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.

that's terrible. Rest assured, DL will take care of you ... it's not UA. If they end up cancelling go back to the Skyclub and have deal with the rebookings.

Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
Terminal 1
Gate G4 3:06pm
26 Jun Cancelled
Tokyo (NRT)
Terminal 1
Gate CHK 4:55pm
27 Jun Cancelled

Flt just cancelled.

Yep. We now depart tomorrow at 10am.

Was about to depart from MSP after 20 hours of delay but due to Air Force One, we are on another wait. :(

To the OP. I see your flt is in the air now. Please report back and give a review on your DL flt. Service, food, etc. compared to UA. What hotel did DL put you in at MSP?

Thanks kettle1 and sorry for the delay in updating our arrival--we're of course dead tired.

1. First of all, DL ground staffs at MSP were heroic. Apparently it is not an easy task to accommodate over 300 passengers all at once, and there were things that could have been handled more efficiently, but overall it was clear that they tried their very best to alleviate the situation.

2. MSP area hotels were all sold out, so DL chartered buses to transport us to nearby town Rochester (it took 1.5 hours to get there), and we stayed in hotels near Mayo Clinic - in our case, it was Kahler Grand Hotel. The flight was cancelled at around 5 or 6pm, but we finally got our hotel at around 11 o'clock. So there was substantial wait time.

3. DL business class though was surprisingly good. My last UA transpacific C-class trip was three years ago so I don't quite remember much about the service/seat, but DL business seat/service/food was comparable to or better than many Asian and good European carriers.

1) seat: DL herringbone seat in 747 was quite comfy. It was better than those of TK (new seat) and EK, to say nothing of horrendous AA old 777 seat. But for those who may want to travel with little kids, the herringbone seat with direct aisle access was a pain to deal with. It was very difficult to reach to my kid's entertainment system (I needed to be a gymnast), and it was quite a challenge to help during mealtimes.

2) food: Excellent! In my opinion, it was better than OZ, TK, EK. I had a Japanese meal and my spouse had a steak, and they were all delectable. In this area, AA is the worst, I guess; when we rode AA TPAC six months ago, we couldn't really eat anything.

4. Compensation: I don't have a status with DL, and I got an email apologizing for the cancellation/delay and offering $150 DL voucher for future uses. Although this was a UA-endorsed DL ticket, I think $150 is way too low for 20 hour delay for C-passengers. I will probably see what others are saying at DL forum.

I will add some pictures later, when I have a chance.

Thanks for all the help!

My god, I think YOU are the one who is heroic.

Thanks for the update. It sounds like DL did well in everything except the compensation. I believe it should be higher as well. When you get home call DL. Tell them you enjoyed the flt and service and you are considering flying C on DL - perhaps they will give you more.

Currently UA va DL - DL wins in my book. Enjoy you vacation! ^

There must have been some big event in the Minneapolis area. Otherwise downtown hotels or those in other suburbs would be much closer when the airport hotels are full. However, the Kahler Grand is considered very good, including it's special hotel within a hotel which is used by Mayo VIPs.

DL compensation tends to depend very much on one's DL or AF/KLM elite status. You had a UA ticket and DL took good care of you, including providing an excellent and expensive hotel plus finding four last minute BE seats on the same flights, so IME further complaints are not warranted.

C-class is C-class and if UA booked OAL then DL gets the money. $150 p.P. is too low for a 20 hr delay within Delta's control ... I'd ask for more.