss departure.

Qwkynuf

To be fair-er, that is of no consequence. If you know what the rules are, and you choose not to adhere to them, then you forfeit the right to complain when they are enforced. The fact that the same rule may or may not have been waived/bent/whatever for some other passenger in some other place at some other time, under the same or different circumstances, is irrelevant.

We have options - buy the ticket. Don't buy the ticket. Buy a different ticket. Choose a different airline. Take the train, Drive. Walk. Show up on time. Don't show up on time. But if you buy *that* ticket on *that* airline, then you are accepting the "fly as ticketed or forfeit" rule associated with it.

If only we could appreciate when things go our way without creating an expectation.

pvn

You can actually do it, it's just that the "fee" is coincidentally exactly equal to the walk-up fare of a brand new ticket.

Often1

DL sells full Y tickets which are not merely refundable or changeable like several other fare buckets, but which retain their full value even after the flight has departed. People who need that level of flexibility or who cannot keep to a schedule, purchase those sorts of tickets.

The fare rules are in no way stacked against the passenger. They are simply set and it is for the passenger to select what he wants.

People on FT rant about BE all the time. But, the fact is that is a matter of passenger choice.