asiadiver

I just received this email from the DOT. I'm sure its just a formality, but I really didn't expect any type of response. Its nice to know they are keeping track of complaints and monitoring for patterns.


This responds to your communication regarding Delta Airlines. The U.S. Department of Transportation seeks to ensure that all airline passengers are treated fairly. Complaints from consumers are helpful to us in determining whether the airlines are in compliance with our rules and to track trends or spot areas of concern that warrant further action.

Based on the information you have provided your complaint appears to fall under the Department's rules. We will forward your complaint to the airline and ask the company to respond directly to you with a copy to us. Airlines are required to acknowledge receipt of a consumer complaint within 30 days and provide a substantive response to the complainant within 60 days. We will review the airline's response. Due to the unprecedented number of complaints we have received in recent months, we are unable to accept telephone calls and are not able to respond promptly to email inquiries regarding specific issues in each individual's case.

If our review of your complaint and the response from the company discloses a potential violation of our rules, we may pursue enforcement action. Generally, we pursue enforcement action on the basis of a number of complaints which may indicate a pattern or practice of violating our rules. Your complaint may be among those considered and may lead to appropriate enforcement action including the assessment of civil penalties. However, we have no authority to order compensation for individual complainants.

We have entered your complaint in our industry monitoring system, and it will be counted among the number of complaints filed against this airline in our monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. This report allows consumers and air travel companies to compare the complaint records of individual airlines and tour operators. The data in this report also serve as a basis for rulemaking, legislation and research. Consumer information for air travelers, including the Air Travel Consumer Report and Fly-Rights, a Consumer's Guide to Air Travel, can be found on our website: www.transportation.gov/airconsumer. Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Sincerely,

Kimberly C. Hargett
United States Department of Transportation
Office of Aviation Consumer Protection
[email protected]

Case Number: KC2022060180

Sykes

Pretty much any possibility you can think of. On past error fares I've seen each of the following:

1) Those that had started trips before the tickets were canceled would have been allowed to complete travel as originally ticketed. (This seems to be the most common and there is definitely a contingent of people that book for departure ASAP intentionally because of it.)
2) Those people would still be unable to check-in at the airport despite theoretically having a valid ticket and reservation.
3) Those tickets would be canceled mid-trip even if they successfully flew the first segment. I recall a SWISS fare a few years back where people successfully flew the first segment but once they reached ZRH they were given the option of a full refund or to continue their journey in Economy.

jona970318

That actually false. I believe both Visa and Mastercard both have unofficial policies to make these adjustments as a courtesy

canadiancow

Yeah. I had this happen once when a Canadian car rental agency incorrectly charged me some multi-hundred dollar fee. I called them, they reversed it, but after forex, I was out a couple dollars. A quick call to Chase saying "I didn't authorize the transaction, and they have subsequently refunded it" got them to credit the difference.

nk15

Yes, this happened with the Brazil AA fare...

NoFlyList

$200 credit Received. Each passenger gets $200 which is partially transferable <passenger on the credit needs to be traveling to use the credit> & must be redeemed by 12/31/2023

Smiley90

Mine says redeem by June 16 2023.

Got my two vouchers though, which I'm assuming is partner - me for one ticket, and we won't get another 400 dollars for the second ticket.

night718

Mine also says redeem by June 16, 2023.

Edit: now it shows 12/31/2023

NoFlyList

Redeem by date changes to 12/31/2023 when you add it to your skymile account.

bangkokiscool

I had 3 tickets. Received 1 $200 e-cert. And received 1 refund posted to Amex. And received one reply from Delta in response to DOT complaint.

We'll see what happens.

keitherson

edit: nvm

jfkeze

It all depends....
I know a FTer who got in on the 4-mile HKG deal back in 2012 and flew it in F from HKG to NYC.
I flew many RGNs and got stopped by LX in 2013, we made it to one of the highest courts in Canada, sadly didn't win that one.
In 2014 I was part of the Qatar SGN-PNH party (small claims allowed me to fly it), never underestimate the legal channels...
BA FRA-KUL in 2016, most got cancelled but I survived which was a nice way to try the 380s/789 in F...

I mostly post these days with a lil JFKEZE Jr making it hard to jump on these fares, as an old timer if you can sue, SUE!

The cost is under 40 bucks and worth it, especially if in NYC where most airlines have an office where they can be served...
Just my two cents as someone who's been there , sued that hahaha 🤣😂

Surgee

Old timer here too, but have never really escalated one of these things. Either fly it or take the cancellation and shrug. Out of curiosity, what do you sue for? Reinstatement of the ticket? compensation? Damages? (what damages can you show?) ..?

Smiley90

Refunds just posted in my Chase account.

That ends this thread for me, got a 400 USD "profit" on a 1-week loan of 10'000 dollars to Delta. We'll see what they respond to the DOT complaint, but I'm happy with the outcome as-is.

night718

Refund received on my credit card.