UA cancelled; rebooked on Delta; what happens if DL cancels?
 

A quick query. UA intl flight got cancelled so they put us on DL. Unfortunately the flight I have already boarded is getting delayed due to mechanical issues. If this DL flight is going to be cancelled eventually (I hope not), who should I contact? UA or DL? Thank you.

If you have high status on UA, call them first, as they will want to take care of you.

Thanks. I don't have a status with UA but UA has been good for us securing J tickets on DL for four of us for the originally award tickets. DL however has been really bad (almost denying boarding) and I will save that story for later times.

Now is UA required to accommodate us? Do they repossess the ticket? Or is it now Delta's job because they took the ticket over at the check-in?

Agreed. I had this happen at HPN with AA. The only thing to keep in mind is that now you have a DL ticket and UA will have to work with DL to transfer it back to UA. Depending on where you are and who has more flights going out, it may be better to stick with DL. But if you're at the airport already, I'd try the UA counter first too. And you won't have to wait in line behind the rest of the people on your DL flight.

This may make it worth sticking with DL. I haven't had this experience without status, not sure if you'll get the same solution I did.

The itin was IAH-NRT nonstop on UA but that was cancelled and now I am at MSP on a flight to NRT. I hope the mechanical issues get resolved quickly so that I don't have to go through the ordeal once again.

DL owns the ticket now, you're with DL and would contact DL with any issues.

DL is not cancel happy like UA is. DL hates cancelling flights, if you're delayed you may be delayed, but I'd be surprised if they cancelled something like this. DL even boasts about how many days they run without a single cancellation.

I'd probably try DL first then. IMO, better to stay in MSP then get routed around by UA, less chance of mis connects, others may disagree. I don't believe UA would be responsible for anything if DL cancels. But if you're not happy with reaccomodation on DL, try UA.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the sage advice.

It appears your flight is boarding, so you should be OK.

Since United endorsed your ticket to Delta, I would continue to work with DL. In similar situations where a flight may be cancelled, I will go to the web site and see what flights are still available. This way, if the flight is cancelled, or continues to be delayed, I can offer options to the agent. Generally speaking, they will try to accommodate you, especially if you have status with the airline.

For example, in your situation, if you go the Delta's web site and plug in MSP to NRT for today. There are about 9 flights out of MSP (all 1 stop connections) that would get you to NRT. Since you have 4 J tickets, the only flight that may have 4 J tickets available is the LAX-NRT flight later tonight, DL 2321 (MSP-LAX) connecting with DL 283 (LAX-NRT). This would be my backup Plan.

If the MSP-NRT flight cancelled, I would immediately get on the phone to try to rebook on the backup plan.

This is DL, you don't need an agent. The minute that flight posted a delay, it would let you switch on your phone or the website.

It's similar to UA's tool, except UA's tool doesn't always kick in on a delay. DL's is reliable in that regard.

Thanks PBAudit for the detailed instruction.

Pilots found the problem just before the take-off. So we have been waiting and eventually returned to the gate.

It's amazing how different United approaches cancelations. They actually look at it as an opportunity to boost profit.

They cancel a full 50 seat RJ, and then try to spread the 50 folks over the few empty middle seats to the original destination over the next week,,, thus increasing load factor, and not incurring the costs of the original flight. They see this as increased profit and sit blissfully unaware that none of those folks are never coming back. United acts like they've done a good job and that the displaced customers should feel great that United managed to find them a seat at all.

NRT Tokyo DL 155
Delta Air Lines 3:06 PM 3:20 PM T-1
G4 En Route
Delay 134 min 744

Looks like the OP is in the air.

Nope. Not really. Just deplaned because of the lengthy delay. Waiting in suspense.