Beware Delta info
 

In trying to clarify the new ff rules instituted at the beginning of April, I phoned Delta for info on ticket booking via the net versus phone. The information given to me by four different agents (not off-shore people)was totally erroneous and designed to encourage phone bookings with vastly inflated added charges. I was sucked into the trap and paid $50 pp more by phone than by net. Do not believe the live agents. They are either poorly trained or scamming the public. Read the delta.com skymiles FAQS VERY carefully.

What info did they give you?

$50pp would be for an award itinerary that includes a segment on a partner airline ($25 for telephone ticketing and $25 for partner). No fees if you can book online. However, only Delta, Continental, Northwest, Hawaiian and Alaska are bookable online currently.

If you need flights on any other partner, you're stuck with the fee.

I paid the fee for AirFrance Lax - Lhr in October via Delta miles.

I am just happy to be flying to Euruope on miles - whatever the fee & taxes it was a lot less then buying two r/t tickets.

Well, I suggest you don't try to book a ticket with United miles, where the phone fee is $150.

These fees are pretty much universal. Delta is not special and there is no need for the warning.

I needed to book tickets using two different ff accounts. I attempted to get specific info from the phone rep who assured me that booking by phone would cost $25 (selectively leaving out the fact that it is $25pp), that no tickets could be held, and that the two tickets would have to be booked separately on the net, adding that I would have to be quick with the computer. There was no assurance of more than one seat available.

Based on this info, I did the booking by phone. At no time did the agent tell me that the phone charge was $25pp as well as $25pp for using Continental. She did not tell me the total charged, saying to see the receipt on email. Upon seeing $100 charged in addition to the taxes, etc., I immediately asked to speak to a supervisor who assured me that the Continental carrier extra charge was also levied on the internet. This is false, according to the Delta.com web site. Also, tickets booked on the web can be held for 48 hours. I surely could be quick enough to book/cancel 2 tickets in that time frame.

I object to the easy and glib manner of the phone agents who are obviously encouraging business to go through them by giving false information and by withholding important information.

Yeah, it sounds like you got a lot of bad info. The correct part is that the tickets would have to be booked as separate transactions online if you were using miles from different accounts. Not an excuse, but I think there have been so many changes lately that the agents themselves are confused and not necessarily trying to mislead.

for Travelgourmet:

Get your facts straight. The ff booking fee for phone orders at United is $15 per ticket.