Advice Needed: NWA Itinerary Change Issue
 

I recently received an email from NWA stating that my itinerary for my honeymoon to Grand Cayman this December has changed (underlined honeymoon, because I normally wouldn't sweat over my issue). The problem is this: my return flight has a layover in Minny/St. Paul with my flight home now occurring the following morning rather than the same day.

I spoke with a supervisor in the reservations department and the short of it is this: she basically told me to get bent. I asked for a hotel voucher: no luck. I asked for an upgrade for our inconvenience which was shutdown and responded with a "If we upgrade you, we have to upgrade everyone on the flight." I asked if everyone on the flight was in my situation and she then randomly transferred me to a Delta trip booking agent.

My questions are the following:

A) Does anyone have suggestions?
B) Does anyone have contact information for someone helpful at NWA that could resolve the issue?
C) Am I at fault for wanting this inconvenience corrected? :confused:


Your advice is appreciated.

opril

Welcome to Flyertalk, opril. There is a Forum dedicated to NWA, therefore, I am moving your thread to the NWA Forum for discussion.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Best advice is to call back and explain the situation to another agent to try to fix your itinerary. Explain that NW changed the flight times that are not acceptable to you. If possible, find another NW or DL operated flight that would be acceptable before you call and suggest that one. I've never had a problem (on NW anyway) getting an itinerary fixed because they changed it.

I'm not sure why this was moved to the NWA threads as it appears to be a DL operated flight and a DL schedule change even though the ticket might have been issued sold by NW it appears to be a DL issue (note to OP...I would encourage you to call back and be pleasant and let them know this wont work for you...if that doesn't work call DL and let them know it wont work)

Find an acceptible itinerary on DL or NW operated flights and keep calling until you find an agent that will help. May take 4 or 5 tries, but eventually you will get someone that will help you. You may have better luck if you find the flights you want before you call.

Are you calling Northwest or Delta and who issued your ticket?
If Northwest (012) issued your ticket call Northwest; they are usually pretty accommodating with schedule changes.

It's a NW issue because it sounds like they issued the ticket (I'm guessing it's on 012 stock). If that's the case, the DL agents can't touch it - it would need to be done by a NW agent.

Call back, have a list of options ready (if you can provide us your final destination, we can help pull those together). But DL will not give a hotel or an upgrade for a connection like this.

Also, if there are no alternative flights that are roughly similar & acceptable to you as the original flight (i.e. they can get you back the same day but it will take three connections instead of one, or something), you may have success requesting to fly in/out of a different airport than you originally were booked (if that makes it any easier on you).

They may tell you no at first, but be polite, remind them that it's their change, and ask for a supervisor if necessary. They do have some latitude when it's their schedule change- one agent told me once that they can consider airports within 300 miles in that situation.

My final destination is Omaha, NE.

I would totally be open to flying out on a different airlines, but again, there was no luck. The specialist wanted me to cut my honeymoon short to get a flight back to Omaha. Again, it's my freakin' honeymoon. If it were anything else I would be completely flexible. I just feel that once-in-a-lifetime trip like this shouldn't have to be cut short for NWA's convenience. The ticket was booked through NWA.

just check other flight options on NW/CO/DL to OMA and call it in. If you give them an option you like, they usually accomodate it. You can also always get a refund, in case you can rebook elsewhere at roughly the same price. If it is really an overnight because of a NW schedule change they'll have to pay you a hotel.

It may be that I am older, but I am sure you have heard this before. If you don't succeed at first, try, try again.
I would hope that a supervisor would not as you say tell you to get bent.
Most of the time, how you present your case determines your outcome. I have personal first hand experience with problems I needed fixed, and I was not disappointed. Try again. If the itinerary change does not meet with your needs, they will move mountains to help you, just call back as calm as you can.

Good luck to you.

That's sad...Elite Services doesn't care who issued what or if the record is in PARS or not...they work to resolve the issue.....best of both airlines???

CO wont be an option...it's Dec travel

and the schedule could change between now and then and more than once....

Bob H

Unless today is after October 24th (or 27th, or whatever), you can still book CO for future flights. They may try and dissuade you from having CO in your record, but it's still a viable option. If, after their departure from Skyteam, you need to make a change, then they won't be an option at this time.

In doing reward searches for next February, I still come across CO flights at Saver levels.