Scheduling advise ?
 

I hope someone here with an intimate knowledge of Delta's scheduling can assist me with a little info..we are booked to Aruba via Atlanta return beginning of Dec....because of all the recent scheduling changes Delta has only 1 flight per day going into Aruba (Boston and N.Y. both have to connect through atl)..when I reviewed our itinerary for the return segment both our e tickets and the web page have us departing Aruba at 3:55 pm ..only problem is the flight coming in from atl. doesnt arrive till 4:52 pm..hubby called Delta and agent couldnt explain how that could be but said "it'll get sorted out before you leave"..I called back to check and was advised "the flight will overnite in Aruba" but the agent advised me in all fairness that although that was her information it didnt seem to make much sense to her...my concern is our relatively tight connection from Atl onward(1 hour)....if Im going to need to change the connecting flight(which Im sure we'll need to do if the schedule later reflects leaving Aruba after the plane actually arrives there http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I'd prefer to do so now rather than later ..on the other hand I'd prefer not to change it if we really will be departing at the time now indicated(guess I'm just real surprised to see a plane being tied up for 22 hours every day in Aruba on the ground ..didnt seem believable to me) ...any suggestions ?comments?advise?

What don't you check today's & tomorrow's final schedules and see what's happening? It probably will give you an indication of what to expect.

The schedule you have, as you have surmised, is based on the old DL flights involving JFK, ATL and AUA. Two planes were involved each day. The plane from JFK arrived in AUA around 2:00 p.m. and left for ATL at about 3:30 p.m. The plane from ATL arrived in AUA just before 4:00 p.m. and left for JFK just after 5:00 p.m. With the elimination of the JFK flights, all that changes.

Currently, the single DL flight into Aruba (from ATL) is scheduled to arrive daily at 3:52 p.m. and depart for the return flight to ATL at 4:52 p.m. But the schedule after November 15 appears somewhat murky, with flights apparently not scheduled every day.

When the agent advised you that it will be sorted out before you leave, that was the best info you heard. When the schedule is properly adjusted, DL will schedule you on appropriate connection flights, which you can ask to have changed if they are not satisfactory. To request such changes now would seem foolhardy, since it is far from certain what the schedule will be in December. My guess is that there isn't a soul at Delta who could tell you exactly what the schedule will look like in December. So give it a little time and keep checking the schedules. You should have more definitive info by early November, if not earlier.

And you are correct about the aircraft utilization. It is extremely unlikely that DL will voluntarily schedule 22 hours of ground time in AUA. That plane will turn around and take off within 1-2 hours of landing. That's strong evidence that the schedule still needs work.

Have patience. These are not normal times.